Ever since the Back to the Future movies released, fans of sci-fi gadgets and futuristic tech in general have been hoping to ride a real-life hoverboard like the one Marty McFly pilots in the second film. While we're likely still a ways off from that sort of low-profile (but high tech) travel gear, other, less-subtle hoverboards do exist.

Just look at what French inventor Franky Zapata came up with some time ago: a jet-powered hoverboard known as the "Flyboard Air." The Flyboard is a "personal aerial vehicle" that offers "unprecedented individual mobility." While Zapata isn't selling the device to the public yet (it reportedly costs $250,000 to acquire), he has done plenty of real-world marketing for it.

He's taken it to various locations around the world and shown it off to the public; often posting clips of his feats to his YouTube channel. In one video, he zipped through Singapore and in others, he reached top speeds of 103.4 mph or flew around Paris' Bastille Day Parade.

Now, to further demonstrate the Flyboard Air's impressive tech, Zapata has told The Guardian that he plans to cross the English Channel in a mere twenty minutes, with only one pit stop for refueling. The spectacle is currently set to take place "this week," though a specific day has not been mentioned just yet.

The English Channel is a pretty large body of water, so picking the right location to cross was crucial for Zapata – as such, he's chosen to start his journey in Sangatte, ending it in St. Margaret's Bay. Zapata's Flyboard is expected to hit top speeds of 87 mph, which is a bit lower than what the vehicle has proven capable of in the past (probably for fuel efficiency and/or safety reasons).

If you want to see the event for yourself, Zapata will most likely publish at least part of his journey on his YouTube channel.