This Zapata Hoverboard Looks Real, Probably Isn’t

That's cool, but the Flyboard is cumbersome and relies on water to survive (you know, like those dastardly modern Porsche 911s). So Zapata has released a new model, the Air Flyboard, that flies completely free of a large body of water. The design swaps water jets for a turbine and a backpack-stored fuel cell. According to the video, the company claims a top speed of 93 mph, a flight ceiling of 10,000 feet, and a flight time of about ten minutes depending, we guess on the size of that backpack. Those are lofty claims for the segment: ten minutes of flight depends on remarkable amounts of fuel, impeccable engine reliability, and reliable flight stability—none of which previous "hoverboards" have managed. (Even the US Government took a stab at a hovering personal craft, but deemed it unsuitable for battle.) Zapata calls this a prototype, and the video's caution—a slow ride over a soft body of water—betrays as much.

We wouldn't assume that Zapata has engineered all the danger out of standing atop a pair of spinning turbines powered by incredibly explosive gas all while thousands of feet in the air. The wait for a "hoverboard" icon to appear in your Google Maps transportation options continues. Still, it's a step. Nay—a flight.