Flyboard inventor Franky Zapata fails in bid to cross the Channel

Flyboard inventor Franky Zapata fails in bid to cross the Channel

The former jet ski champion misses a landing platform mounted on a boat after setting off from Sangatte near Calais.

Thursday 25 July 2019 11:57, UK
The 40-year-old former jet ski champion is aiming to cross the 22-mile Channel in around 20 minutesA French inventor has failed in his bid to cross the English Channel on a jet-powered hoverboard.
Franky Zapata missed a landing platform mounted on a boat as he tried to land midway across the Channel to refuel. He was unhurt in the fall.

Zapata had been heading to St Margaret's Bay in Dover after taking off from near Calais around 10 minutes earlier.
Franky Zapata stands on his jet-powered "flyboard" as he takes off from Sangatte, northern France, attempting to fly across the 35-kilometre (22-mile) Channel crossing in 20 minutes, while keeping an average speed of 140 kilometres an hour (87 mph) at a height of 15-20 metres (50-65 feet) above the sea on July 25, 2019. - Zapata CEO Franky Zapata, a former jet-skiing champion, aims to soar above the Channel "like a bird" in the crossing from northern France to southern England, in a scene likely to resemble a science fiction film. In a tribute to past aviation heroes, the 40-year-old has picked the day that marks 110 years since pioneer Louis Bleriot made the first airplane flight across the Channel on July 25, 1909. (Photo by Denis Charlet / AFP) (Photo credit should read DENIS CHARLET/AFP/Getty Images)
Image: Zapata missed his refuelling point in the Channel
The 40-year-old former jet ski champion was aiming to cross the 22-mile stretch of water in around 20 minutes.
He was making the attempt on the 110th anniversary of Louis Bleriot's 1909 Channel crossing - the first time anyone had crossed the Channel in a "heavier-than-air" aircraft.
Prior to his attempt, Zapata said he believed he had a "50% chance of success".
Following his fall, a member of his said: "It is a huge disappointment. He made his rendezvous with the refuelling boat but he must have missed the platform by just a few centimetres.

"We practised this manoeuvre dozens of times in heavier seas, with platforms that moved more, without any problems.
Franky Zapata (C) stands on his jet-powered "flyboard" as he takes off from Sangatte, northern France, attempting to fly across the 35-kilometre (22-mile) Channel crossing in 20 minutes, while keeping an average speed of 140 kilometres an hour (87 mph) at a height of 15-20 metres (50-65 feet) above the sea on July 25, 2019. - Zapata CEO Franky Zapata, a former jet-skiing champion, aims to soar above the Channel "like a bird" in the crossing from northern France to southern England, in a scene likely to resemble a science fiction film. In a tribute to past aviation heroes, the 40-year-old has picked the day that marks 110 years since pioneer Louis Bleriot made the first airplane flight across the Channel on July 25, 1909. (Photo by Denis Charlet / AFP) (Photo credit should read DENIS CHARLET/AFP/Getty Images)
Image: Zapata invented the board he used
"It wasn't the wind, it was the waves - the platform was two metres above the deck, every movement of the boat is exaggerated."
The "flyboard" Zapata invented is capable of reaching speeds of nearly 87mph (140km/h) and is powered by 36kg of kerosene.
Zapata CEO Franky Zapata (C) prepares before an attempt of a flight across the Channel standing on a jet-powered "flyboard" on July 25, 2019 in Sangatte, northern France. - Franky Zapata, a former jet-skiing champion, aims to soar above the Channel "like a bird" in the crossing from northern France to southern England, in a scene likely to resemble a science fiction film. In a tribute to past aviation heroes, the 40-year-old has picked the day that marks 110 years since pioneer Louis Bleriot made the first airplane flight across the Channel on July 25, 1909. (Photo by Denis Charlet / AFP) (Photo credit should read DENIS CHARLET/AFP/Getty Images)
Image: Zapata took off from close to Calais
His invention won global acclaim when he flew over France's Bastille Day celebrations in Paris on 14 July, with President Emmanuel Macron later tweeting a video of his exploits.
The inventor was given a grant of more than £1m from the French government to develop the technology behind his hoverboard.
  • Eyewitness - 'Withdrawn and nervous': Something wasn't quite right
By Enda Brady, news correspondent, in Sangatte, France
You could tell from the moment Franky Zapata arrived at Sangatte beach that something wasn't quite right. Normally a confident, bouncy guy, he looked withdrawn and slightly nervous as he gazed across the Channel.
His team said they were concerned about helicopters and the number of ships in the Channel. Franky had just 10 minutes to find the vessel carrying his second rucksack of fuel and that was the only ship he was concerned about.
Zapata CEO Franky Zapata (C), next to his wife Chrysten (L), arrives before attempting a flight across the Channel standing on a jet-powered "flyboard" on July 25, 2019 in Sangatte, northern France. - Franky Zapata, a former jet-skiing champion, aims to soar above the Channel "like a bird" in the crossing from northern France to southern England, in a scene likely to resemble a science fiction film. In a tribute to past aviation heroes, the 40-year-old has picked the day that marks 110 years since pioneer Louis Bleriot made the first airplane flight across the Channel on July 25, 1909. (Photo by Denis Charlet / AFP) (Photo credit should read DENIS CHARLET/AFP/Getty Images)
Image: Zapata (middle) was 'nervous' when he arrived
The launch itself was textbook. His wife Krysten helped him fix the 36kg rucksack in place and without any warning, off he shot, headed towards England.
Ten minutes later I met his son Max, in tears. I asked why he was crying and he told me his father had "fallen into the water".
The atmosphere changed in a heartbeat. All of the initial exuberance evaporated in an instant. Word came through that Franky was alive and would be making his way back to France immediately.
Truth be told, he hadn't flown his hoverboard further than a mile-and-a-half.
The problem this morning was with the refuelling stop mid-Channel. For some reason he missed the platform and ended up ditching into the sea.
Like all great inventors, Franky Zapata will no doubt learn from this and try again.
Today's attempt was meant to mark 110 years since Louis Bleriot set off on the first ever solo flight from France to England. Quite what he would have made of Franky's invention is anyone's guess.