Sky Swat

Sky Swat

Slammer at Thorpe Park
First manufactured 2003
No. of installations 1
Manufacturer S&S Power
Height 105 ft (32 m)
Speed 48 km/h (30 mph)
G force 3
Capacity 500 riders per hour
Vehicles 2
Riders per vehicle 24
Rows 8
Riders per row 6
Duration 2-3 mins

The Sky Swat was a thrill ride which was built by S&S Power of Logan, Utah. It was developed and put onto the market in 2003. Only two Sky Swats have been manufactured since 2003. The first-ever installation of a Sky Swat was at Six Flags AstroWorld in Houston, Texas in 2003.[1] As of March 2013, only one Sky Swat is in operation.

History

In 2003, S&S Worldwide (then S&S Power) introduced the Sky Swat at Six Flags Astroworld as SWAT.[1] On March 26, 2005, Thorpe Park, near London, England introduced a Sky Swat as Slammer which became the second Sky Swat to be manufactured. Towards the end of the 2005 season, Six Flags AstroWorld closed on October 30, 2005.[2] SWAT and other rides at the past Astroworld were relocated to other Six Flags parks from 2006 to 2010. In 2006, SWAT was relocated to Six Flags New England and opened as Catapult along with another Astroworld ride, Splash Water Falls. .[3]

In 2010, S&S Worldwide discontinued the Sky Swat. Due to the discontinuing of the attraction, Catapult at Six Flags New England was removed in March 2013 before the start of the new season, leaving Slammer at Thorpe Park the only Sky Swat operating in the world.[4]

Installations

Name Park Area Opening date Status
Catapult
Formerly SWAT 		Six Flags New England
Six Flags Astroworld 		North End
Plaza de Fiesta 		2006
2003		Scrapped
Relocated
Slammer Thorpe Park Old Town March 26, 2005 [5] Operating

Design and ride experience

The Sky Swat features a long arm which sits between two towers, on either end of the arm are four rows of six seats. The restraints consist of a side-lowering lap bar and partially over-the-shoulder restraints, a restraint system also found on other S&S's attractions, Screamin' Swing and Sky Sling rides. The floor is ventilated, allowing air and small objects to escape through it.

When the Sky Swat begins operation, the arm is lifted to the top of the towers, where it then begins to spin. As the arm spins between the two towers, riders orbit either up or down around the center. After a few flips, the ride reverses and flips in the opposite direction.

Slammer

Between 2012 and 2014, Slammer at Thorpe Park went through major downtime. All signage for the ride was removed at the end of 2012 which gave the impression that Thorpe Park weren't planning to open the ride anytime soon. For Fright Nights in 2013, the ride was completely removed from the actual park map which suggested the ride was going to close. However, at the start of the 2014 season, the ride could be seen testing with sand filled dummies which suggested the ride would open again.

As of May 2015, Slammer is currently operational, opening later than the rest of the park and closing when the park closes. The ride is also closed at 3pm for a 15-minute inspection. Even though the ride is operational, Slammer ceases operation in the park occasionally due to technical or mechanical errors.

Slammer remained closed for the duration of this year's Fright Nights but could be seen operating occasionally. Slammer is now open and operational for the 2016 season after major upgrades to the rides system.

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/10/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.