French hoverboard inventor flies across the English Channel

[jpak]

https://www.pressherald.com/2019/08/04/french-hoverboard-inventor-flies-over-the-english-channel/

ST. MARGARET’S BAY, England — Is it a bird? A plane? No, it’s a French inventor flying over the English Channel on his hoverboard.

Looking like a superhero, Franky Zapata successfully completed the famed 22-mile journey in just 22 minutes Sunday morning, reaching speeds of up to 110 mph on the flyboard that has made him a French household name.

Propelled by a power pack full of kerosene, Zapata set off from Sangatte in France’s Pas de Calais region and landed in St. Margaret’s Bay, beyond the white cliffs of Dover, in southeast England. He stopped only once, on the British side, to refuel his futuristic invention from a boat in the choppy waters.

“I’m feeling happy … It’s just an amazing moment in my life,” he said in English following his touchdown in Britain. “The last 10% (of the flight) was easier … because I had the time to look at the cliffs.”

<more>

?fit=1000%2C583&ssl=1

[mr_lebowski]

1. Wow, that's incredible ... how does he get that high up?

Seems like you'd need something to help you glide ... that's super trippy to me ... I can see how one could float a ways above the ground just with a lot of force under you, pushing you up, but THAT high? Wow?!?

I guess maybe the air beneath you provides enough resistance that it acts kinda like the ground itself, or something?