Franky Zapata wanted to be a pilot, but something was standing in his way. Zapata signed up to finally accomplished his dream of taking to the friendly skies. However, the flight school disqualified him because he was color blind. And knowing he would never be able to become a helicopter pilot; he focused on the company he created called Zapata Racing. But that wasn’t his dream; he wants to be a pilot. In an interview with CNBC he stated that he built the flying machine, so he could finally accomplish his life-long dream of becoming a pilot.
Flying hoverboard flies at 80mph
The flying enthusiast then created the EZ Fly from model airplane jets. And thus, the flying hoverboard was born. But, this hoverboard is a lot different from the others as it reaches up to 80mph and can fly up to 9,000ft. EZ Fly is easy to operate since the pilot must lean towards the direction he wants to go. Zapata is now working with the US Military as this could be a valuable training tool for army personnel.
The EZ Fly may have been a hit with the US Armed Forces but its counterpart since its release a few years ago has been a disaster. The latest incident happens just about a week ago when a faulty hoverboard burnt a Manchester home to the ground.
Hoverboard fire left 13 people homeless
A thirteen-year-old girl had plugged in the gadget to charge when it sparked and started the fire. According to a fire official, they received a call around 3:00 a.m. about a fire that had engulfed a house. The Union Fire Company Chief Joe Stevens said at least 100 firefighters fought the massive blaze.
Stevens stated that the huge fire spread to two neighboring homes and left 13 people homeless.
The accumulated cost for the fire is over $500,000.00. Also, the fire chief confirmed that there were no injuries sustained or any casualties.
Safety Commission warns of exploding batteries
Trish Miranda a neighbor, who lives close by said her children always visit the home where the fire started.
Miranda 38-years-old said she heard banging on her door and immediately rushed over to help her neighbor evacuate from the burning house.
In 2016, the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission recalled at least 500,000 hoverboards from ten manufacturers, warning that the lithium-ion cell can overheat and start a fire. Over the past few years, faulty hoverboards had started several house fires; the gadget had also caused a few deaths in the United States.
