SANGATTE, France - A French inventor has succeeded in crossing the English Channel on a jet-powered hoverboard that he designed. Franky Zapata, 40, zoomed across the Strait of Dover in just over 20 minutes in a world-first.
A previous attempt in July saw him fall into the sea. However, he was successful on Sunday morning and made the 21 mile (35km) journey without any problems.
Franky took off from Sangatte, just outside Calais in France around 6.15am on a little platform powered by five small jet engines and carrying kerosene in a backpack. Flanked by three helicopters, he reached Britain after a stop on a boat halfway through to refuel.
He steered the machine with his legs and landed safely in St Margaret’s Bay, close to Dover on the south coast. After his arrival, he said he reached speeds of 105mph and cruised at an altitude of between 65ft and 160ft above the waves.
Franky, a former jet-ski champion, said: ‘For the last five to six kilometres I just really enjoyed it. ‘Whether this is a historic event or not, I’m not the one to decide that, time will tell.’
‘We made a machine three years ago…and now we’ve crossed the Channel, it’s crazy,’ he said, before breaking into tears. ‘I could see all the ships in the Channel and had to steer around them. ‘But to see the White Cliffs of Dover was totally amazing. It was beautiful. It was a wonderful experience.’
Dozens of people came to cheer on Franky as he took off and a number of Kent residents and tourists watched him land. St Margaret’s Bay local, Helen Reed, said: ‘I really didn’t think he would make it but I was hoping. ‘Just to see him in the distance with my little binoculars, it was just amazing.’(FA)
A previous attempt in July saw him fall into the sea. However, he was successful on Sunday morning and made the 21 mile (35km) journey without any problems.
Franky took off from Sangatte, just outside Calais in France around 6.15am on a little platform powered by five small jet engines and carrying kerosene in a backpack. Flanked by three helicopters, he reached Britain after a stop on a boat halfway through to refuel.
He steered the machine with his legs and landed safely in St Margaret’s Bay, close to Dover on the south coast. After his arrival, he said he reached speeds of 105mph and cruised at an altitude of between 65ft and 160ft above the waves.
Franky, a former jet-ski champion, said: ‘For the last five to six kilometres I just really enjoyed it. ‘Whether this is a historic event or not, I’m not the one to decide that, time will tell.’
‘We made a machine three years ago…and now we’ve crossed the Channel, it’s crazy,’ he said, before breaking into tears. ‘I could see all the ships in the Channel and had to steer around them. ‘But to see the White Cliffs of Dover was totally amazing. It was beautiful. It was a wonderful experience.’
Dozens of people came to cheer on Franky as he took off and a number of Kent residents and tourists watched him land. St Margaret’s Bay local, Helen Reed, said: ‘I really didn’t think he would make it but I was hoping. ‘Just to see him in the distance with my little binoculars, it was just amazing.’(FA)
