Man ‘flyboards’ over Channel
ST MARGARET’S BAY: A Frenchman who has spent years developing a jetpowered hoverboard zoomed across the English Channel yesterday, fulfilling his quest just 10 days after failing in a first attempt when he fell into the water while trying to refuel.
Franky Zapata set off on his “Flyboard” from Sangatte on the northern coast of France at 8.17am local time for the 35-kilometre trip to St Margaret’s Bay in Dover, on England’s south coast.
Escorted by three helicopters, he glided across the water in the early morning light and landed 22 minutes later in the picturesque bay, where dozens of onlookers and journalists awaited him.
“Everything went great! Even though it was still tricky,” Mr Zapata said after the flight, referring to a complex landing manoeuvre on a boat around threequarters of the way across to pick up a fresh backpack full of kerosene.
He said that based on the indicators in the visor of his helmet, he raced over the busy shipping lane at a speed of 160170 km/h, doing zig-zags as he neared the coast.
“Then I saw England getting closer, so I tried to have some fun so I could forget the pain — my legs were on fire!” he said.
He later broke down in tears of emotion while talking on the telephone to his son, who told him, “Dad, you’re the best!”
“Frankly, I’m tired,” he said later. “I need a holiday.”
Mr Zapata, a 40-year-old former jetski champion, first tried to make the crossing on July 25, to coincide with the 110th anniversary of Louis Bleriot’s historic first crossing of the Channel by plane.
But the bid was cut short when he tumbled into the water after failing to land on a boat to refuel — his backpack carries some 35 kilogrammes of kerosene, enough to keep him aloft for around 10 minutes.
Asked if he considered himself Bleriot’s successor, Mr Zapata told BFM television yesterday: “It’s not really comparable, he was one of the first men to fly.”
This time the refuelling boat was bigger and had a larger landing area, and French navy vessels in the area kept an eye out in case of trouble.
Mr Zapata’s team had been racing to repair the hoverboard after it was damaged from falling in the Channel waters 10 days ago.
The main uncertainty this time around, Mr Zapata had warned before the second attempt, was that his hoverboard might end up having “a little problem”.