Second attempt to fly hoverboard across English Channel scheduled for weekend

Photo credit should read DENIS CHARLET/AFP/Getty Images

The inventor of the jet-powered “Flyboard Air” hoverboard will try to fly across the English Channel once again this weekend, after his previous attempt ended in failure. The Associated Press reports, via France24, that Franky Zapata will make the crossing attempt on Sunday, when he will try to make the 20 minute flight from Sangatte in France to St Margaret’s Bay on the south coast of England.

Although the route will be the same, Zapata’s team said the refueling station will be different this time around to try and avoid a similar crash to the one that occurred last week. The Flyboard Air only has enough fuel to fly for around 10 minutes at a time, forcing Zapata to stop to refuel halfway across the 20 minute crossing. Last time it was this refueling stage that was the French inventor’s undoing, as he missed the platform by “a few centimeters,” and tumbled into the Channel. This time, his team said they will use a bigger boat stationed in French waters for re-fueling, which had previously not been allowed by French maritime authorities.

If he succeeds, Zapata will become the first man to cross the English Channel on a jet-powered hoverboard. The Frenchman already holds the world record for the longest hoverboard flight which he set back in 2016 with a 2,252 meter (7,388 feet) long flight along France’s southern coast.