Punkin Chunkin on TV Tomorrow — Air Cannons Aim for a Mile

Can a pumpkin be launched over a mile? Can a gourd go super-sonic? These vital questions will be answered on Thanksgiving Day as the Science Channel covers the annual Punkin Chunkin World Championship held in Sussex County, Delaware. The previous record, set in 2011 by the Second Amendment Too Air Cannon, is 4,329.37 feet, or 0.8199 miles (1443 yards). The heavy artillery will be out in force this year — trying to break that record, and maybe hit the mile mark in the process.

Each year, competitors roll out some amazing machines designed to propel pumpkins “farther, higher, faster”. The mighty air cannons are the distance kings, but the wild and crazy devices in the torsion, trebuchet, catapult, and centrifugal divisions are impressive to watch. Many of these fearsome-looking machines replicate the designs of medieval military siege weapons.

Team Builds $168,000 Air Cannon in Effort to Go Supersonic and Chunk One Mile
With the goal of launching a pumpkin one mile, considered the “Holy Grail” of Punkin Chunkin, the American Chunker team has developed one of the biggest, baddest air cannons ever. With a new 540-horsepower compressor pumping out 500 psi of pressure, the creators of this massive cannon hope to send a pumpkin supersonic. This cannon represents an investment of $168,000 and 2800 man-hours. State-of-the art sensors are used to gauge pressure and measure the pumpkin’s speed in flight. Will the team break the sound barrier? Watch the Science Channel special to find out.

Great Video on High-Tech Air Cannon (Amazing Stuff!)

To catch all the Punkin Chunkin action, tune your TVs to the Science Channel on Thanksgiving Day, November 28th. At 8:00 PM Eastern, the Science Channel devotes a full hour to America’s wildest display of agricultural artillery — Punkin Chunkin. This hour-long special TV event covers the 2013 World Punkin Chunkin Championship. This fun-filled event, held near Bridgeville, Delaware each November, draws up to 70,000 spectators, raising money for charity. The Punkin Chunkin special is hosted by Tory Bellici, Kari Byron, and Grant Imhara from Mythbusters. Like Big Guns? View Chunkin Air Cannons Gallery.

Fly Like a Pumpkin — Pumpkin POV In-Flight Video