Zapata

One of the most colorful characters in aviation has entered the electric VTOL space. Franky Zapata, best known for his death-defying high-speed Flyboard antics, has announced a hybrid eVTOL to go alongside his jet-powered, flippable flying deckchair.

When we last saw Franky Zapata back in May, he was spinning uncontrollably down into the water from a serious height in a terrifying jetboard crash. But the flying Frenchman is back to launch a new, high-speed personal aircraft called the JetRacer.

Ah, those magnificent men in their flying machines. They go up, diddly-up-up. They go down, diddly-own-down. French sky-surfer and Green Goblin lookalike Franky Zapata went down diddly-own-down in frightening fashion at an airshow on the weekend.

After ending up in the water on his first attempt, flying Frenchman Franky Zapata has now successfully crossed the English Channel on his jet-powered Flyboard Air. The 22-mile (35.4-km) crossing took Zapata some 22 minutes, holding speeds over 100 mph (160 km/h).

After wowing the crowds by flying over the Bastille Day celebrations in Paris earlier this month, Franky Zapata attempted to cross the English Channel today on his Flyboard Air jet-powered hoverboard. Sadly he didn't make it and dropped in the drink about half way across.​

The Zapata Ezfly​ looks for all intents and purposes like a Segway of the sky. You stand on a small platform equipped with a series of jet thrusters, holding two handgrips that come up from the base, then rise up into the air and zoom around, steering with your bodyweight.

The latest Zapata watersports fun machine is a two-seater machine that looks like a water-powered, flying quad bike. Featuring auto-stabilization and a barrel roll button, the Flyride looks like the most accessible and kid-friendly flying Zapata device yet.

In April, Franky Zapata showed off the Flyboard Air; an impressive personal flight system that quickly started breaking records. Now, US company Implant Sciences has announcing its intention to purchase Zapata Industries.

​On April 30, we joined Zapata Racing in the south of France to witness an attempt to snatch the "farthest flight by hoverboard" record from Alexandru Duru. That earlier record was pulverized. We managed to grab a few words with a jubilant but exhausted Zapata after his record-breaking flight.​

Franky Zapata has secured a new Guinness World Record for the longest flight by hoverboard. Standing atop his Flyboard Air, he traveled an awe-inspiring 2,252.4 meters before making a safe landing at the port of Sausset-les-Pins today.

This French inventor's new turbine-powered flying platform goes as high as 10,000 feet and flies for up to 10 minutes at a top speed around 150 km/h. Forget your electromagnetic rubbish, this is what we call a real hoverboard.

New thought propagates at the speed of light in the digital age, as evidenced by the third World Flyboard Cup. Frankie Zapata conceived the Flyboard in Spring 2011, developed the sub-$10,000 PWC attachment inside a few weeks and a spectacular new extreme sport was born.