Franky Zapata is making the channel crossing attempt using his jetpack, but botched the landing on his refuelling boat halfway across. This time, he’s going to get a bigger boat.
When Zapata first announced he would be flying across the channel, he gave himself a success rate of 30 per cent, but his team were still miffed when he crashed into the sea, saying it was a “huge disappointment”, especially because they had practised the manoeuvre “dozens of times in heavier seas.”
Apparently he missed the boat by a scant few centimetres, so of course, the answer is obvious.
You can’t miss the boat if it’s aaalll boat. We don’t know how much bigger the refuelling boat is going to be, but I’d wager they’re not taking any chances this time, particularly as Zapata has referred to the jet-powered hoverboard his “life’s work,” and that was after the thing gobbled up two of his fingers in its turbines.
Godspeed, Zapata. He sets off on his second attempt this weekend, so be sure to check out his Twitter account to keep tabs on the outcome of that. [Engadget]