A new product has been sweeping the web since early April – and most aren’t even sure if it’s 100% legit.
Zapata Racing, a French company, announced on April 8 that it has “achieved the dream of all men” in creating an alien-like hover board, which they have dubbed the ZR Flyboard Air. The hover board claims to be the result of four years of hard work and planning.
The Flyboard Air
A video surfaced online earlier this month of the UFO-shaped device, titled “Flyboard Air Test 1:”
The video begins with a man suited up, speaking confidently to the camera, before he dramatically lowers his visor and takes off on the small platform. At the end of the video, it’s claimed that the board reached 55 km/h and flew for nearly four minutes.
Since this initial video, the Internet has been abuzz with excitement.
Unlike the hover board that got the Internet talking back in October (the Hendo), which used magnets to ‘float’ above specially coated floors, this model allows complete freedom of movement. It even boasts on the product page that the Flyboard Air will have a top speed of nearly 93 mph and elevate riders up to 10,000 ft.
If this is true, that means this personal hover board will move faster than even the fastest unmanned drones, which top out around 80 mph for comparable-sized machines. A lack of detail on the design, control, and a questionably edited promo video, have started to raise some red flags, however.
The company’s site currently doesn’t have a purchase or preorder option for the hover board, and the sudden appearance and big talk has some people appropriately skeptical. For the time being, the claim is that they are “pending government approval” before going forward with mass distribution. There’s also an offer to explore their other ‘jetpack’ options made for flying over water.
These suspect viral videos are peppered with plenty of theories regarding the validity of this hover board, making it clear that whether they think it’s true or a hoax – the Flyboard Air has people talking.
For many people, the idea of flying around like the Green Goblin is tempting enough to hold onto hope.
With the public hungry for the promises of the future we’ve come to expect from Hollywood, hover boards are something guaranteed to catch the eye of a large online audience. However, this also makes them ripe for the exploitation of clever marketing campaigns. Much like Tony Hawks role in promoting the Hendo last year, this could just be a clever and complex promotional stunt.
Real or not, the Flyboard Air certainly has peoples attention.
Images: Video Stills
Phil
I think this is the same one we saw last year flying over a small lake.
Aira Bongco
I guess the approval has something to do with the fact that it is unexplored and can lead to some unconventional activities. I am not so sure I believe that it is flying though.
Ivan
Well after watching the video over and over again I think that it’s probably going to be a valid video. Simply because theoretically all you have to do is achieved the same amount of thrust as the original Zapata fly board with the hose attachment and the water thrusters.. They’re claiming that it uses jet power, but what I would love to know is what is the fuel that they using because it’s gotta be pretty volatile to achieve that amount of thrust with the power requirements being pretty high considering the amount of flight time needed to make this a viable sellable product.
Herman Segal
Guiness has verified it, and the company was bought by a US Defense Contractor; how can anyone claim it’s a hoax???
greg adamson
From a photograph I was able to see the jet-cat logo on one of the four jet engines and a P4.. on another indicating that it is definitely a jet-cat p400 engine. Check out their web site. 88lbs of thrust times 4 would do it. Side thrusters are electric.
XJ90
Why is the US Government buying a marketing company? Video wizard’s these fellows at Guinness Marketing are. Internet saturation pretty good. Help was given on this one too. Google on down… And our President complained about FAKE NEWS? Looks like they are already and have been for years the kings of fake tragedies, I mean NEWS, rather..
Check out their other offerings. Why, with the quietly passed law having allowed “Government Training Films Depicting Mass Tragedies like school shootings, the timing is oerfect… aliens this time or more of the same?
Marv
You probably know this by now, but this thing is very much for real. We were visiting friends in Lake Havasu the week of May 15, & on Friday the 19th our friends took us to see the London Bridge. @ the bridge, someone was flying one of Zapata’s waterborne Flyboards. We went out on the island to see the park, & as we were walking to the beach this thing came roaring over us. Just stood there, dumbfounded. Actually, we have seen some YouTube posts since we got back of videos that were shot while we were there. It’s real & totally amazing!! The future is here…