Franky Zapata Flies Over Bastille Day Crowds
That's not the Green Goblin — it's inventor Franky Zapata on his Flyboard at Paris' Bastille Day celebration.
Flying Jet Ski Champ
As he took off on his hoverboard during Paris' Bastille Day parade on July 14th, 2019, Franky Zapata generated plenty of buzz according to the Zapata Industry. The 40-year-old Frenchman invented the device himself. He was courted by many countries, including the U.S., but wanted to develop his idea in France. And it was a success. The French Ministry of the Armed Forces backed its development to the tune of $1.46 million based on numbers from France Inter.
A jet-ski champion, Franky Zapata initially developed a water version of his floating board in 2011. The water hoverboard made him wealthy. In 2017, and his company’s annual revenues came to $9 million. In 2016, he developed his Flyboard Air. In 2017, he was summoned by the police and ordered to stop his tests because his device wasn’t “approved.” After being solicited by many foreign firms, he considered leaving France.
““This isn’t a toy, because it’ll allow to test out various uses. For example, a flying logistics platform or an assault platform. You’ll see that the element of surprise is considerable although further development still needs to be done, quieter motors, probably. But the effect, I hope, would be striking. The water comes out of the propulsion nozzles. That’s what propels the rider into the air. The first flight was 3 years ago. I lost 3 fingers…2 fingers, they were ripped off by the turbines and the machine crashed into the wall of my workshop. So that was actually the first flight. After that, I really had to negotiate with my wife before she’d let me get back on it. But I couldn’t help it. When I saw the machine fly, I realized it was what I had to devote my life to, I had to see it through to the end. To suddenly find yourself like that, summoned to the police station, supported by just about no one, having your fingerprints taken, being in your underwear with someone taking photos of your scars to create a file on you…Honestly, when you get out of there, you think to yourself, “the world is crazy.”
To prevent this technology from going abroad, the French Army offered him a financing agreement in 2018. Today, the Flyboard can reach 140 km/h and fly as high as 150 meters for up to 6 minutes. In the future, it could reach 200 km/h and fly up to 3,000 meters high for 30 minutes.
Brut
2487 comments
Kean C.
11/21/2020 14:47I want to invent that I'm going to be invisible😂😂😂
Rosyee K.
06/16/2020 15:41Otw na ko jan
Irshad A.
04/09/2020 18:51pakistan may kr k btow
Waseem R.
04/09/2020 17:51Bravo
Adv D.
04/09/2020 15:40Radha swami ji
Aldrin M.
04/09/2020 13:05Angas
Erik M.
04/09/2020 10:07Ironman 1st step going forward
Cornelius H.
04/09/2020 07:27I hope they just made it for recreational activities, now they're planning to weaponize it.
Francis D.
04/09/2020 07:05👏👏👏
Carlos J.
04/09/2020 04:55El Corona virus nos obliga a crear un sistema que impida que los inventos sean convertidos en armas, cualquier cosa que genere ganancias van en contra posición al bienestar humano, lo mismo ocurre con la medicina, pueden crear virus pero no pueden curar enfermedades, esa sería la ventaja de un cambio en el modelo económico, sino nos vamos a ir todos a la mierda! 😉
Wayan E.
04/09/2020 02:02Bnnn
Maverick E.
04/08/2020 22:05police called him to stop his what he’s doing because his device is approved by the government. It sounds like philippine government stopping tesla car to enter philippine market because such regulation font exist yet. A pretty lame and stupid reason.
ابو ش.
04/08/2020 20:44هذا من حزب الدعوه
Opul D.
04/08/2020 18:56Covid-19 lang katapat nyan..
Mordecai M.
04/08/2020 16:57I see Rocketeers of Red Alert.
Souvik G.
04/08/2020 14:37Max Rogers
মুহাম্মদ ব.
04/08/2020 06:23এই
Ivan P.
04/08/2020 02:51The French Aladdin
Gani L.
04/08/2020 02:22Ide opooo...pasti ada beberapa orang yang juga mempunyai ide sperti ini hanya saja mereka tidak mempunyai modal dan peralatan yng mendukun untuk membuatnya.
Da N.
04/08/2020 02:19I want to fly too