'Mad Mike Hughes' Palo Duro Canyon jump canceled

CANYON, TX (KFDA) - 'Mad Mike Hughes', and his plan to jump across Palo Duro Canyon in his homemade steam rocket had to cancel the jump Saturday.

Weather was not the issue, he couldn't get the pressure right on his rocket.

Everyone who showed up for the stunt was reimbursed their $10.

Mad Mike says this jump was important because he thinks it will secure him as top dare devil in the world -- maybe next time.

CANYON, TX (KFDA) - It's a bird, it's a plane, no - it's a steam powered rocket with a stunt man inside.

"Mad Mike" Hughes, a stunt man and daredevil, has been working for years to break his own Guinness World Record for longest distance jumped - and he plans to do that Saturday with his homemade rocket.

Hughes is planning to launch himself half a mile across Palo Duro Canyon in this rocket to secure the title.

A limo driver by day with a history of racing, Hughes started doing stunts by jumping limousines.

Back in 2014, he did this rocket stunt for the first time, jumping just over a quarter of a mile.

But the 60-year-old daredevil has been working ever since that event to make his next attempt even bigger.

"We're going to get everything out of this that I can possibly do," said Hughes. "We're going to add a little more water, we're going to keep the pressure the same, but basically this is a better design. The wings are better, it's a smaller capsule so it should be a lot more aerodynamic and we think it's going to go the distance."

When Hughes called Palo Duro State Park to talk about his idea, staff referred him to Mel Smith next door at Palo Duro Adventure Park and Zip Line.

"It was one of those calls like, 'don't hang up on me! Hear what I've got to say. I'm a part time stunt man and limo driver in California, don't hang up on me, I want to jump a rocket and I'm looking for a place to do this,'" said Smith of the first phone conversation he had with Hughes. "We're an adventure park. We let people do adventurous things. Why wouldn't we let a guy have an adventure like that?"

The two have been working to make this stunt a reality since November.

This jump is important to Hughes because he said he thinks it will secure him as top daredevil in the world.

But he knows the risk he faces when he loads the rocket and pulls that lever to take off.

"You have to find a cold place in your soul to do that," said Hughes. "It's not an easy thing to do. You've got to make yourself do that because your mind is telling you, 'no, get out of this thing. You could be dead in one to 20 seconds.' But it just goes back to doing something extraordinary."

The public is invited to attend this event at Palo Duro Adventure Park and Zip Line.

Tickets are $10, gates open at noon and the rocket launch is scheduled for around 6 p.m., weather permitting.

To learn more about "Mad Mike" Hughes, visit his website.

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