Eddie Braun, a veteran Hollywood stuntman, has achieved the unimaginable — flying over Idaho's Snake River Canyon in a steam-powered rocket.
On Friday, Sept. 16, Braun managed to accomplish what his idol Evel Knievel, the legendary American daredevil, was unable to do 42 years earlier.
The 54-year-old Californian was inspired by Knievel who attempted a similar feat on Sept. 8, 1974, as he scrambled inside a similarly steam-powered "rocket cycle" and blasted off over the Snake River Canyon. However, Knievel was unable to reach the other side as the rocket's parachute got deployed sooner than anticipated. This resulted in Knievel landing at the bottom of the canyon, thankfully unhurt.
Inspired by Knievel, Braun made the jump in the Evel Spirit rocket, which is nearly similar in design to the X2 Skycycle deployed by Knievel. Incidentally, Braun's Evel Spirit rocket is the handiwork of Scott Truax, who is the son of the man who created the original X2 Skycyle for Knievel.
The steam-powered Evel Spirit was able to blast Braun nearly 2,000 feet up in the air, with the maximum speed clocking at 400 miles per hour. Braun and the steam-powered machine were brought back to safety in 50 seconds thanks to three parachutes.
It was a matter of seconds, four to be exact, before the parachutes were pulled once Braun was airborne.
"I feel like the no-name, third-string quarterback of a junior-varsity team that just won the Super Bowl. My team got me there. I ran it into the end zone. We scored and won," said Braun in a statement.
Braun's daredevil stunt may have been successful and may have catapulted him to more fame, but it has also left him poorer by more than a million dollars. That's right, he financed the stunt himself.
"I gotta go get a job tomorrow because I just blew $1.6 million on a rocket," joked Braun post the stunt.
Flying a steam-powered rocket over Idaho's Snake River Canyon may have been an adrenalin rush, but would Braun repeat the feat? The answer to that is a resounding no as the Californian thought that it "just sucked, it hurt, it was hot, it was uncomfortable."
Considering the jump was his final one, Braun can now hang up his boots (and safety helmets) with pride as his 35-year-old tenure as a stuntman comes to a memorable close.
Check out the video of Braun's jump below.
