The ‘Segway of the sky’ that ANYONE can fly

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The ‘Segway of the sky’ that ANYONE can fly: French Flyboard inventor Franky Zapata reveals new Ezfly hoverboard that uses jet thrusters to zoom you through the air at 80mph

• Ten pilots put the Ezfly through its paces over the surface of a lake in Texas
• You stand on a small base board which is equipped with a series of jet thrusters
• Once airborne you steer with your body weight, much like a Segway scooter
• Ezfly has a top speed of 80 miles per hour (130 km/h) and can reach 10,000 feet
  

By TIM COLLINS FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 16:55 BST, 19 January 2018 | UPDATED: 16:58 BST, 19 January 2018

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Commuters could soon be making their way to work on a machine described as the 'Segway of the sky'.

Ezfly is the creation of Frenchman Franky Zapata, who first hit the headlines with his Flyboard device that uses a water jetpack to propel users into the air.

His latest invention uses jet thrusters to push you through the air, at a top speed of 80 miles per hour (130 km/h).

Footage of the gadget in action shows a number of riders taking the controls as they zoom up and away.

Commuters could soon be making their way to work on a machine compared to a Segway of the sky that anyone can fly. Footage of the gadget in action shows a number of riders taking the controls as they zoom up and away

HOW TO CONTROL THE FLYING SEGWAY

To control the Ezfly, you stand on a small base board which is equipped with a series of jet thrusters.

Unlike its predecessor, the Flyboard Air, you don't have to strap yourself in.  

You then hold on to two handgrips that extend from the base on long poles.

Once airborne, you steer with your body weight, much like a Segway.

In the clip, filmed in Texas in October, ten pilots put the Ezfly through its paces over the surface of a lake.

It appears from the footage that the contraption requires little training, with each rider seeming to get to grips with the controls with relative ease, although this may be deceptive.

A number of participants can be seen wearing camouflage, suggesting they may be army personnel.

This would fit with reports that the US military is interested in personal flying machines and may be considering Zapata's devices as one avenue of exploration.

In a written statement on Zapata's website, a spokesman for the firm said: 'A champion jet ski racer wanted to fly, so he designed his own jet-powered hoverboard.

'Zapata is changing the future of personal aviation and achieving things no one thought possible.

'Now the Ezfly is being considered for use by the military.'

To control the Ezfly, you stand on a small base board which is equipped with a series of jet thrusters.

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Ezfly is the creation of Frenchman Franky Zapata, who first hit the headlines with his Flyboard device that uses a water jetpack to propel users into the air

Zapata's latest invention uses jet thrusters to push you through the air, at a top speed of 80 miles per hour (130 km/h)

In the clip, filmed in Texas in October 2017, ten pilots put the Ezfly through its paces over the surface of a lake

It appears from the footage that the contraption requires little training, with each rider seeming to get to grips with the controls with relative ease, although this may be deceptive

Unlike its predecessor, the Flyboard Air, you don't have to strap yourself in.  

You then hold on to two handgrips that extend from the base on long poles.

Once airborne, you steer with your bodyweight, much like a Segway.

The Ezfly builds on the Flyboard Air jet powered 'hoverboard', which can travel at 90mph (150km/h), that Franky Zapata stunned the world by unveiling in March 2016.

It requires users to strap themselves to the base board and use their core strength and balance to control it.

The 39-year-old, who was 37 at the time, used his Flyboard Air to travel more than 2,252 meters (7,388ft) off the French Atlantic coastal town of Sausset-les-Pins in May of that year.

A Guinness World Records official was on hand for the flight which beat the previous record of 275.9 meters (905ft) set by Canadian Catlin Alexandru Duru in 2015.[size=1.2em]

A number of participants can be seen wearing camouflage, suggesting they may be army personnel

This would fit with reports that the US military is interested in personal flying machines and may be considering Zapata's devices as one avenue of exploration

To control the Ezfly, you stand on a small base board which is equipped with a series of jet thrusters. You then hold on to two handgrips that extend from the base on long poles. Once airborne, you steer with your bodyweight, much like a Segway

[size=1.2em]The Flyboard Air claims to let users to fly untethered through the sky to an incredible height of 10,000 feet (1.8 miles / 3km).

[size=1.2em]That's equal to the height of nearly seven Empire State buildings stacked on top of each other.

[size=1.2em]It uses an 'Independent Propulsion Unit' to fly for about ten minutes and has a top speed of 93mph (150 km/h).

[size=1.2em]However, there are no details on how Zapata controls the Flyboard Air, leading many to doubt the design.

Franky Zapata amazed the world in 2011 with the release of his water-based Flyboard.

The ￡1,577 ($2,675) skateboard-shaped craft lets rider perform tricks, including somersaults and spins.

It became popular with the likes of Justin Bieber and Kylie Jenner.

The device can get up to 16mph (25 km/h) as it 'surfs' in mid-air.

Franky Zapata stunned the world in 2016 by revealing his jet powered 'hoverboard' that could travel at 90mph (150km/h). The French jet ski champion went one better by smashing the world record for the farthest flight on a hoverboard

The 37-year-old used his Flyboard Air to travel more than 2,252 metres (7,388ft) off the French Atlantic coastal town of Sausset-les-Pins in May, 2016. The Flyboard Air claims to allow users to fly untethered through the sky to an incredible height of 10,000 feet