GUY FLIES ACROSS ENGLISH CHANNEL ON HOVERBOARD

French inventor Franky Zapata on Sunday succeeded in crossing the English Channel on the jet-powered hoverboard he designed. Zapata took off from Sangatte, just outside Calais in France early Sunday morning, trailed by three helicopters. He reached Britain just over 20 minutes later, The board is powered by five small jet engines and fueled by kerosene which he carries in a backpack. Zapata steers his craft by leaning forward or backward and controls the thrust with a throttle. His biggest challenge was refuelling with another backpack halfway across the Strait of Dover, which required landing on a platform mounted on a boat. On his first attempt to make the crossing on July 25, Zapata was knocked off balance in the process and fell. He used a bigger boat and platform this time. Afterards, Zapata said, “Whether this is a historic event or not, I’m not the one to decide that, time will tell.”
* Not exactly “This is one small step for man.”
* What he should have said for posterity is, “Is this cool or what?”
* After the show, I’m investing in kerosene futures, that’s for damn sure.
* How does this not make Uber, Lyft, cars, scooters, bicycles and most mass transit obsolete?