French inventor Franky Zapata made history on Sunday as he successfully crossed the English Channel on a self-designed jet-powered hoverboard. This was Zapata's second attempt after having his previous bid abandoned due to a failure to land on a refueling platform. The faulty landing also saw him tumbling into the sea as he was eventually rescued unharmed.

Early on Sunday morning the daredevil aviation maverick launched his second attempt to cross the English Channel and took off from the northern French coast amid a crowd of onlookers. 

Standing on a little platform powered by five small jet engines and carrying kerosene in a backpack, Zapata embarked on his mission from the French seaside locality of Sangatte at 0617 GMT. He accomplished his pioneering project after reaching Britain just over 20 minutes later, waving to onlookers before landing safely in Saint Margaret's Bay, close to Dover on Britain's southern coast.

After his successful attempt, Zapata told reporters, before breaking into tears, "For the last five to six kilometers I just really enjoyed it. Whether this is a historic event or not, I'm not the one to decide that, time will tell... We made a machine three years ago... and now we've crossed the Channel, it's crazy."

After the failure of his first attempt on July 25, Zapata's biggest challenge was refueling with another backpack halfway through the 35-kilometer-long journey across the Strait of Dover, which required landing on a platform mounted on a boat. On his aborted first attempt, the inventor lost his balance while landing for the refueling process and fell. But this time, he used a bigger boat and platform to leave no stone unturned to fulfill his dream. 

Earlier, the 40-year-old wowed crowds during France's Bastille Day celebrations on July 14 by soaring over a military parade in Paris on the device. His flying acrobatics on the French National Day prompted French President Emmanuel Macron to boast about the French military's innovation capabilities.