1 Jul 09

The human cannonball has been hired and he will be fired at the 2009 Aldershot Army Show. But he’s no apprentice – having been fired over 5,000 times.

David Smith Jnr will reach speeds of 0- 50 mph in 1/5th of a second when he is fired at the opening of the Show on both Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th July.

Over 70,000 people are expected to visit the Show to enjoy the wide variety of activities including the Shetland Pony Grand National, a working dogs display, King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery and  White Helmets along with a fun fair, tug-of-war and even a chance to be a solider for the day.

But you will have to be quick to catch Cannonball man’s act!  Four seconds is all it will take for him to be fired up to 160ft across the Show arena at Queen’s Avenue – with him hitting the heights at 70ft above it – experiencing G Force acceleration of about 9g on take off!

“I am a seasoned veteran but there is something special about being shot out of 33ft cannon which is very nerve racking. There is a huge rush of adrenalin – but I am fully aware of the seriousness of what I do,” said David.

The whole Smith family is involved in the Cannonball man experience. David Senior holds the world record for reaching 201ft, and even at the age of 67 is still being shot out of cannons. There are only about 10 human cannonballs in the world and five of them are in the Smith family!
Cannonball man will be fired from the cannon in the main Army Show arena on both Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th July at 2pm.

The Show is organised by the Army in partnership with Rushmoor Borough Council and sponsored by Aspire Defence. Its aim is to showcase the modern Army, to provide a fun, community event and to celebrate Aldershot's military heritage.  It also highlights the strong partnership between the Council, the Army and Aspire Defence.

Tickets are available on the day or online at www.armyshow.co.uk.  Adult tickets are £8, children (under 16) are £4 and under 5s get it for free.