The ultimate fan tribute
Braun has long been fascinated by everything Knievel, the popular figure who attempted so many memorable motorcycle jumps over an iconic career which included:
The fountains at Caesars Palace in 1967 (crashed, crushed pelvis and femur)
13 buses at Wembley Stadium in London in 1975 (crashed, broke pelvis and back)
14 Greyhound buses at Kings Island theme park in Ohio in 1975 (success)
A 90-foot tank filled with sharks in 1977 (crashed on landing ramp during rehearsal, broken arms)
Braun says he’s secured the proper permission and permits from private land owners, Federal Aviation Administration, even Homeland Security, to green light his blast-off. Others have stepped up as well, including Slash from the Guns N’ Roses rock band. Braun said the guitarist recorded a theme song for him — fittingly using Elton John’s hit, Rocket Man.
Scott Truax used his father’s blueprints to reconstruct the rocket. He wanted to show that his dad’s version of Evel Knievel’s X2 Skycycle would’ve worked, if not for the parachute malfunction. The late Robert Truax was considered one of top rocket scientists of the 20th century.
“With this re-creation, it’s my intent to clear his name and tell his amazing story,” Scott Truax said. “I like to think that instead of looking up at the rocket launch, he and Evel will be looking down on it, and that’s a much better view.”
The rocket will reach a top speed of 400mph in about three seconds and an altitude of 3000 feet before the engine cuts off and the parachute deploys. Since parachute technology has come a long way in 42 years, it has been revamped for 2016.