A new Guinness World Record has been set for the farthest hoverboard flight. Franky Zapata, the French jet ski champion who invented the Flyboard Air, broke the record off the coast of Sausset-les-Pins in southern France on Saturday morning. He rode his hoverboard more than 7,388 feet, breaking the previous record of 905 feet and two inches that was set last year by Canadian inventor Catalin Duru.
Zapata owns the company Zapata Racing, which has created numerous water-propelled devices. Now, its unique Flyboard Air takes a different approach and utilizes an "Independent Propulsion Unit" in order to fly without the use of a long hose like the company's other aircraft. This unique design allows it to fly hose-free for up to 10 minutes and reach a maximum height of 10,000 feet and a speed of 150 miles per hour.
"This has really been a life's work," Zapata said. "It's an amazing sensation, it's really peaceful. I open my arms because it helps me control my movements, but when you open your hands and you feel the wind go through your hand and you have nothing under your feet - it's hard to describe, really. You have to experience this moment in your life."
Zapata hopes that the technology will be useful in the military and security forces for emergency response situations, as well as for combating terrorism in areas with high population densities.
"If people are able to fly like this, they can be some kind of superhuman," he said. "And they can help save people in this completely mad world."
In terms of future plans, Zapata has the lofty goal of one day reaching the clouds.
"My goal is to ride the clouds," he said. "Do like snowboarding in the powder, but I want to do it in a cloud. That's my dream, and I will do my best to realize that."
Prior to Zapata breaking the world's farthest hoverboard flight, a video of the Flyboard air - available below - reached more than 3.7 million views on YouTube.
In addition to his new hoverboard achievement, Zapata holds a Guinness record for performing 26 backflips with a water jet pack in just one minute.
