Michael Hughes

Michael Hughes (February 9, 1956 – February 22, 2020), popularly known as "Mad" Mike Hughes, was an American limousine driver, professed flat-Earther, and daredevil known for flying in self-built steam rockets.[1][2] He died on February 22, 2020, while filming a stunt for an upcoming Science Channel television series.[3] Although a public promoter of the flat Earth model, following his death his public relations representative said that Hughes had only used flat Earth as a PR stunt to acquire funding for his rockets.

Mike Hughes

BornFebruary 9, 1956DiedFebruary 22, 2020 (aged 64)

Barstow, California, U.S.

Cause of deathCrash of self-built rocketOther names"Mad" Mike HughesKnown for

Amateur crewed rocketry

Professed flat-earther

Hughes spent his childhood in Oklahoma City. He soon acquired an interest in motorcycle racing.[4]

In 2002, Hughes set a Guinness World Record with a 103-foot (31 m) jump in a Lincoln Town Car stretch limousine.[5][6][7] He stated during an interview with the Associated Press in 2018 that he had planned to run for Governor of California.[8]

At the time of his death, Hughes had no close relatives, and lived by himself in Apple Valley, California.[4][9][2][10]

Channel television series Homemade Astronauts, in which Hughes was to star.[23]

Motivation
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Following Hughes' death, Darren Shuster, his public relations representative, stated: "We used flat Earth as a PR stunt... Flat Earth allowed us to get so much publicity that we kept going! I know he didn’t believe in flat Earth and it was a schtick."[24][4][25][26] Science writer Mick West also came away convinced from talking to Hughes "that he was not driven by seeking to explain that the earth is flat but rather wanted to use the topic to promote his stuntman career."[27] On the other hand, Michael Linn, who was a partner on the documentary Rocketman: Mad Mike's Mission to Prove the Flat-Earth, said that Hughes' belief appeared genuine.[4]

But Hughes was not deterred.

The next year, he tried for a new record of 125 feet, covering his body in bubble wrap and gunning his 3-ton white Cadillac limousine up a ramp at 65 mph at the Orange Show Speedway in San Bernardino. He flipped over before reaching a cushion of tires but was unhurt.

“Sometimes, I feel like the cartoon character Wile E. Coyote, when he suddenly runs off a cliff,” Hughes told The Times ahead of the jump. “But it’s the price I pay for a life that’s not boring.”

After years of close calls, the 64-year-old Hughes met his end Saturday when he was killed during the launch of a homemade rocket gone awry outside Barstow. It’s not clear what went wrong. Dramatic video footage of the botched stunt posted on social media appears to indicate that there was a problem with his parachute.Like any daredevil, I think they’re driven by a sense of that need to do something incredible but also to risk their life,” said Toby Brusseau, who directed “Rocketman,” a 2019 documentary about Hughes.Originally from Oklahoma City, Hughes started attending car races with his father at 2 months old and began racing motorcycles at the age of 12, according to an author biography for his 2007 self-published book, “What Does A Limo Driver Know About NASCAR.”

In 1974, he turned pro, and in 1979, he became the top Ice Speedway motorcycle racer in the U.S., the biography says.

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In the 1980s, Hughes worked as a fabricator and body specialist on cars for NASCAR drivers Randy Lajoie and Rob Moroso, and as a crew chief on a Craftsman Truck team in Washington, before moving to Las Vegas in 1994, according to a Las Vegas Sun column. The column detailed a 1999 attempt by Hughes to build a car from leftover pieces and use it to qualify for NASCAR’s Winston Cup Series. It’s not clear if he was successful.

In Vegas, Hughes became both limousine chauffeur and daredevil; he took to referring to himself as “the world’s most famous limo driver.”

“He wanted to do something original, and he came up with the idea of jumping a limo,” Brusseau said.

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Hughes’ 2002 feat in Perris, California still holds the world record for longest limousine ramp jump, according to the Guinness World Records’ website. That might be because no such category had existed until he contacted the record-keepers to ask if they would be interested.

Hughes was always planning his next stunt, with each one taking him higher than the last.

He built his first manned rocket in 2014 — a contraption he called the “X-2 SkyLimo” — and managed to launch himself more than 1,300 feet over Winkelman, Ariz., he told the Associated Press. Afterward, he reportedly collapsed and needed several days to recover.

Over the next couple years, Hughes began saying in interviews that he believed the earth was flat — “Frisbee-shaped,” and that he wanted to go up into space to make sure.designation known as the Karman Line, which marks the border between Earth’s atmosphere and space.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to Mike Hughes’ family and friends during this difficult time,” a spokeswoman for the network said in a statement. “It was always his dream to do this launch, and Science Channel was there to chronicle his journey.”

Hughes had no close relatives and lived alone in Apple Valley with his four cats, Brusseau and Linn said.

“It made him feel alive to do these types of stunts. There was no stopping him,” Linn said. “There was part of me that wished he would find a hobby that was fun for him but had less of a chance of dying, maybe training his cats or something, but that wouldn’t have done it for him.”

In the days leading up to the fatal crash, Discovery.com posted a video of Hughes showing off the rocket in his front yard.

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“People ask me why I do stuff like this,” he said. “And basically, it’s just to convince people they can do things extraordinary with their lives, and maybe it pushes people to do things they normally wouldn’t do with their life that maybe will inspire someone else.”