Catalin Alexandru Duru sets Guinness World Record with flying hoverboard

The hoverboard from cult movie “Back to the Future Part II” isn’t just the stuff of sci-fi fantasy lore. A version of the iconic flying skateboard has been making the Guinness World Records for the longest continuous flight ever travelled by such a craft. Canadian inventor Catalin Alexandru Duru flew his prototype a total of 905 ft. 2 in. – more than twice the length of two football fields – over Lake Ouareau, in Quebec, Canada. And yes, unlike in the movie, it does fly over water… Metro spoke to Duru about his propeller-powered board and its accomplishment.

— No, there wasn’t even a category for the broken record. The objective is to turn this into a sport of some sort, it’s a recreational vehicle.

— I’m happy everything went according to plan, and I have to thank all the team for their effort.

My device uses the same technology that is used to propel drones and helicopters. We came across numerous difficulties. Our hoverboard uses components that are close – and some beyond – to their specification limit. We encountered many problems before we managed to achieve this result. Burning controllers, waterproofing problems, burning motors, lack of lift for certain types of motor-propeller assemblies… The list goes on.

— This particular version was a prototype, a proof of concept. We have been continuing our work already and are excited about the progress.

— We cannot disclose this information publicly, but I can say that it took a lot of both time and investment. The next step will be to produce hoverboards to sell to the public. That would be amazing.

— Yes, I love sci-fi movies. They inspire us. But we shouldn’t let the magical qualities of the technologies demonstrated in those films stop us from thinking that they’re impossible. If the goal was to make a hoverboard exactly like in the movie, we would be waiting forever. And I want the future to be now.