Second-Gen Human Cannonball Soars 198 Feet at Easter Show

At 17 years old, David Smith stood in his family's Oregon front yard and let his father shoot him out of a cannon for the first time.

Two years later, he got a voicemail that changed everything. His dad claimed he'd hurt his back and needed Smith to fill in at a show starting Wednesday. Smith suspects his father faked the injury just to rope him into the family business.

"I was a cannonball three days later," Smith said.

That was decades ago. Today, Smith holds the Guinness World Record for both the farthest human cannonball shot at 198 feet and the highest at 89 feet. He's performed at venues around the world, including this year's Sydney Royal Easter Show where tens of thousands watched him fly through the air.

His father, David Smith Sr., was a top level gymnast who joined the circus after college with Smith's mother Jeannie. The elder Smith spent a year designing his first cannon while lying awake at night, eventually building eight different versions. Smith was just 12 when his dad brought home that first world record.

The physics are intense. Smith calculates angles based on wind conditions and other environmental factors. Inside the cannon, he's crammed at the bottom looking up at a tiny circle of sky. When it fires, he experiences 10 times the force of gravity for half a second.

"By the time my eyes and my mind know that the cannon went off, I'm already out of it," he said. "There's no feeling like it in the world."

The Ripple Effect

Smith's own son and daughter, both now in their late teens, are eyeing the family cannon. He thinks they'll take their shots soon, continuing a tradition that started with their grandfather's late-night sketches and dreams.

"It's very difficult for me to keep them from experiencing that if they want to do it," Smith said.

The unpredictable life has taken him across continents and given him experiences he calls a blessing. No routine, just adventure and the thrill of crowds watching something impossible become real. For Smith, every injury and scary moment has been worth it.

His message to his kids and anyone watching is simple: some traditions are worth flying for.