French inventor crosses English Channel on his own hoverboard, netizens call it ‘real revolution’

Franky Zapata had previously fallen into the water while trying to land on a boat-mounted refuelling platform. But this time his midway refuelling went smoothly.

Franky Zapata, Franky Zapata crosses English Channel, Franky Zapata crosses English Channel with hover board, trending, Indian Express news

Taking about 22 minutes to cover over 20 miles, Zapata glided over the water to cross Sangatte in northern France and St Margaret’s Bay in Dover.

They say failure is the first step to success. A French inventor proved it after successfully crossing the English Channel with his own jet-powered hoverboard after his failed attempt last month.

Franky Zapata had previously fallen into the water while trying to land on a boat-mounted refuelling platform. But this time his midway refuelling went smoothly. Taking about 22 minutes to cover over 20 miles, Zapata glided over the water to cross Sangatte in northern France and St Margaret’s Bay in Dover. Take a look at the video here:

French inventor Franky Zapata flew from #France to #England on his fly board ✈️ in just over 20 minutes..!🤩 Welcome to the future . pic.twitter.com/gz1sQ3Pagm

— Vineet jain (@vineetjaintimes) August 18, 2019

The “flyboard”, which is designed and built by him, is a gas turbine-powered contraption fueled by five small jets and can theoretically fly up to 110 miles per hour at an altitude of 50 feet to 65 feet for about 10 minutes.

While hundreds gathered around his take-off point in Northern France, many took to Twitter to appreciate the inventor for giving them a glimpse of the future mode of transport. Here are some reactions:

Innovation makes our life more easier and closer to the globe.

— Sanjeev Kumar Singh (@harsubhmy) August 20, 2019

This is real revolution. Can curb many problems of Indian transport system.

— Yatharth Mishra / यथार्थ मिश्र (@YatharthMishra_) August 19, 2019

The future is already here, it’s just not evenly distributed👇

–> “French inventor Franky Zapata flew from #France to #England on his fly board ✈️ in just over 20 mins”🤩 pic.twitter.com/uOtKLoM4je via @vineetjaintimes #flyboard #frankyzapata #future #futurism

— Amit Ranjan (@amitranjan) August 19, 2019

Franky Zapata believed he can fly and he did
I believe I can touch the sky
I think about it every night and day
Spread my wings and fly away
I believe I can sore
I see me runnin through that open door
I believe I can fly https://t.co/HQYjLxrodJ

— Deep Bhandari (@Deep0) August 19, 2019

Future is here.. This is super cool!! #FrankyZapata #FlyBoard https://t.co/sTZvItsiFN

— Sharon Supriya (@SharonSupriya) August 19, 2019

So delighted he landed safely in the @thebaytrust gardens and that we played our part in supporting him and his team in landing in The Pines Garden, St Margaret’s Bay – very proud CEO in my first #60days in post #frankyzapata https://t.co/HmJsKhQG5R

— Carrie Jackson (@IPDCarrie) August 18, 2019

If I had to name a character who rides a hoverboard he designed over the English Channel I might very well name that character “Franky Zapata”. https://t.co/Ro9a39GdcA

— Hart Hanson (@HartHanson) August 13, 2019