He flew 2000 ft high, accelerating up to 430 miles per hour in just 3.9 seconds.
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Braun said he spent about $1.5 million of his own money on the effort. Building and designing the steam powered rocket, running tests, and making sure everything was set to go.
Braun said he grew up as a huge Knievel fan. You are an inspiration to the whole stunt community, as well as an inspiration for other kids who will one day grow up to be stuntmen!
Originally scheduled for Saturday, Braun’s team said earlier this week that the jump from the canyon’s north rim would happen sometime between Friday and Sunday. That includes the work of engineer Scott Truax, who is the son of Robert Truax, the engineer who built Knievel’s rocket back in 1974. The most famous was his failed attempt in 1974 to jump Snake River Canyon in Idaho.
“I wouldn’t be doing this if I thought it couldn’t be done”, he said.
The parachute deployed prematurely and caused Evel to land at the bottom of the canyon where he only sustained minor injuries. Cars and other vehicles were parked on side roads up to about a mile away from the jump site. “I wanted to be like him and after 30 years of being a professional stuntman, what better way to finish out my career than to pay homage to the man that inspired me?”
But the mystique of Knievel’s failed stunt has lived on, with would-be daredevils showing up every decade or so to propose similar jumps. But Braun appears to have been the first to actually try it since Knievel’s attempt.
Footage shot by eye witness Andy Teuscher shows the parachute deploying shortly after take off.
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After completing to fantastic jump, the stuntman said he was overjoyed with his team’s efforts after the success flight.
