Franky Zapata succeeds in flyboarding across the Channel
French inventor Franky Zapata has successfully made the first-ever Channel crossing on a jet-powered flyboard.
French inventor Franky Zapata has successfully made the first-ever Channel crossing on a jet-powered flyboard.…
French inventor Franky Zapata has successfully made the first-ever Channel crossing on a jet-powered flyboard.
French inventor Franky Zapata has successfully made the first-ever Channel crossing on a jet-powered flyboard.
Zapata made the 22-mile (35.4-km) journey on his flyboard invention, powered by a kerosene-filled backpack. He set off from Sangatte, near Calais, at 06:17 GMT on Sunday and landed in St Margaret’s Bay in Dover 22 minutes later.
In July, an attempt at the crossing failed after Zapata missed a boat-mounted refuelling platform.
Zapata said he had reached speeds of up to 170km/h (106mph) during the successful flight. He said the biggest challenge had again been refuelling.
“We made a machine three years ago… and now we’ve crossed the Channel, it’s crazy,” he told reporters.
“Whether this is a historic event or not, I’m not the one to decide that, time will tell,” he reportedly said.
Last month, Zapata also appeared at France’s Bastille Day celebrations. Watch that
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