Lille (AFP)
Franky Zapata, the "flying man" who caused a sensation on July 14 flying over the Champs-Elysees, will try Thursday to cross the Channel on his "Flyboard", a platform with turbojets, 110 years after the feat of Louis Bleriot , the first airman to cross the strait by air.
Champion of Europe and jet ski world, this 40-year-old Marseillais will fly Thursday from the beach of Sangatte (Pas-de-Calais) to reach "the surroundings" of Dover, England, said his entourage without reveal the exact destination.
"The only venue that has agreed to welcome us does not want any promotion and no media present, so it will not be possible to film the landing," it added.
In addition, "departure time of the crossing", which must last about twenty minutes, will be set "D-day" or "the night before", "depending on the weather and shipping traffic".
On July 14, during the military parade on the Champs-Elysees, Franky Zapata had already offered a stunning futuristic show: rifle in hand, he had stolen several tens of meters from the ground on his invention, "100% developed in France" in the workshops of his company at Rove (Bouches-du-Rhône).
The machine, an autonomous flying machine powered by kerosene stored in its backpack, is equipped with five mini-turbojets that allow it to take off and evolve up to 190 km / h standing in the air, with a range of ten minutes.
For this crossing of the Channel, some 35 kilometers wide, he will have to refuel en route. The technical details of the supply have not yet been communicated but it should take place in English waters, about 18 km from the French coast.
At the beginning of July, the maritime prefecture of the Channel and the North Sea had issued an "unfavorable opinion" to the project of Franky Zapata, pointing in particular to the "dangerousness" of the zone and its particularly dense traffic, but Tuesday evening it lifted this opinion after having obtained "numerous guarantees" concerning the "security" of this crossing.
The General Directorate of Civil Aviation has issued a favorable opinion according to the maritime prefecture.
- "Défi sportif" -
"I'm flying 30 m from the President of the Republic" July 14 "and I'm not able in the sea to avoid a boat? It's great anything!", Was offended l inventor on BFMTV Friday.
Following this unfavorable opinion, it was necessary, according to him, to provide "the supply in English territorial waters" and no longer French side, he had explained to the regional daily La Provence. This opinion "has made everything complex (...) is one of the biggest sporting challenges of my life".
His invention had already been exhibited at the Paris Defense Innovation Forum in late 2018: during a demonstration of special forces, the Flyboard Air was used as a platform for a sniper positioned in support of commandos gone to the assault since boats on the Seine.
This flying platform powered by five jet engines is of interest to the French special forces, who see it as "potential for employment in special operations in urban areas".
Before creating his "Flyboard Air", the Marseillais "flew" already on the water with his first aquatic Flyboard. The board was then "propelled over a body of water by the jet of the turbine of a marine motorbike".
In 1909, the exploit of Louis Bleriot had laid the foundations of modern aeronautics. Party at 04H41 on 25 July from the hamlet of Baraques Sangatte (renamed Blériot-Plage in 1936), he had landed his airplane at 5:18 in a meadow at the foot of the castle overlooking the port of Dover, having covered in 37 minutes the 43 km at an average speed of 65 km / h.
© 2019 AFP