[4] In 2002, Hughes set a Guinness World Record with a 103-foot (31 m) jump in a Lincoln Town Car stretch limousine.

[4][9][2][10] According to the Associated Press, Hughes built his first crewed rocket on January 30, 2014, and flew 1,374 feet (419 m) in just over one minute over Winkelman, Arizona.

He had said he intended to make multiple rocket journeys, culminating in a flight to outer space, where he believed he would be able to take a picture of the entire Earth as a flat disc.

[1] He said in November 2017 that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) had given him verbal permission more than a year prior to launch his rocket, pending approval from the Federal Aviation Administration.

The rocket launch was originally scheduled for the weekend of November 25, 2017; Hughes then rescheduled for December 2, 2017, blaming ongoing difficulties in obtaining permissions.

[11] Hughes moved his launch pad 4 miles (6 km) so that he could take off and land on private property, but the BLM maintained he still needed to fill out permits.

"[25][4][26][27] Science writer Mick West also came away convinced from talking to Hughes "that he was not driven by seeking to explain that the earth is flat but rather wanted to use the topic to promote his stuntman career.

"[28] On the other hand, Michael Linn, who was a partner on the documentary Rocketman: Mad Mike's Mission to Prove the Flat-Earth, said that Hughes' belief appeared genuine.

The 1:53 min long video was directed by Kansas Bowling and featured footage of his "Flat Earth" rocket launch in Apple Valley.