Aquatic Aviation Co-Founders Qualify for Flyboard World Cup

SAN DIEGO - Nov. 26, 2013 - PRLog -- SAN DIEGO – (October 30, 2013) – The co-founders of a local company, Aquatic Aviation (mailto:http://aquaticaviation.net/), have qualified to compete in the Flyboard World Cup on November 7-9, 2013 in Doha, Qatar. Paul Bulka and Andrew Hickey will represent the United States and the United Kingdom, respectively, in the freestyle competition alongside 80 riders from 20 countries worldwide.

The Flyboard World Cup is the second-annual competition of its kind in which the top riders from around the world are selected to compete for the coveted title of Flyboard World Champion. Inventor of the Flyboard, Zapata Racing, qualified riders after reviewing a two-minute video submission from each applicant.

“To be able to compete in an international competition and represent your country is a great honor,” said Andrew Hickey, co-founder of Aquatic Aviation. “We’re looking forward to meeting Flyboarders from all around the world. This is going to be a phenomenal experience, and we’re proud to be among the pioneers of a new action sport.”

As the founders of Aquatic Aviation, Hickey and Bulka are much more than the typical competitive flyboarder. The duo created Aquatic Aviation as the only Flyboard experience in Southern California and offer lessons, shows and recreational rides. Hickey and Bulka have flown more than 1,000 riders since opening in February 2013, making them some of the most experienced instructors in the United States.

The Flyboard allows users to fly up to 45 feet or more in the air through water propulsion. The Flyboard attaches to a Jet Ski through a 65-foot hose and the power of the Jet Ski is used to propel water out of the Flyboard. The user is secured into the board by their feet. When in the Flyboard, the user controls the navigation while the person on the Jet Ski controls the power. Flyboarding requires the user to manipulate the spray of the jets by using their lower body and tilting their feet.

Hickey’s and Bulka’s freestyle routines will consist of backflips, spinning backflips, spinning dolphin dives and a backwards flight. Their routines will be choreographed to music and scored by a panel of judges. During the competition, Hickey and Bulka will be responsible for their own Jet Ski throttle control.

Riders will be scored by a panel of five professionals and will be judged on the variety of figures (risk taking, technical difficulty and innovation), implementation of figures (quality, success, sequences), the competitor’s style (position, attitude, facial expression, performance), competitor’s energy (number of figures, execution speed, execution rhythm) and the artistic side (use of space, choreography, look).

The Flyboard World Cup will be held in a sheltered bay and will include multiple qualifying heats to place riders among the 80 competitors. At the end of the qualification round, the top 32 riders will be selected for the next stages. The second round will include the top 16 riders, who will be ranked highest to lowest and will compete against each other in groups of two. For each competition stage, the participant will challenge the rider of his battle and will be judged individually by the jury. The rider with the highest score will be qualified for the next stage, while the second will be eliminated.

The winner will be declared a Flyboard World Champion, will be given a Flyboard Pro-rider and will receive a $5,000 prize.

About Aquatic Aviation

Aquatic Aviation is Southern California’s premier distributor of the Flyboard. Aquatic Aviation is lead by some of the most experienced instructors in North America, making the facility one of the safest (and most fun) training academies. The Flyboard allows users to fly up to 45 feet or more in the air through water propulsion. It was created and designed by Zapata Racing in 2011. The Flyboard attaches to a Jet Ski through a 65-foot hose and the power of the Jet Ski is used to propel water out of the Flyboard. The user is secured into the board by their feet. When in the Flyboard, the user controls the navigation while the person driving the Jet Ski controls the power. Flyboarding requires the user to manipulate the spray of the jets by using their lower body and tilting their feet.

Aquatic Aviation is located in San Diego. Guests can purchase a single or group ride, enroll in the instructor training course or can purchase the Flyboard. For more information, visit www.AquaticAviation.net or call (858) 265-2728.