JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #133 - March/April 2020 - 50

INTERVIEW

FRANKY ZAPATA
THE FLYING MAN
BECOMES A REALITY
WITH COMPOSITES
2019 was a remarkable year for French inventor
Franky Zapata, Founder and CEO of the Zapata
Company. In July the 'Flying Man' grabbed the
world's attention when he rode his jet-powered
hoverboard over Paris during the Bastille Day
parade, and in August he successfully crossed
the English Channel on Flyboard Air. He has now set his sights on an even
more ambitious project - a flying car. In his keynote presentation at JEC
World 2020, Franky Zapata will discuss the evolution of Flyboard Air and
how his company continues to push the boundaries of personal air mobility.

JEC Composites Magazine: What are
the origins of the Flyboard Air?
Franky Zapata: Following the invention of
the Water Flyboard, I had this crazy idea of
removing the pipe connecting the Flyboard
to water to create a fully autonomous board.
Then I undertook more research, more motivated than ever with the idea that nothing
is impossible. After many tests, Flyboard Air
flew for the first time in 2016 and this was
just the beginning of my projects.
What were the biggest challenges
you faced?
F.Z.: My biggest challenges involve work
on redundancy and finding options in case
of any breakdowns. This is a software
challenge. I am trying very hard to make my
products as safe as possible. For example,
Flyboard Air is equipped with triple redundant flight controls - two wired systems,
plus one wireless backup system - and
independent engine electronics mean any
electronic failure can only effect one engine
at a time so the board can still safely fly.
How big a role do composite materials
play in the development of your
products?
F.Z.: The role of composite materials is very
important in the development of products
like Flyboard Air as we have to use lightweight products which are very sturdy at the

50

MEET WITH FRENCH "FLYING MAN" AND FLYBOARD INVENTOR,
FRANKY ZAPATA, FOUNDER AND CEO

same time. Flyboard Air weighs only 20 kg.
Composite materials will always have a
huge role in our projects. We use them for
all our machines in order to win autonomy,
efficacy and reliability. They have helped
us make Flyboard Air technology platform
the lightest, safest, most manoeuvrable
personal aviation system ever created.
How important is innovation in your
business?
F.Z.: Innovation is an integral part of my
business. My team and I are working very
hard on research and development to
improve our products and to create inno-

THIS IS A SOFTWARE
CHALLENGE. I AM TRYING VERY
HARD TO MAKE MY PRODUCTS
AS SAFE AS POSSIBLE.
vative products for new applications in the
medical, military, and entertainment and
recreation markets. These concepts include
unmanned designs such as an Air Stretcher,
which could safely transport injured people
out of hasardous situations, and the Air
Cargo platform for fast, safe delivery of
supplies to remote or dangerous locations.
What future innovations do you hope
to see in the composites sector?

jec composites magazine / No133 March - April 2020

F.Z.: I would advise the composites industry
to continue to innovate in the area of lightweight materials, since a key objective would
be to obtain more resilient, lighter structures.
What would be your advice for
entrepreneurs hoping to launch a
startup business?
F.Z.: I've created my own company in order to be more autonomous in the research
and development of my technologies and
the journey to achieving my goals has been
really complicated. But I would say, always
believe in your project, forge ahead, never
give up, and always move forward at the
cutting edge of the technology.
You recently said that you want
to build a flying car based on the
Flyboard Air concept. Can you tell us
more about this project?
F.Z.: At the moment I cannot say much about
the flying car, only that it is a mix between a
drone and a Formula 1 car. We are working
tirelessly to present it to you in 2020.
What can we expect from
your presentation at JEC World?
F.Z: You will hear about my journey to this
point and discover how Zapata Company is
pursuing innovative engineering concepts
with the aim of democratising personal air
mobility.
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #133 - March/April 2020

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