Skycoaster

Skycoaster

A typical Skycoaster arch tower.
General statistics
Manufacturer Ride Entertainment Group
Designer William Kitchen & Ken Bird
Model Single Swing
Dual Swing
Height 100 ft – 300 ft
A typical Skycoaster's entire structure, including the lifting towers and the main arch
The A-frame tower of the world's tallest SkyCoaster in Kissimmee, Florida

Skycoaster is an amusement park ride, produced and managed by Skycoaster, Inc., owned division of Ride Entertainment Group. On the ride, riders in groups of 1 to 3 are winched to the top of a launch tower and then dropped towards the ground, swinging from a cable tether back and forth until brought to a rest. Sky Coasters can range from 100–300 feet (30.5–91.4 m) in height. Skycoaster is an upcharge attraction at most installations, an additional fare is charged to riders who have already paid general admission to the park, and so must pay again for each ride. Names for the ride include variations of Skycoaster, along with Dare Devil Dive (at Six Flags parks), RipCord, and Xtreme Skyflyer (at Cedar Fair parks).

History

William Kitchen, founder of Sky Fun 1 Inc., and Ken Bird originally came up with the idea of the Skycoaster in 1992. They wanted to find a way to let others experience the thrill of jumping out of a plane. They wanted a ride with the same thrills of bungee jumping but with the safety factor of a merry-go-round. Sky Fun 1 Inc. was later sold to ThrillTime Entertainment International Inc. for $12 million.[1]

The Ride Entertainment Group[2] has owned Skycoaster since 2005. Skycoaster has grown their award-winning safety program in that time and remains one of the most popular and safest "extreme ride" in the amusement industry.[1]

Production

The company is based in Cottonwood Heights, Utah. Parts are manufactured throughout the United States, with the attractions assembled on site.

The two most common types of Skycoasters are lattice and monopole. Lattice Skycoasters were manufactured in a variety of sizes, but the 173-dual arch and 100-foot single arch were the most common. Monopole Skycoasters were manufactured in a variety of sizes, 100-foot single, 100-foot dual, 180-foot single, 180-foot dual, and one 300-foot unit. Earlier Skycoasters have some unique tower structures that do not fall within these categories.

Flight cables are made of 5⁄16 inch (7.9 mm) galvanized steel, which supports 9,800 pounds (4,445 kg), or stainless steel, which supports 9,000 pounds (4,082 kg). However, the maximum weight for a flight is 850 pounds (386 kg), mainly due to the winch. The 3-ring release system used on the Skycoaster is the same kind used on parachutes. The flight suits worn are similar to hang gliding suits, and are made by a parachute company to support weight of up to 10,000 pounds (4,535 kg).

There are two types of Skycoaster loading systems:

Amusement parks with Skycoasters

Park name Ride name Location Height
Fun Spot USA Skycoaster Kissimmee, Florida 300 feet or 91.4 metres
Fun Spot America Skycoaster Orlando, Florida 250 feet or 76.2 metres
Wet'n'Wild Sydney Sydney Skycoaster Sydney, Australia 250 feet or 76.2 metres
Parque de la Costa VertigoXtremo Tigre, Buenos Aires, Argentina 213 feet or 64.9 metres
Skyborne Skycoaster London 200 feet or 61 metres
PlayCenter Skycoaster São Paulo, Brazil 197 feet or 60 metres
Six Flags Mexico X-Flight Mexico, Mexico City 197 feet or 60 metres
Wild Adventures Geronimo Skycoaster Valdosta, Georgia 180 feet or 54.9 metres
State Fair of Texas SkyCoaster Dallas 189 feet or 57.6 metres
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Caribbean Swing Arlington, Texas 189 feet or 57.6 metres
Worlds of Fun RipCord Kansas City, Missouri 189 feet or 57.6 metres
Michigan's Adventure RipCord Muskegon, Michigan 183 feet or 55.8 metres
Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resort SkyCoaster New Braunfels, Texas 183 feet or 55.8 metres
Kennywood Skycoaster Pittsburgh 180 feet or 54.9 metres
Lake Compounce Skycoaster Bristol, Connecticut 180 feet or 54.9 metres
Valleyfair RipCord Shakopee, Minnesota 180 feet or 54.9 metres
Darien Lake Redhawk Darien, New York 180 feet or 54.9 metres
Six Flags Over Georgia Skycoaster Austell, Georgia 180 feet or 54.9 metres
Ultimate Rush Speed & Thrill Park Ultimate Rush Reno, Nevada 180 feet or 54.9 metres
United Entertainment & Tourism Company Shaab Park, Kuwait 180 feet or 54.9 metres
Great Escape Dare Devil Dive Lake George, New York 175 feet or 53.3 metres
Hopi Hari Hadikali Vinhedo, São Paulo, Brazil 174 feet or 53 metres
La Ronde La Catapulte Montreal, Quebec, Canada 173 feet or 52.7 metres
Canada's Wonderland Xtreme SkyFlyer Vaughan, Ontario, Canada 170 feet or 51.8 metres
Seoul Land SKY-X Seoul, South Korea 165 feet or 50.3 metres
Superland Sky Coaster Rishon LeZion, Israel 165 feet or 50.3 metres
Oakwood Theme Park Vertigo Pembrokeshire, Wales 164 feet or 50 metres
Wet'n'Wild Gold Coast SkyCoaster Gold Coast, Australia 164 feet or 50.0 metres
Elitch Gardens Theme Park XLR8R Denver 160 feet or 48.8 metres
Kings Island Xtreme SkyFlyer Mason, Ohio 153 feet or 46.6 metres
Six Flags Magic Mountain Dive Devil Valencia, California 153 feet or 46.6 metres
Kings Dominion Xtreme SkyFlyer Doswell, Virginia 153 feet or 46.6 metres
Carowinds RipCord (formerly Xtreme SkyFlyer) Charlotte, North Carolina 153 feet or 46.6 metres
California's Great America Xtreme SkyFlyer Santa Clara, California 153 feet or 46.6 metres
Six Flags Great Adventure Dare Devil Dive Jackson, New Jersey 153 feet or 46.6 metres
Six Flags Over Texas Dive Bomber Alley Arlington, Texas 153 feet or 46.6 metres
Six Flags St. Louis Dragon's Wing Eureka, Missouri 152 feet or 46.3 metres
Lagoon Amusement Park Skycoaster Farmington, Utah 143 feet or 43.6 metres
Wild Waves Theme Park I-5 Sky Dive Federal Way, Washington 125 feet or 38.1 metres
Six Flags Great America Dare Devil Dive Gurnee, Illinois 125 feet or 38.1 metres
South Pier, Blackpool Skycoaster Blackpool 120 feet or 36.6 metres
Six Flags America Skycoaster Prince George's County, Maryland 115 feet or 35.1 metres
Frontier City Geronimo Oklahoma City 113 feet or 34.4 metres
Casino Pier Skycoaster Seaside Heights, New Jersey 110 feet or 33.5 metres
The Track Family Fun Center Skycoaster Gulf Shores, Alabama 110 feet or 33.5 metres
Karasyk Skycoaster Ayia Napa, Cyprus 110 feet or 33.5 metres
Zero Gravity Skycoaster Dallas 110 feet or 33.5 metres
Big Kahuna's Skycoaster Destin, Florida 110 feet or 33.5 metres
The Track Family Recreation Center SkyFlyer Destin, Florida 110 feet or 33.5 metres
Tusenfryd Skycoaster Oslo, Norway 110 feet or 33.5 metres
Parque Mundo Aventura Skycoaster Bogotá D.C., Colombia 110 feet or 33.5 metres
Cici Waterpark The Skycoaster Acapulco, Mexico 100 feet or 30.5 metres
Ratanga Junction The Slingshot Century City, Cape Town, South Africa 100 feet or 30.5 metres
Broadway Grand Prix Skycoaster Myrtle Beach, South Carolina 100 feet or 30.5 metres
Ozark Mountain Skycoaster Skycoaster Branson, Missouri 100 feet or 30.5 metres
Extreme World/Mt. Olympus Skycoaster Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin 100 feet or 30.5 metres
Indiana Beach Sky Coaster Monticello, Indiana 100 feet or 30.5 metres
Morey's Piers – Adventure Pier Sky Coaster Wildwood, New Jersey 100 feet or 30.5 metres
Royal Gorge Bridge and Park Royal Rush Royal Gorge, Colorado 100 feet or 30.5 metres
Seacoast Adventure Sky Swing North Windham, Maine 100 feet or 30.5 metres
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom Skycoaster Vallejo, California 100 feet or 30.5 metres
Mitsui Greenland Parachute Drop Arao-shi, Japan Unknown
Tokyo SummerLand Tokyo, Japan Unknown

Defunct Skycoasters

Park name Ride name Location Height
MGM Grand Adventures Sky Screamer Las Vegas 250 feet or 76.2 metres
The American Adventure Skycoaster Ilkeston, Derbyshire 200 feet or 61 metres
Challenge Park RipCord Sandusky, Ohio 152 feet or 46.3 metres
Kentucky Kingdom Skycoaster Louisville, Kentucky 180 feet or 54.9 metres
Six Flags Fiesta Texas Screamin' Skycoaster San Antonio 180 feet or 54.9 metres
Six Flags New Orleans Sky Coaster New Orleans 180 feet or 54.9 metres
Opryland USA Skycoaster Nashville, Tennessee 152 feet or 46.3 metres
Six Flags AstroWorld Barnstormer Houston 151 feet or 46 metres
Wet 'n Wild Emerald Pointe Skycoaster Greensboro, North Carolina 125 feet or 38.1 metres
Bell's Amusement Park Dive Devil Tulsa, Oklahoma 113 feet or 34.4 metres
Six Flags New England Skycoaster Agawam, Massachusetts 110 feet or 33.5 metres
Funtown Pier Sky Coaster Seaside Heights, New Jersey 110 feet or 33.5 metres
Luna Park, Coney Island Boardwalk Flight Coney Island, New York 110 feet or 33.5 metres
Geauga Lake Ripcord Aurora, Ohio 100 feet or 30.5 metres
Joyland Park Sky Coaster Wichita, Kansas 100 feet or 30.5 metres
Morey's Piers – Surfside Pier Sky Coaster Wildwood, New Jersey 100 feet or 30.5 metres

References

  1. 1 2 Waddell, Ray (August 3, 1998). "ThrillTime Entertainment purchases Sky Fun 1; to be named SkyCoaster". Amusement Business. 110 (31): 19.
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