daredevil

The Breakdown

Riverjump

When is a daredevil jump not a jump? When it's a flight

When is a daredevil stunt jump actually a "jump" and when does it become a form of ill-advised rocket flight? While we enjoy the dramatic and circus-esque musical soundtrack in the video, let's also appreciate some interesting physics issues relevant to Kenny Powers' unsuccessful jump. I'm not sure how carefully they thought this one through, but I suspect at least they must have recognized that their "souped-up" Lincoln Continental had to be under rocket power not only during the approach and up the ramp but during the jump (flight) as well.

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From the Popular Science Archives

January 1931

We advised "thrill seekers looking for something new to
try" to check out Viennese daredevil Joseph Krupka's wing-enhanced skiing technique. Krupka skied partway down a glacier, then tilted his aluminum wings and "for hundreds of feet soared over the snowy tracks, landing near the foot
of the slope." The practice of enhancing a traditional sport
by adding wings has endured; witness how intrepid modern-
day "skyfliers" have expanded skydiving.
These swooping, be-winged adventurers eventually hope

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