French inventor crosses English Channel on jet-powered hoverboard
This guy is the ultimate channel surfer.
A French inventor on Sunday successfully flew across the English Channel on a jet-powered hoverboard — that would make Marty McFly from “Back to the Future” envious.
Video shows former French military reservist Franky Zapata surfing in the air on a machine he designed over the Strait of Dover after taking off from Sangatte in northern France.
Flanked by three helicopters, Zapata, 40, made a stop on a boat halfway through the 22-mile voyage to refuel, before landing safely in Britain’s Saint Margarets Bay. His journey took just over 20 minutes.
“I feel tired, I need a vacation,” Zapata quipped to local station BFM-TV after his exploit.
“For the last five to six kilometers I just really enjoyed it,” he added, saying he tried to “take pleasure in not thinking about the pain,” even though his “thighs were burning.”
“Whether this is a historic event or not, I’m not the one to decide that, time will tell.”
The Frenchman started working on the machine three years ago and received an about $1.4 million grant from the French army in late 2018 to help finance the project.
In a failed attempt at the journey last month, Zapata was knocked off balance while attempting to land on a boat to refuel and fell.
This time, he used a bigger boat and landing platform.
During France’s Bastille Day celebration July 14, Zapata zoomed over a military parade in Paris armed with a rifle, drawing comparisons to Spider Man’s nemesis, the Green Goblin.
Zapata, a former jet ski racing champion, says his hoverboard is complex and would be tough for the average person to navigate, adding that he’s not yet sure what the machine would be used for.
“It’s not a machine for trip down to the bakery on a Sunday morning,” he told BFM-TV.
The inventor said he’s already working on his next project: a flying car.
With Post wires