A scene of someone being blown through the air by an explosion is usually achieved by the stuntmen launching himself from an off-screen trampoline. Protective clothing shields him from flash burns. Sometimes, powerful springboards, activated by compressed air, are used. The stuntmen usually land in pits of sand or peat moss.
Normally, insurance companies do not like the stars risking injury. But in Douglas Fairbanks’ The Black Pirate (1926) he slid down a ship’s sail, apparently supported only by a dagger which sliced the sail. The ‘dagger’ was a handle attached to a counterweight behind the sail, which gave him stability, while the sail had a seam which tore evenly.
Picture Credit : Google