Skycoaster

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Skycoaster, most commonly also named Ripcord (in Cedar Fair, L.P.-owned theme parks) or Xtreme SkyFlyer (in Paramount-owned theme parks), is an amusement park ride, produced and managed by Skycoaster, Inc.. On the ride, riders in groups of 1 to 3 are winched to the top of a "launch tower" and then dropped to the ground, swinging from a cable tether back and forth until brought to a rest. Sky Coasters can range from 100–300 feet (30–91 m) in height. There are plans to make a 500 foot (152 m) tall sky coaster but this has yet to happen.

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[edit] Notable facts

  • The first Skycoaster ride opened in 1993; since then, Skycoaster, Inc. has opened more than 85 rides, all around the world.
  • Flight cables are made of 5/16 inch (0.8 cm) galvanised steel, which supports 9,800 pounds (4,445 kg), or stainless steel, which supports 9,000 pounds (4,100 kg). However, the maximum weight for a flight is 850 pounds (385 kg), mainly due to the winch.
  • The 3-ring release system used on the Skycoaster is the same as that 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).
  • Each flight lasts about 5 minutes.
  • The only 300 foot tall Skycoaster is located in Kissimmee, Florida.

[edit] Amusement Parks with Skycoasters

[edit] United States

Park Name Ride Name Location Height
Bell's Amusement Park Dive Devil Tulsa, Oklahoma  ??
Nascar Speedpark Skyflyer Myrtle Beach, South Carolina  ??
Ozark Mountain Skycoaster Skycoaster Branson, Missouri  ??
Six Flags America Skycoaster Prince George's County, Maryland  ??
Joyland Park Sky Coaster Wichita, Kansas 100 feet (30 m)
Extreme World Skycoaster Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin 100 feet (30 m)
Indiana Beach Sky Coaster Monticello, Indiana 100 feet
Morey's Piers - Adventure Pier Sky Coaster Wildwood, New Jersey 100 feet
Morey's Piers - Surfside Pier Sky Coaster Wildwood, New Jersey 100 feet
Royal Gorge Park Royal Rush Royal Gorge, Colorado 100 feet
Seacoast Fun Park SkyMax North Windham, Maine 100 feet
Six Flags Marine World Fearless Freeps Dare Devil Dive Vallejo, California 100 feet
The Track Family Fun Center Skycoaster Gulf Shores, Alabama 110 feet (33 m)
Frontier City Geronimo Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 113 feet (34 m)
Wet N' Wild Emerald Pointe Skycoaster Greensboro, North Carolina 125 feet (38 m)
Enchanted Village I-5 Sky Dive Federal Way, Washington 125 feet
Paramount's Kings Island Xtreme SkyFlyer Warren County, Ohio 125 feet
Six Flags Great America Dare Devil Dive Gurnee, Illinois 125 feet
Six Flags New England Sky Coaster Agawam, Massachusetts 128 feet (39 m)
Lagoon Amusement Park Skycoaster Farmington, Utah 143 feet (44 m)
Cedar Point RipCord Sandusky, Ohio 150 feet (46 m)
Six Flags Magic Mountain Dive Devil Los Angeles, California 150 feet
Six Flags St. Louis Dragon's Wing Eureka, Missouri 152 feet (46 m)
Paramount's Carowinds Xtreme SkyFlyer Charlotte, North Carolina 153 feet (47 m)
Paramount's Great America Xtreme SkyFlyer Santa Clara, California 153 feet
Six Flags Great Adventure Dare Devil Dive Jackson, New Jersey 153 feet
Six Flags Over Texas Dive Bomber Alley Arlington, Texas 153 feet
Six Flags Elitch Gardens XLR8R Denver, Colorado 160 feet (49 m)
The Great Escape & Splashwater Kingdom Sky Coaster Queensbury, New York 175 feet (53 m)
Geauga Lake Ripcord Aurora, Ohio 180 feet (55 m)
Kennywood Skycoaster Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 180 feet
Lake Compounce Skycoaster Bristol, Connecticut 180 feet
Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resort Sky Coaster New Braunfels, Texas 180 feet
Valleyfair! RipCord Shakopee, Minnesota 180 feet
Six Flags Darien Lake Skycoaster Darien, New York 180 feet
Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom Skycoaster Louisville, Kentucky 180 feet
Six Flags Over Georgia Fearless Freep's Daredevil Dive Austell, Georgia 180 feet
Ultimate Rush Speed & Thrill Park Ultimate Rush Reno, Nevada 180 feet
Michigan's Adventure RipCord Muskegon County, Michigan 183 feet (56 m)
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Sky Coaster Arlington, Texas 190 feet
Wild Adventures Geronimo Skycoaster Valdosta, Georgia 190 feet (58 m)
Worlds of Fun RipCord Kansas City, Missouri 189 feet
Skycoaster Thrill Park of Kissimmee Skycoaster Kissimmee, Florida 300 feet (91 m)
Defunct Skycoasters
Six Flags AstroWorld Barnstormer Houston, Texas 151 ft feet (46 m)
Six Flags Fiesta Texas Sceamin' Skycoaster San Antonio, Texas 180 feet (55 m)
Six Flags New Orleans Sky Coaster New Orleans, Louisiana 180 feet
MGM Grand Adventures Theme Park SkyScreamer Las Vegas, Nevada 225 feet

[edit] United Kingdom

Park Name Ride Name Location Height
Oakwood Theme Park Vertigo Pembrokeshire, Wales 164 feet (50 m)
American Adventure Theme Park Skycoaster Ilkeston, Derbyshire 200 feet (61 m)
Skyborne Skycoaster London, England 200 feet

[edit] Japan

Park Name Ride Name Location Height
Mitsui Greenland Parachute Drop Arao-shi, Japan  ??
Tokyo SummerLand  ?? Tokyo, Japan  ??

[edit] Brazil

Park Name Ride Name Location Height
Hopi Hari Hadicali Vinhedo, São Paulo, Brazil 174 feet (53 m)
PlayCenter Skycoaster São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil 197 feet (60 m)

[edit] Other Countries (with just one Skycoaster)

Park Name Ride Name Location Height
Al Jeewanah Trading Co. Fadheel, Kuwait  ??
Karasyk  ?? Ayia Napa, Cyprus  ??
Parque de la Costa  ?? Buenos Aires, Argentina  ??
Parque de las Americas  ?? Bogotá, Colombia  ??
Superland Sky Coaster Rishon LeZion, Israel  ??
Tusenfryd Skycoaster Oslo, Norway  ??
Cici Waterpark The Skycoaster Acapulco, Mexico 100 feet (30 m)
Ratanga Junction The Slingshot Century City, Cape Town, South Africa 100 feet
Seoul Land SKY-X Seoul, South Korea 165 feet (55 m)
Paramount Canada's Wonderland Xtreme SkyFlyer Vaughan, Ontario, Canada 170 feet (52 m)

[edit] External links

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