Franky Zapata’s attempt to cross the English Channel on a jet-powered flyboard (some people have previously referred to it as a hoverboard) ended with a splash.

Yes, he’s that tiny dot above.

After capturing the world’s attention during his Bastille Day antics, impressing French president Emmanuel Macron as he zoomed high above proceedings, Zapata set off earlier today on his latest mission.

The BBC reports that he had been hoping to cross from northern France to southern England in a time of 20 minutes:

But the 40-year-old fell into the water halfway across as he tried to land on a boat to refuel. He took off from near Calais on Thursday morning and was heading for St Margaret’s Bay in Dover.

Mr Zapata was not injured when he fell.

“It is a huge disappointment,” a member of his team told France’s BFM TV shortly after the flight. “He must have missed the platform by just a few centimetres.”

“We practiced this manoeuvre dozens of times in heavier seas,” he added.

Here’s footage of his takeoff from earlier:

Franky Zapata takes off in his bid to cross from France to England on his flyboard. The Frenchman’s attempt failed a short time later when he missed a landing platform to refuel.

For more, head here: https://t.co/COSJht4y8U pic.twitter.com/G15dE73FlW

— Sky News (@SkyNews) July 25, 2019

As you can see from this video, there were plenty of interested onlookers:

Inventor Franky Zapata unveils his jet-powered hoverboard to the world as he attempts to cross the English Channel.

Find out more about the stunt here: https://t.co/Cuc8NKVYz0 pic.twitter.com/jk1fF9alMv

— Sky News (@SkyNews) July 25, 2019

Unfortunately, it was not to be:

The attempt took place exactly 110 years since Louis Blériot made the first powered flight across the Channel in 1909.

Mr Zapata set off from the beach at Sangatte, near Calais, at about 09:00 local time (07:00 GMT) on Thursday. The exact timing was dependant on the weather conditions and shipping traffic.

He was aiming to keep an average speed of 87mph (140km/h) while travelling 15-20m (50-65ft) above the water.

Crowds gathered at the beach to watch the attempt. Shortly after setting off, Mr Zapata disappeared from view as a helicopter followed closely behind him.

But just minutes later it was announced that he had failed.

Kudos for trying, though.

I’m sure we’ll see him taking to the skies again in the not too distant future.

[source:bbc]