Flyboard

See title.
Acrobatics with flyboard
Flyboarding in Malmö, Sweden

A Flyboard is a type of water jetpack attached to a personal water craft (PWC) which supplies propulsion to drive the Flyboard through air and water to perform a sport known as flyboarding.[1] A Flyboard rider stands on a board connected by a long hose to a watercraft. Water is forced under pressure to a pair of boots with jet nozzles underneath which provide thrust for the rider to fly up to 15 m (49 ft) in the air or to dive headlong through the water down to 2.5 m (8 ft).[2]

History

The Flyboard was invented in Fall 2012 by a French watercraft rider, Franky Zapata.[2][3] He built many prototypes before perfecting the design which allows the device to climb out of the water and be stable in the air. This was achieved by the underfoot propulsion and hand stabilization.[3] The French Institut national de la propriété industrielle (INPI) granted Zapata a patent for his invention.[3] The Flyboard was the subject of a lawsuit from competitor Jetlev which was dropped without prejudice in March 2013.[4] The device was presented to the public for the first time at the jet ski World Championship 2012 in China.[3] Since its introduction in 2012 the Flyboard has sold around 2500 units.

Technical information

The Flyboard is a bolt on device that is attached to a jet ski and requires proper instructions and safety gear before being able to use the product successfully and efficiently. So that the PWC follows behind the rider’s trail allowing the rider all types of freedom even allowing the rider to go under water if they desire. The pilot that is on the Flyboard is in complete control of the navigation while the throttle is controlled by the person in charge of the PWC. The pilot on the Flyboard is secured in by bindings similar to a wakeboard and the rider is propelled from water jets below the device. There are certain rules that one must go by when purchasing a Flyboard though. The Flyboard is buoyant for safety, which also allows the rider to rest in the water between rides if the rider happens to get fatigued.[5] The use of a personal flotation device and helmet is required by rental locations for safety purposes to protect against serious head trauma in the event of the rider impacting the PWC or stationary structures, and to protect the ears from damage and discomfort from impacts with the water.[6][7]

Two versions of the Flyboard are offered by one particular American company: the Flyboard Standard Kit and the Flyboard Pro Rider Kit. The former is a board with hand-held stabilizers, which was the original design. The latter dispenses with the stabilizers.[8]

Device power is controlled by a throttle on the PWC. The equipment may be used in two modes: The primary one requires two people, one to control the PWC throttle which regulates the power and height of the rider. The secondary mode relies on an accessory called an Electronic Management Kit (EMK) which allows the rider to control the jetski throttle.[9]

Competitions

The first Flyboard World Championships took place in Doha, Qatar in October 2012.[10] The finalists were:[11]

The second championships in Doha were held in November 2013,[12] and the finalists were:[13]

The third championships in Doha were held in December 2014

Veteran Category

Ladies Category

Movies

For the first time, a Flyboard stunt was done in a Bollywood film by Hrithik Roshan in the film Bang Bang!.[14]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Flyboard.

Sources

  1. ↑ Examples: Flyboard Ultimate Supercut, youtube.com. Retrieved: 19 March 2015.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Zapata's outrageous, US$6,600 Flyboard - Aquaman meets Iron Man, gizmag.com. Retrieved: 13 August 2013.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 History, zapata-racing.com. Retrieved: 13 August 2013.
  4. ↑ "Li et. al. v. Flyboard, Inc. et. al.". PriorSmart. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
  5. ↑ Explications Techniques, zapata-racing.com. Retrieved: 10 December 2013.
  6. ↑ "FAQ". California Flyboard.
  7. ↑ "Zapata Racing & the Flyboard". H2RO Magazine.
  8. ↑ "What is FlyBoard". atlanticflyboard.com.
  9. ↑ "Flyboard Pros Talk Electronic Management Kit". H2RO Magazine.
  10. ↑ Flyboarding - The New Extreme Sport?, dogonews.com. Retrieved: 13 August 2013.
  11. ↑ - RANKING OF THE FIRST WORLD CUP FLYBOARD®, zapata-racing.com. Retrieved: 12 December 2013.
  12. ↑ - Flyboard World Championship, zapata-racing.com. Retrieved: 10 December 2013.
  13. ↑ - Flyboard World Cup 2013, zapata-racing.com. Retrieved: 12 December 2013.
  14. ↑ "Hrithik beats Hollywood heroes in doing daring stunts". dna.