Rocket man blasts off at Blackpool Tower

You can’t launch a rocket quietly and rocket man Kinnie Gibson certainly had an ear-splitting send-off, in July 1986.
Stuntman Kinnie Gibson rockets past Blackpool TowerStuntman Kinnie Gibson rockets past Blackpool Tower
Stuntman Kinnie Gibson rockets past Blackpool Tower

Our archive pictures show Kinnie blasting off in front of the Tower – watched by the crowds, including Central Pier star Linda Nolan and Lord Delfont, who was in Blackpool as part of a whistle-stop tour of his First Leisure Entertainment Empire.

Stuntman Kinnie, who came to Britain fresh from New York’s Independence Day celebrations, soared from Blackpool Promenade on to the specially constructed platform 85ft up on the Tower – promoting the launch of a Lancashire-based wall-covering company onto the American market.

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Our picture was captured by Gazette photographer Peter Owen.

And just look at this daredevil parachuting down in front of the Tower onto the Promenade, in another two of our archive pictures.

They photograph has no caption on the back, with no date or details of how the parachutist is or what they were doing!