“As long as I have a want, I have a reason for living. Satisfaction is death.”
Okay, maybe a little too extreme! It is true, however, that humans in general are never satisfied. We always want more. Homosapiens, aka human beings are land animals but oh do we love the sky! Land just isn’t enough anymore. Enter, the Iron Man inspired mystical devices called flyboards. Yes, they are pretty much real! Well at least the water powered ones are available for public use. Feeling the adrenaline rush already? You can easily rent flyboard in Gull Lake in Brainerd, MN.
So, what exactly is the fuss about? We help you get a clear picture.
What is a Flyboard and how does it work?
Invented by French Jet Ski champion turned inventor and businessman in 2012, flyboards are Iron Man type thrusters that help you take off the ground and soar the skies for a limited amount of time. The commercially available versions are water powered although Zapata has developed a jet powered version too.
Attached to a Jet Ski motor through a hose, a flyboard uses the incoming water stream and forces it out through the base, giving the rider lift over the surface of the water. It can help you reach maximum heights of about 30ft while allowing stunts like flips and summersaults. It is a testosterone boosting activity that is driving people crazy around the world. With spaces like Gull Lake in Brainerd, MN offering flyboard rental, the fun is closer to you than you can imagine.
Is it the next extreme adventure sport?
Well, why not? People have already bought into the idea with the first World Championships happening in Qatar in 2012 featuring 50 freestylers from around the world. Every year since then the crowd just keeps on growing. It is an exhilarating sport that is mesmerizing to watch at the same time. Riders looking like characters out of a sci-fi action thriller, streams of water gushing under them coupled with the synchronization and the freestyle stunts in just a sight to behold.
Flyboards are not restricted to a skateboard type shape; they are available in jet pack forms too. These involve an entire kit that straps to your torso with thrusters in your hand allowing you to control the power of your jets, making the experience even more fascinating. Furthermore, you can easily rent water jet packs in Gull Lake in Brainerd, MN.
There are many myths attached to these devices, but people usually fear what they don’t understand. Elaborating things and giving them experience can help change perspectives quite rapidly. The flyboards and jet packs hovering over Gull Lake in Brainerd, MN might seem dangerous or even life threatening to some but in reality they are extremely safe with no known cases of injury till date. These myths and the facts behind them have been thoroughly addressed in a separate blog. However it’s hard to believe it till you try it!
If the sound of that doesn’t get you pumped up, you really need to head down and see it for yourself. If you live around the Gull Lake in Brainerd, MN area, flyboard rentals too, are easily available at your convenience.
How extreme are things getting?
Zapata, the inventor of water powered flyboards is not stopping at water powered ones. He has developed a hose free hover board that is powered by an ‘Independent Propulsion Unit’ allowing it to take flight using just its thrusters. The device has a limited flight time of only about 10 minutes but it is still under development with major advancements expected in the near future. Zapata, however, did break the Guinness World Record for the furthest flight using a hover board. He flew an incredible 2,252 meters shattering the previous record of 276 meters, according to official Guinness World Record figures.
Practical utility of hover boards
The hover board, in its current form can reach a height of 10,000 feet and attain a speed of almost 150 km/h. This technology holds immense potential not just for adrenaline junkies but a host of other industries as well and the stakes are high considering the boundaries to which it can go. Imagine the future where we can develop a completely functional Iron Man suit that can be used in the military as well as fire fighting, industrial work and a host of other places.
Firefighters in Dubai have already purchased hover board kits and will be soon seen using them to put out fires. The ingenious hack here is using a water powered machine to facilitate water based life saving. It can provide the pilot with a seemingly unlimited supply of water since they can connect directly to the body they are flying over, increasing effectiveness manifolds.
Something more extreme than a hover board is out too
Last week, we saw astounding news come out of Reading, UK when Richard Browning, a UK based fitness freak broke the world record for the ‘fastest speed in a body controlled, jet engine powered suit.’ The suit is a site to behold and unlike Zapata’s hover board, has thrusters on the arms and back like a jet pack, only more compact. The suit achieved a speed of 32 km/h according to figures given by Guinness World Records.
The world is headed skywards, quite rapidly indeed! With innovations like the Zapata’s hover board and Browning’s jet powered suit, who knows what the future of adventure sports and the world in general might look like, but it is certainly something to look forward to.
Since, only the water powered versions of these inventions are commercially available, let’s just stick to those. If you feel the rush to try one for yourself, you can easily rent flyboard and water jet pack in Gull Lake in Brainerd, MN.