Franky Zapata facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Franky Zapata
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Zapata in June 2019
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| Born | September 27, 1978 |
| Occupation | Pilot |
Franky Zapata (born 27 September 1978) is a French pilot and inventor. He created the Flyboard and Flyboard Air. He also started a company called Zapata Racing. Since 2012, Franky has been working on making personal flying devices for land and water.
On August 4, 2019, Franky Zapata made history. He flew across the English Channel on his Flyboard Air. The trip took 22 minutes. He stopped once to refuel in the middle. French helicopters and warships went with him. He carried fuel in a special backpack.
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About Franky Zapata
Franky started riding a Jet Ski when he was 16. He won the RUN F1 World Championship many times. After years of working with personal watercraft (PWC), he invented the Flyboard.
He trained to be a mechanic. After gaining lots of experience in jet skiing, he and his father, Claude, started Zapata Racing in 1998. This company made high-performance watercraft. Franky won several European championships and two world titles in PWC competitions. His team still creates new products for water sports.
Franky's Family Life
Franky is married to Christelle. They have a son named Matt.
Zapata Racing Inventions
Franky Zapata used 20,000 euros to create the Flyboard. After trying many designs, he found a way to make it stable. The Flyboard uses water jets under your feet and hand controls to help you balance. He got a patent for his invention. He showed the Flyboard for the first time at the World Cup in China. Videos of the first flights were put on YouTube. They got 2.5 million views in just 15 days!
In 2016, Zapata sold his company, Zapata Racing (ZR), to Implant Sciences. This is a U.S. defense company. In 2017, he showed the U.S. Army his Flyboard Air.
Hoverboard by ZR
The Hoverboard by ZR was invented in 2014. It was like a mix of a surfboard and a skateboard. It worked by using water pumped from a personal watercraft. A remote control powered the water pump. This hoverboard is no longer made.
JetPack by ZR
The JetPack also uses water pumped from a personal watercraft. A tube connects to two nozzles on the JetPack. This system lets the user fly while sitting down. It is very stable. You don't need as much balance to fly it. Once in the air, you can even let go of the controls and stay floating.
Flyboard Air: Flying High
In April 2016, Franky Zapata showed off the Flyboard Air. This flying board has four small jet engines. It also has special parts to help it stay stable. It can fly at about 140 kilometers per hour (87 mph). It can stay in the air for about ten minutes.
In March 2017, Franky flew a Flyboard Air near an airport in France. This caused some concern for flight authorities. The Flyboard Air can fly on its own, like a small plane. This means it needs to follow rules about flying in the sky. Franky didn't know about these rules at the time. This led to a warning and almost stopped his work. But Franky used this event to get more people interested in his invention. He talked with the authorities, including the military. This allowed him to keep developing his Flyboard Air. He plans to use it for fun, entertainment, military, medicine, and industry.
On July 14, 2019, Franky Zapata rode his "jet-powered hoverboard" in the Bastille Day military parade in France. This model had five jet engines and used kerosene fuel. Three weeks later, he successfully flew across the English Channel. His first try on July 25 was not successful. But on August 4, 2019, he made it! French Army helicopters went with him. He used a backpack to carry extra fuel. He completed the 22-mile (35 km) journey in about 20 minutes. This included a stop to refuel. Franky reached a speed of about 110 miles per hour (177 km/h). He flew at an altitude of about 15 meters (49 ft).
The trip started in Sangatte, France. It ended in St Margaret's at Cliffe, UK. He landed safely. Reporters compared his flight to the first cross-channel flight by Louis Blériot in 1909. Franky told BFM television, "It’s not really comparable, he was one of the first men to fly. Let’s just say that I achieved my dream." After his crossing, he said, "Whether this is a historic event or not, I’m not the one to decide that, time will tell."
Franky's company, Z-AIR, got a grant of 1.3 million euros from the French military in December 2018. However, he has said that the Flyboard is not yet ready for military use. This is because it is noisy and hard to learn how to fly.
On August 5, 2019, Franky Zapata said he was working on a flying car. He had already flown a test version with four jet engines. "I need to finish building my flying car, I need to introduce it before the end of the year," he told BFM TV.
Franky's Competition Wins
- 1996: National SKI Stock champion
- 1997: 3rd place at the World Rally Championships raid Oléron RUN F1
- 1998: European national championships RUN F1 champion
- 1999: European champion RUN F1
- 2000: Tour US RUN F1.
- 2001: King of Bercy - Paris RUN F1
- 2003: European vice-champion RUN F1
- 2004: European vice-champion RUN F1
- 2005: European Champion RUN F1
- 2006: European Champion RUN F1
- 2007: European champion RUN F1, World Rally Championships raid Oléron RUN F1 champion
- 2008: European Champion RUN F1, World Champion RUN F1 World Finals
- 2009: Vice-champion world F1 SKI
- 2010: European Champion RUN F1
See also
In Spanish: Franky Zapata para niños
