The Tokyo 2020 Olympics promised to give us the first flying cabs, but the coronavirus wiped them off the map. However, mankind did not want to wait any longer to develop the transport of the future, with its innovative potential to change everything. This is the first hoverboard with which you can move around the city and float, although the manufacturers are talking about something better: this way you can move from America to Canada without polluting or touching the ground.
This is the first-ever hoverboard: Someone has beaten Elon Musk to the punch
Franky Zapata, a French inventor and entrepreneur, has made headlines with his revolutionary creations, like the Flyboard Air personal hoverboard that can actually take a person and fly him over the English Channel. This great achievement not only proves the possibility of this future mode of transport but also the ingenuity in the creation of the next-generation transport system.
The Flyboard Air venture was imagined by Zapata Franky, an ex-jet ski racer who has been creating personal flying items since 2007. Out of his inventions, the hoverboard, which is operated by a turbine engine, is the final product and can be considered a major breakthrough in the sphere of personal aviation.
The creation of the FlyBoard Air is a time-consuming and intricate process that was made to refine it with the help of strenuous testing. Zapata’s team has encountered several problems, such as the implementation of safety measures regarding the stability of the device in question, as well as a problem of miniaturization and optimization of the power supply.
The Flyboard Air is rather fast; it can go as fast as 118mph or 190 km/h, not to mention that it could hover up to 10, 000 feet or 3, 048 meters. The ‘Skippy’ is driven by a turbine engine that produces 1,050 horsepower, which can push up to 220 pounds (100 kg) of weight. Besides, the hoverboard has a flight time of ten minutes.
How does this hoverboard levitate? Could it be the end of all existing fuels?
Flyboard Air’s opportunity to rise off the ground and fly relies on several sophisticated outcomes. At its heart is a turbine engine, which develops a mighty thrust that is pointed downward for lift. It also has a number of stabilizers and control panels to help the rider keep the hoverboard balanced or control it gracefully.
Probably one of the unique features of the Flyboard Air is that it can fly without any apparent means of propulsion. Hence, there are questions and controversies among observers as to how the device is magical, an aspect that is fascinating them. It’s not about magnetic levitation, but about standing with any energy or impulse (rather than rejection).
It is also worth mentioning some other interesting peculiarities of the Flyboard Air, one of which is its use not only as a means of transport in some specific situations. Zapata went further with his suggestion and said that it has potential use in search and rescue operations, firefighting and even the military.
Could we “levitate” from America to Canada? Someone has done it from England to France
Franky Zapata casually flew across the English Channel on his Flyboard Air in July 2019. This flight, which lasted slightly over 20 minutes, saw Zapata travel a distance of about 22 miles, or 35 kilometers and had to be refueled midair from a boat. Maybe, you have seen some images of Zapata levitating in front of the Eiffel Tower (yes, it sounds like science fiction).
The test in the English Channel was a success for Zapata and his team, as the result proved the possibility of defining Flyboard Air as the real means of transport. It also created much publicity as well as the interest of people from different parts of the globe.
It is true that this hoverboard changes everything, but it is also true that we cannot be too optimistic. The commercialization of this means of transport will be somewhat smaller and delayed than we would like, so you will have to wait to use it. However, in the meantime, there are other promising options, such as the hydrogen e-bike that has just been presented (and which we will tell you about soon), or the first motorcycle that runs on this same water-based fuel.
