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 on September 27, 1978) is a French pilot and inventor. He is famous for creating the Flyboard and Flyboard Air. He also founded a company called Zapata Racing. Since 2012, Franky has focused on making personal flying devices for both land and water.
On August 4, 2019, Franky Zapata made history. He flew across the English Channel on his Flyboard Air. The journey took him 22 minutes. He even made a quick stop to refuel in the middle. French helicopters and warships helped escort him. He carried his fuel in a special backpack.
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Franky Zapata's Early Life and Career
Franky Zapata started riding a Jet Ski when he was just 16 years old. He quickly became very good at it. He won the RUN F1 World Championship many times. After years of working with personal watercraft (PWC), he invented the Flyboard.
He also trained as a mechanic. After gaining lots of experience in jet skiing, he and his father, Claude, started Zapata Racing in 1998. This company focused on making high-performance parts for PWCs. Franky won several European championships and two world titles in PWC competitions. His team still develops new products for jet skis.
Franky's Family Life
Franky Zapata is married to Christelle. They have a son named Matt.
Amazing Inventions by Zapata Racing
Franky Zapata used about 20,000 euros to create the first Flyboard. After trying out different designs, he found a way to make it stable in the air. Users could stand on it and use their hands to balance. He got a patent for his invention. Then, he showed the Flyboard for the first time at the World Cup in China. Videos of the first flights were posted online. They got 2.5 million views in just 15 days!
In 2016, Zapata sold his company, Zapata Racing (ZR), to an American defense company. In 2017, he showed the U.S. Army his Flyboard Air. This is a jet-powered hoverboard.
The Hoverboard by ZR
The Hoverboard by ZR was invented in 2014. It was like a mix between a surfboard and a skateboard. A remote-controlled personal watercraft powered it. This watercraft sent water through a pump to make the hoverboard fly. This product is no longer made.
The JetPack by ZR
The JetPack is another invention. It is also powered by water from a personal watercraft. A tube connects the watercraft to two nozzles on the JetPack. This system lets the user fly while seated and secured. It is easier to fly than other devices because it needs less balance. Once in the air, a user can even let go of the controls and stay hovering.
The Flyboard Air
The Flyboard Air was first shown in April 2016. It is a flying board powered by four small jet engines. It also has special parts to help it stay stable. It can fly at speeds of about 140 kilometers per hour. It can stay in the air for about ten minutes.
In March 2017, Franky Zapata flew a Flyboard Air near Marseille Provence Airport. This caused some trouble with local 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 did not 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, medical, and industrial purposes.
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 journey in about 20 minutes. This included a stop to refuel in the middle. Zapata reached a speed of about 110 miles per hour. He flew at an altitude of about 15 meters (50 feet).
The trip started in Sangatte, France. It ended in St Margaret's at Cliffe, UK. He landed safely there. Reporters compared his flight to the first cross-channel flight by Louis Blériot in 1909. Franky told a TV station, "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 also said, "Whether this is a historic event or not, I’m not the one to decide that, time will tell."
Franky Zapata's company, Z-AIR, received 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.
In 2017, Zapata showed the U.S. Army the Flyboard Air. Some news reports called it the EZ-Fly. They suggested it might cost about $250,000 per unit. As of July 2019, there was no strong interest from the American military in this new technology.
On August 5, 2019, Franky Zapata announced he was working on a flying car. He had already flown a test model with four jet engines. He told BFM TV, "I need to finish building my flying car, I need to introduce it before the end of the year."
Franky Zapata's Racing Achievements
- 1996: National SKI Stock Champion
- 1997: 3rd place at the World Rally Championships raid Oléron RUN F1
- 1998: European National Championships RUN F1 Champion
- Vice-champion of the World Rallye Raid Oléron RUN F1
- 1999: European RUN F1 Champion
- 2000: Tour US RUN F1
- 2001: King of Bercy - Paris RUN F1
- 2003: European RUN F1 Vice-champion
- 2004: European RUN F1 Vice-champion
- 3rd place at the World Rally Championships raid Oléron RUN F1
- 2005: European RUN F1 Champion
- 2006: European RUN F1 Champion, Vice World Rally Champion Oléron Rally RUN F1
- 2007: European RUN F1 Champion, World Rally Championships raid Oléron RUN F1 Champion, Vice-champion World de F1 SKI World Finals
- 2008: European RUN F1 Champion, World Champion RUN F1 World Finals, 3rd place in World Championships F1 SKI World Finals
- 2009: Vice-champion World F1 SKI, Winner of the Cavalaire enduro Jet-Ski F1
- 2010: European RUN F1 Champion
See also
In Spanish: Franky Zapata para niños
