A man comes up to you and tells you that he is going to fly from France to England on a hoverboard. Would you believe him? Most people would likely dismiss and label such a human as a ‘madman’. A few decades ago, people thought that by 2020, there would be robots and flying cars everywhere and humans would live in a Sci-Fi-like futuristic world. That vision hasn’t quite become reality yet. So, this hoverboard man couldn’t be true, right? Wrong.
It’s the morning of August 4, 2019. In the small town of Sangatte in the Pas-de-Calais department of northern France, a man named Franky Zapata suits up, attaches himself to his flyboard, and hangs his kerosene-filled backpack on his shoulders. Sounds cool, doesn’t it? Onlookers watch in awe as he lifts off the ground, gains some elevation, and glides off into the open ocean, tailed closely by 3 backup helicopters. His destination? Good old England. 10 minutes into the flight, Zapata slows down and lands on a platform on a boat in the middle of the English Channel. He refuels his backpack and sets off once again to complete his mission.
So far, such scenes had only been witnessed on screens, and in figments of imagination. Remember when the Green Goblin swooped down on his mean-looking hoverboard to attack Spiderman? That was just fiction. But Franky Zapata is real. This professional jet-skier-inventor-CEO-daredevil worked tirelessly for years to develop a hoverboard, dubbed the ‘Flyboard’. Breaking 18 bones and almost losing 2 fingers is a small price to pay for bringing science fiction to reality, isn’t it?
The unit he used was powered by 5 small kerosene-fueled jet engines fitted on the base of his flyboard. Zapata planned to complete the 35-kilometer journey in around 20 minutes, maintaining an average speed of 140 kmph at a height of 15-20 meters above the water. However, like all success stories, this one also involved failure and setbacks.
The first attempt he made on 25 July was cut short as Zapata narrowly missed the mid-sea landing platform, crashed into the boat, and fell into the water. What followed was extreme disappointment, and then a race against time to repair his gear and re-attempt the flight. Tony Stark didn’t stop building his Iron Man suit despite the risks and failed test runs. Neither did Zapata. Along with his team, he worked 16-hour shifts to rebuild the machine and got it ready within 10 days of the crash.
When Zapata landed in Saint Margaret’s Bay, on Britain’s southeastern coast, he was also greeted by mesmerized onlookers, and applause. After all, he had made history. Zapata had come into the spotlight when he exhibited his flying machine, soaring above a stunned crowd, including French President Macron and several other world leaders, at this year’s French National Day parade at the Champs-Élysées in Paris on July 14.
Earlier in late 2018, the machine had interested the French military, who provided Zapata with a 1.3 million euro grant to finance the development of his hoverboard.
Well folks, the future is here, and we are bound to witness more such mind-boggling feats in the coming years. Zapata himself is developing a flying car, which he plans to unveil soon. It might not be long before we see Franky Zapata, or someone else for that matter, soaring through the skies in an airborne car, and waving down at the people below. Until then, enjoy the videos of his feats!
SUMANT S. DANGI
Junior Editor, Renesa
This article was originally written for and published on Renesa – The Official Media and Publication House of NIT Surat. It was originally titled “When Sci-Fi Comes to Life”.
