Cars fly on the Fourth of July

Updated: October 28, 2021 Published: July 6, 2016

Glacier View, near the toe of the Matanuska Glacier, celebrated the Fourth of July with lots of food, a parade and an airplane flyover. They also launched three vehicles off the bluff. The fourth, a Ford van, came off the guide wire at the last moment and crashed head-on into a bulldozer. Party organizer Arnie Hrncir said the team has never launched three vehicles before at the party. “Any little kid’s dream is to roll a rock down a hill. This is times 10,” said Arnie’s son, Dustin Hrncir. Hrncir estimates the third car off the jump, an early-90s Nissan Pathfinder, reached 55 miles per hour on the 500 foot runway, and traveled a distance of 100 yards in the air — both records for the celebration. Arnie Hrncir reported 550 guests, the largest crowd ever. Over 500 pounds of pork, beef and chicken were served at the party that first started in 1996. The car launching began in 2005.

Glacier View, near the toe of Matanuska Glacier, celebrated the Fourth of July with lots of food, a parade and an airplane flyover. They also launched three vehicles off the bluff. The fourth, a Ford van, came off the guide wire at the last moment and crashed head-on into a bulldozer.

Party organizer Arnie Hrncir said the team has never launched three vehicles before at the party. "Any little kid's dream is to roll a rock down a hill. This is times 10," said Arnie's son, Dustin Hrncir.

[Making of: See how we got the shots in "Cars fly on the Fourth of July"]

Hrncir estimates the third car off the jump, an early-'90s Nissan Pathfinder, reached 55 miles per hour on the 500-foot runway and traveled a distance of 100 yards in the air — both records for the celebration.

Arnie Hrncir reported 550 guests, the largest crowd ever. Over 500 pounds of pork, beef and chicken were served at the party that first started in 1996. The car launching began in 2005.

Scott Jensen

After growing up in Anchorage, Scott Jensen embarked on a traveling TV photojournalism career that took him to big cities like Seattle, Portland and Minneapolis. He's back home now and produces video journalism for adn.com.