Zapata's Green Goblin Attempt to Invade England Fails

Frank Zapata has created the first real 'hoverboard.' This aircraft is a platform about the size of a step stool but looks a lot like the Green Goblin's glider from the Spiderman comics. It uses mini jet engines to produce vertical thrust for the aircraft to hover, fly, etc. The fuel is actually in a backpack on the pilot's back. Zapata calls the aircraft the "Flyboard."

Zapata hasn't sold any to other people afaik, but he did get a grant from the French military to see how well it'd work as a personal flying vehicle for their military and a company tried to secure rights to it for using it as a flying vehicle for the USMC off the gator fleet.

Most recently, Zapata attempted to fly from France to England across the Channel. He was flying from Calais to Dover. Yes, he had to stop to get fuel: clearly he can't make the entire flight with the fuel on his back. However, he wanted to make the attempt with the refueling stops.

Unfortunately, he didn't quite make it.

At a refueling stop, he missed the platform by mere centimeters and ended up in the drink. He wasn't harmed, but there hasn't been a lot of word about what the status of the flyboard was. I'd guess it was saved as well? Time will tell.

However, even so, the Green (frog) Goblin failed to invade England again.

www.engadget.com...

newatlas.com...

Short range, noisy and probably expensive as all hell.....

I still want one.

I saw this on the news last night, but they didn't even say he was stopping to refuel. They just said he ran into the side of boat.
I was trying to figure out why he would go low enough, to hit a boat.
Didn't make sense.

Thanks for providing more details.

Omg Green Goblin is real? Someone quickly get spiderman to web him down.

Just a personal view on this, it's a waste of time and just a gimmick. Technology for jet packs and similar devices have been around for a while now. Yes it's improving but until a better fuel source is invented or developed it's all a waste of time

Bring it to the US and the government will mandate better fuel economy and so it will be.

a reply to: anzha


Dear Santa..................

The Frog is with the Limeys.

I say, again, the frog is with the limeys.

www.reuters.com...

Channel crossing successful.