Flatearther plans to launch

This caught my attention. I liked Astronaut Farmer and thought this might be something similar in real life.

"Self-taught rocket scientist plans to launch over ghost town"

The launch is scheduled for this Saturday.

"This will actually be the second time ['Mad' Mike Hughes has] constructed and launched a rocket. He jumped on a private property in Winkelman, Arizona, on Jan. 30, 2014 , and traveled 1,374 feet. He collapsed after that landing — the G-forces taking a toll — and needed three days to recover.

"That distance, though, would've been enough to clear the Snake River Canyon, which is a jump daredevil Evel Knievel made famous when he failed to clear it during his attempt in 1974."

So far, so good.

"Here's the thing: Hughes doesn't make all that much money — $15 per hour as a limo driver, plus tips. That's why he's scrounged for parts, finding the aluminum for his rocket in metal shops and constructing the rocket nozzle out of an aircraft air filter. He gave it a good varnish of cheap paint, and his launch pad is attached to a motor home he bought for $1,500."

"The location of the jump will be Amboy , a ghost town in the Mojave Desert and along historic Route 66. The fictional town of Radiator Springs in the Disney movie Cars was loosely based on Amboy."

"On the morning of the launch, Hughes will heat about 70 gallons of water in a stainless steel tank and then blast off between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. He plans to go about a mile — reaching an altitude of about 1,800 feet — before pulling two parachutes. They're discouraging fans — safety issues — but it will be televised on his YouTube channel . He said he's been in contact with the Federal Aviation Administration and the Bureau of Land Management.

"Following his jump, he said he's going to announce his plans to leap into the race for governor of California.

"No joke."

If Mad Mike succeeds he might make a decent governor. He knows how to stretch a dollar, he's got guts, and he "believes what he believes," meaning, I suppose, he's an independent thinker, including the view that the earth is really flat. That last part is disconcerting but could he be any worse than the current governor?