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French inventor successfully crosses English Channel on hoverboard

Published

5 years ago

August 8, 2019

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French inventor Franky Zapata successfully crosses the English Channel on his Flyboard Air, a jet-powered hoverboard, making him the first person to achieve the magnificent feat.

It takes him 22 minutes to fly over the Channel and land on Saint Margaret’s Bay in southern England from Sangatte in northern France, covering roughly 34 kilometers at an average speed of 140 kilometers per hour.

It is his second attempt after his first unsuccessful attempt on July 25, 2019. He ends up falling to the sea when he tries to land on vessel to refuel his device. This time, the team uses a larger refueling vessel which has a larger landing area.

His “flyboard” can make him fly about 15 to 20 meters above the water for ten minutes, so he has to refuel the device midway, which takes no more than two minutes.

Previously, the French military showed interest in Zapata’s invention, so they give his company 1.5 million U.S. dollars to develop the device, as well as a private field to test the hoverboard.

Source: CGTN