Tales from the 'Rocketman'

Hosted byArt Bell

Tales from the 'Rocketman'

About the show

Staring in hour 2, Ky Michaelson, a stuntman known as "The Rocketman," shared his fascination with rockets and gadgetry. At the age of 12, his parents gave him a Gilbert chemistry set for Christmas. Ky figured out how to make black powder, which he then used to make his first rocket motor. Another discovery important to his future came once he got his first car—a 1933 Ford 3-window coupe he bought for $15. He took it racing and learned, as his great-grandfather had, that going fast was a sensation he couldn’t do without.

Michaelson, who builds and sells giant model rockets, tells Art how he put rockets on a wheelchair for fun-- he went over 75 mph with a parachute out the back of it. Ky details launching a 20-foot-tall rocket into outer space --in 15 seconds it will go mach 5 and 62 miles up in the air. He invites Art to the launch. Calls come in for Ky during the last hour. One caller asks him how many injuries he's had during the years of his stunt work - he reveals he's broken both arms, had three brain concussions, and various injuries to his ribs, fingers, toes, etc.

During the first hour, Art talks about news of the day, and shares "Halloween Zone" stories. During Open Lines, a caller recounts working at a gas station when a customer paid with money from 1857. Barbara McBeath and Brendan Cook of the Ghost Investigators Society discuss their investigation of a haunted prison, but there is trouble with their phone line and the interview is cut short.

Last Night

Alternative Fuel & EVs / Otherworldly Communications
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Ecological biologist David Blume reported on biofuels and problems with electric vehicles. Followed by author and filmmaker Rich Martini on otherworldly communications.

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