It’s the 21st century and we have oodles of technology unimagined just ten years ago. Our major Marty McFly letdown: no flying hoverboards.

Until now.

When Frank Zapata posted his Flyboard Air Test videos on YouTube in early April, most viewers thought they were faked.

After all the jokes – “It’s 2016! Where’s my hoverboard?” – most people seem to have reluctantly accepted that this particular soaring dream of humanity might remain beyond our grasp. But no – here is Frank Zapata, in flight:

 The main issue wasn’t the technology for a board that could fly and support human weight, as Zapata explained.

“The power is there, and has been for some time,” said Zapata, founder of the French company Zapata Racing and inventor of the Flyboard and the Flyboard Air. “The trick is controlling it.”

As Zapata discovered, hoverboards need to be able to respond quickly to basic controls and the body movements of the operator, a task that’s easier said than done.

The Flyboard Air packs no fewer than six mini-turbo engines, four on the bottom and two on the sides for added stabilization. They do their job well; the board flies smoothly in the test videos. The engines are powered by jet fuel strapped to the rider’s back.

The Flyboard Air employs a special algorithm for stabilization that Zapata and his team developed. Each engine can be manipulated individually, if necessary, to change the hoverboard’s angle and thrust. The Flyboard Air can even land safely with only three engines, in case one fails mid-flight.

The biggest question is, when can you get one? Since Zapata Racing hasn’t finished testing the board yet, you might have to wait a while. For safety, all of the early Flyboard Air’s testing has been performed above water, but Zapata said it was almost ready for land trials. Anyone who plans to purchase one must have 50-100 hours of practice on the Flyboard Air’s predecessor, the water-powered Flyboard.

Start practicing now.