French inventor Franky Zapata has successfully made the first-ever Channel crossing on a jet-powered flyboard.

French inventor Franky Zapata has successfully made the first-ever Channel crossing on a jet-powered flyboard.

Zapata made the 22-mile (35.4-km) journey on his flyboard invention, powered by a kerosene-filled backpack. He set off from Sangatte, near Calais, at 06:17 GMT on Sunday and landed in St Margaret’s Bay in Dover 22 minutes later.

In July, an attempt at the crossing failed after Zapata missed a boat-mounted refuelling platform.

Zapata said he had reached speeds of up to 170km/h (106mph) during the successful flight. He said the biggest challenge had again been refuelling.

“We made a machine three years ago… and now we’ve crossed the Channel, it’s crazy,” he told reporters.

“Whether this is a historic event or not, I’m not the one to decide that, time will tell,” he reportedly said.

Last month, Zapata also appeared at France’s Bastille Day celebrations. Watch that

here:

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