Building Canyon Jump Rocket A Son’s Personal Endeavor
By Brian Smith, The Times-News, Twin Falls, Idaho | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
The smell of it brings
They are some of his earliest memories. Now he's reminded of them working in the back of an old
"I have these snapshots of what it was like," the 46-year-old
Having
"I can't even describe it. It's like having the president come to your house," he said. "... It would be like
It is with that same enthusiasm that Truax talks about and works on his project with local businessman
Record and Truax have all the necessary permits to do so and are only waiting on insurance and a broadcasting deal. The rocket's pilot will likely be
Their jump will launch from, and land on private ground and will not involve the city of
Beckley, a
Truax's rocket is 14 feet long and will use 77 gallons of 500-degree water at 500 pounds-per-square-inch to achieve flight. In all, it will have 5,000 pounds of thrust and will send Braun through the air at 394 miles per hour, Truax said.
"Evel passed out. In fact, my dad tried to warn him," Truax said. "Allegedly, Evel said, 'You worry about the rocket, I'll worry about the daredevil part.'"
The 108-foot-long ramp will be positioned at 56 degrees, giving the rocket the height necessary to properly and safely deploy its parachute.
The canyon is 1,400 feet across where they plan to jump, but the rocket will actually travel about one mile altogether, Truax said. The winds at that location will benefit the north-to-south jump idea, too.
"Evel went all the way across the canyon even with the parachute open, but the wind blew him almost to this (south) side of the canyon," Truax said. "Had the wind been blowing the other direction, even with the parachute dragging, he would have landed on the other side."
The rocket Truax is building is almost identical to his dad's with a few safety improvements and a new parachute configuration.
"We are very mindful of keeping this historic," Truax said.
Truax said he has copies of the drawings his father made on what he would have done differently given a second chance. He said his dad, who died in 2010 at age 93, wished he had more time and money to properly test the rocket.
"If my dad just had one more test he would have figured it out, but we have the benefit of knowing what went wrong," he said.
In addition to the drawings, Truax has the benefit of working with his father's engineer,
"He is a genius," Truax said of Adams. "My dad probably knew more about rockets, but Craig knows more things about more things than anyone I have ever met."
That the rocket didn't put Knievel on the other side of the canyon and that the parachute came out early might appear to be a blemish on the Truax name.
Not so, Truax said. But still Truax hopes to clear his father's name once and for all.
"I would have loved for his last memory to be his son walking in his footsteps," Truax said. "... I know that he is up in heaven looking down with a big smile on his face."
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