Hi there

I know this one is serious. In my search for the weird I've been trying to find info on the Human Cannonball stunt. Perhaps this is a circus question as opposed to sideshow, but it's a stunt so I thought I'd ask here.

Does anyone here know of plans for building one, or someone who would build one to sell one?

I know it's serious, but I love information.

Many Thanks

I

Hi ns,
I have had the same Passion. I am associated with the Circus family related to the performer who in recent times missed the Net and broke his Legs. He sold the Cannon and bought a Ferrari. So that may give you an idea of cost I am also a member of the Showmen's club in Gibsonton and have went to meetings asking around for an Old Cannon for sale. They tell me they are few and far between. I know they use an Air Ram inside. Ringling teaches method and technique in their Circus school in Sarasota Florida I believe. Met a performer who went there. She said keep your Body limp and go with the flow. As far as building plans I suggest to search the US Patent website perhaps. Good luck in your search.
Cindi

Hugo Zacchini was the man when it came to the human cannonball. It is a good,but expensive stunt. And, of course, dangerous. Just ask Elvin Bale (that's the guy that missed the net!) The Zacchini family are still around, in the Sarasota area (Hugo built the blade box I have.)

Wow, fast responses. Thanks guys.

Todd, I saw that Blade Box when I attended your Carnival Knowledge show a few years ago. It was great.

Cindi, I'll do some looking in the patent websites and see what I can find. Thanks for the idea.

I don't think this will go much further than an information gather for me, but you never know.

I've read that some people use springs instead of air. That sounds safer to me, but of course I have no experience with this.

Thanks again for your help.

I

I have two blade boxes (doesn't everyone?) The one in Carnival Knowledge was from Jay Marshall. I was taking about the other one I have. It was on display in the museum in Coney Island for a couple of years.

The use of springs is how the cannon's were originally built, but as far as I know, all cannons used today are air powered.

Cindi wrote:

"I know they use an Air Ram inside. Ringling teaches method and technique in their Circus school in Sarasota Florida I believe. Met a performer who went there. She said keep your Body limp and go with the flow."

I am familiar with the workings of the cannon stunt having toured with Ringling Bros and personally knowing performers who have done it (brothers Phillip and Marco Peters from the Netherlands doing the double shot and American Jon Weiss doing the single cannon). The method used for those cannons are not 'Air Ram' but utilize a completely different method for propulsion (the explosion heard is just mis-direction and has nothing to do with the launch). Also one does NOT 'keep the body limp and go with the flow'. Quite the opposite - the artist tenses up their entire body making it a tight, compact 'bullet'. Jon once told me it was like being inside of a barrel and having car hit you at a hundred miles an hour while you were standing still.

I am not familiar with a current Ringling Circus School in Sarasota. Their old Clown College was in Venice for years but has since been disbanded. There was a trapeze school on the old Venice lot for a few years after but I haven't been down that way in awhile. I would think that the only way to learn such an act would be to become an apprentice to someone who is currently preforming it so as to learn everything about everything.

Feel free to PM me if you have more questions - hope this helps.

Cap'n Mike
RBB&B Red Unit 1991-1993
Myrtle Beach, SC
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It also requires a certain caliber of person. (let the puns begin!)

Also , this is the only job that it PAYS to get FIRED! This job is a real BLAST! and has a good NET income.

ROD

Please note that I shared Information "told" to me by those who have experience in the subject. If they are wrong then they fabricated the information in what they were taught or were asleep in class. This is the very reason many have stopped posting here. There's always the "One"

Cindi,

I'm not sure what you meant by your post however if I said something in my previous post on this subject that you took offense to, I apologize. I meant no disrespect.

My intention was only to give you what knowledge I have on this subject. In no way was I attempting to insinuate that you or the folks you've spoken to about cannons 'fabricated the information'. And there may have been a Ringling Circus School in Sarasota at one time ... I merely mentioned that I wasn't aware of one.

This free exchange of information is what makes sites like this great and shouldn't be the cause for folks to stop posting.

Respectfully,

Cap'n Mike
(who's not sure if he's "the One" ...)
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The Ringling Brothers Clown College started in Venice, Florida, moved to Wisconsin, then ended up in Sarasota where it closed in 1997.

Why not just contact Elvin Bale, and get the skoop..Elvin has designed almost all of the ringling Cannons...up until recent years...I'll tell you this for certain it's not an air ram....and it's not a stunt...you can get hurt...I happened to be around when he was training his latest human projectile....Cannonball Kellan.. for the Cole Show...even when the cannon is fired on "idle" if you scrape against the barrel on the way out you can end up with some fairly nasty road rash....don't try this on your own.....learn from a pro....someone who knows what can go wrong...and how to counteract this.....you can reach Elvin through http://www.elvinbale.com

AC

Quick scientific (medical) fact: human canonballers lose up to 1/2" to 1" of hieght during their career. Something to do with vertebral compression during lift off.

Cap'n Mike. Thank you.

Nipps, I think I could handle being 5'8" instead of 5'9"

Last night I was searching for old circus photos.
While doing this I came across plans for the human cannon ball.
I was going to come here and post it, but I was busy and it was already 4am.

But the plans aren't that hard to find online.

Randi

SOD that I'm off to the garage to start building ...... ill start with a model using the hamster as teh cannon ball then work up to the cat (and if needed the neighbors cats) then when I am absolutly sure I have everything working ill move on to a human sized one - use a bag of potatoes (ha you say poooottaatoos I say tats) to simulate the human body and then get one of my kids in the cannon and do a local show "for real"- say over 3 neighbors gardens I have a hamock that we can use for the net! ..... hey if it don't work the first time - well that's why we had two kids wasnt it?

The hamster one is easy.
I have been doing it for years.
Just go buy one of those slingshots that use rubber tubing.

In our Dead Girl Circus show, we do a human cannon ball thing.
She is a ghost though and it's real easy.
She gets in the cannon and we hand her a hanky...
the cannon is fired and her and the hanky goes shooting over the audience.
http://www.deadgirlcircus.com

Randi

Ha! Neat!

OR....... You could use a ZUCCINI SQUASH TOO. Just call the act, The GREAT Zuccini" haha

ROD

Hi all

I've been away and haven't been able to respond to the posts that were made to my question.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to answer. Even the puns are appreciated.

At elvinbale.com he says that his cannon was used on a Discovery channel show called human cannonballs. Anyone ever hear of it?

Off to look for more plans

I