A French inventor has succeeded in crossing the Channel on a jet-powered hoverboard, telling journalists upon his touchdown that he had achieved his dream.

Franky Zapata managed the feat on Sunday morning on his second attempt, after being knocked off balance during his first try last month.

The 40-year-old set off on his Flyboard from Sangatte in the Pas de Calais region on the northern coast of France at about 6.17am for the 22-mile (35km) journey to St Margaret’s Bay, beyond the white cliffs of Dover.

Escorted by three helicopters, he completed the crossing in 22 minutes, reaching speeds of up to 110mph (177km/h) flying 15-20 metres (50-65ft) above the water. He arrived into the bay to the applause of dozens of onlookers and journalists.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Crowds turn out to watch Zapata take off from Sangatte on Sunday. Photograph: Denis Charlet/AFP/Getty Images

Zapata’s hoverboard was powered by a backpack containing enough paraffin to keep him airborne for about 10 minutes, which he had to stop to refuel halfway through the journey.

“I’m feeling happy ... it’s just an amazing moment in my life,” he said following his touchdown in Britain. “The last 10% [of the flight] was easier ... because I had the time to look at the cliffs.”

Zapata said the strong winds in the Channel had posed one of the biggest challenges, explaining his technique of bending into gusts. He said there was a risk of being destabilised if the wind died down quickly.

He said the flight involved high levels of physical endurance. “It’s an isometric exercise for the thighs, so it burns – it’s quite hard. But you recover quickly, it’s not like riding a bicycle,” he said.

“Your body resists the wind, and because the board is attached to my feet, all my body has to resist to the wind. I tried to enjoy it and not think about the pain.”

During his first attempt – on the 25 July to coincide with the 110th anniversary of the first crossing of the Channel by plane – the former jetski champion fell into the sea as he tried to land on a vessel to refuel.

A member of his team said the movement of the waves required perfect timing and the landing platform had shifted a few centimetres as Zapata came down. The refuelling boat used on Sunday was bigger, with a larger landing area, and French navy vessels were on hand to keep an eye out in case of trouble.

Speaking ahead of his journey, Zapata said he was concerned his team had not had enough time to repair the machine after it was damaged in the first attempt. They reportedly worked 15-16 hours a day to get it ready for Sunday’s trip.

“Normally we test the machines for several weeks before big events. Here, it’s a little bit worrying to be using a machine that has just been rebuilt,” he said.

Zapata has been developing his hoverboard for the past three years, undeterred by losing two fingers in its turbines during its maiden flight in his garage near Marseille.

He delighted crowds in Paris on 14 July – Bastille Day – by flying over a military parade on the Place de la Concorde in the presence of the French president, Emmanuel Macron, and the German chancellor, Angela Merkel.

His Flyboard has also attracted the attention of the French military, which in December gave Zapata’s company, Z-AIR, a €1.3m (£1.19m) development grant. He has said his invention wasn’t quite ready for military use because of the noise it makes and the hours required to learn to fly it.

Zapata eventually hopes to use his hoverboard to fly much higher, something that would require him to carry a parachute, guidance equipment and possibly an oxygen tank. He is also developing an idea for a flying car.

Asked on Sunday if he considered himself the successor of Louis Blériot, who made the first aeroplane flight across the channel, Zapata told BFM television: “It’s not really comparable, he was one of the first men to fly. Let’s just say that I achieved my dream.”