Franky Zapata flyingman has successfully crossed the Channel over the sea from Calais to Dover

August 2019 Global Defense Security army news industry
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Franky Zapata the flyingman and the French inventor of the Flyboard, has successfully crossed the Channel over the sea from Calais in France to Dover in United Kingdom, this Sunday, August 4, 2019. This is the first flyingman to achieve this performance on an autonomous flying machine.

Frank Zapata flyingman has successfully crossed the channel over the sea from Calais to Dover 925 001
Franky Zapata with its flyboard during a training flight before his attempt to cross the Channel over the Sea from Calais in France to Dover in the United Kingdom. (Picture source Army Recognition)

On July 25, 2015, Franky Zapata had failed in his first attempt to cross the Channel after a problem during the refueling operation on a boat. For this new attempt, he took off from the city of from Sangatte, near Calais, Sunday 4, 2019, at 06:17 AM, to land after 22 minutes to the city of in St Margaret's Bay near Dover, United Kingdom.

The flight of Franky Zapata from France to the United Kingdom over the sea has lasted 22 minutes. For this new attempt, Franky Zapata did not refuel aboard a boat but used a second fuel backpack during the crossing.

Multiple world jet-ski champion, Zapata created, a few years ago, his first Flyboard: a board propelled over water by the jet created by the turbine of a water jet ski. Today, this genius inventor can climb and move in the air, perched on his Flyboard Air powered by 5 mini jet turbines with a range of about ten minutes. It can fly at a maximum speed of 180 km/h. The flyboard uses kerosene to be propelled which is stored in a backpack that is carried by the pilot.

After winning numerous world records, Franky Zapata now writes History by crossing the English Channel with his Flyboard Air in the footsteps of Louis Blériot who accomplished this feat 110 years ago, aboard his plane, the Blériot XI. So, this flight of Zapata is also an unprecedented historical feat!

According to Franky Zapata, the French Army Special Forces have shown interest to use the technology of the Flyboard to create a new type of military air transport for Special Operations. The team of Zapata is busy to develop a new type of jet-powered hoverboard based on its Flyboard but with a design similar to a Segway, which could be used in the future for military operations.