On hot days Tanner Klochko likes to cool off and fly high.
He can do both with his Flyboard, a pair of giant boots connected to a water jet system that is attached to his Sea-Doo.
On June 29, as the mercury hit 28 C he tugged the boots on and flew through the air and water of Back Bay.
“The hose is 35 metres long, so I can go about 27 metres into the air,” Klochko said.
The end of the hose is mounted to his Sea-Doo and sucks up water from the lake. Klochko controls the thrust of the jets by applying pressure to a handheld device that sends a signal to the motor system on the Sea-Doo. He maneuvers through the air by moving his body in the direction he wants to go.
The boots and and hose system itself cost $10,000. Including the Sea-Doo, the whole deal cost about $40,000, he said.
“I bought them in Sylvan Lake, Alberta. It was built in France by a guy named Franky Zapata. I’ve had it for about six years. I take them out to rivers and lakes in the summer and sometimes even in the winter if there’s open water.”
It took him about one year of practice to get the hang of the Flyboard and he had to do training first in Sylvan Lake before he could take the system home.
“I enjoy doing this so much. I hope to start a Flyboard business here and give people little rides. On hot day like this it all feels worth it.”