In 1996, China acquired a decommissioned Soviet aircraft carrier, with the express intention of using it as the centrepiece of a theme park in the city of 天津 [Tiānjīn]. Today, the 濱海 [Bīnhǎi] Aircraft Carrier Theme Park is still operative, and the enormous ship stands as the backdrop of a pirate stunt show. 

Today’s episode is with Frank Abel, who has been coordinating these stunts since 2012, as well as building and maintaining the modified stunt vehicles on display. A veteran stunt man, Frank has a lifetime of tall tales from the worlds of movies and theme parks, both in the U.S. and China. So it was a unique pleasure to include just a few of these in today’s episode.