Great Gasp
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The Great Gasp, a 225' tall Intamin "Parachute Drop" ride, towered over Six Flags Over Georgia for almost 30 years. It became a beacon for the park and an icon of the region during this time.
[edit] History
When it opened in 1976, the ride was a masterpiece of engineering. The Great Gasp was derived from the famed Parachute Jump ride at the legendary Coney Island in New York. Ride engineers from Intamin (also referred to as Ride Trade) developed the ride at their headquarters in Switzerland, and when the management from Six Flags Over Georgia visited, they knew the ride would be a great addition to their park. The ride was constructed for $1.5 million, a huge investment at the time. Similar Parachute Drop rides were also built at Six Flags Over Texas and Six Flags Over Mid-America.
The Great Gasp opened with 12 chutes; later the ride was modified to include four stations in which the passengers rode in the standing position. Over the years, the stand-up chutes were removed, and as popularity dwindled, the number of chutes in use also fell.
As the popularity of the ride fell and spare parts became increasingly difficult to obtain, the era of the Great Gasp was doomed to end. On July 28, 2005, Six Flags Over Georgia announced that the Great Gasp would cease operation forever on August 14, 2005. On the final weekend, riders were given "Last Gasp" pins in commemoration of the legendary ride's last days. Within three weeks of "Last Gasp", the Great Gasp was dismantled and removed from the park.
[edit] Operational Features
Gasp opened with 12 chutes, although as the ride control system was upgraded and popularity decreased, that number was reduced to 8 chutes.
Each seat held 2 riders, and was equipped with a seat belt and restraint bar. Stationary cables kept each chute stablized and in the correct position. Another cable actually moved the seat vertically. Inside the tower was one counterweight for each chute.
The control system could detect empty seats as well as overloaded seats and would prevent cycling them. The control system hardware was located in the small ring housing at the base of the tower. An anemometer was mounted at the top of the ride, and was tied into the control system as to prevent operation when wind gusted above a preset limit.
A small elevator inside the tower allowed access to the winch and motor housing at the top. The tower also held antennas for in-park radio communications. The GASP served as a focal point of New Year's Eve celebrations in 1990. A huge 1991 sign was mounted and fireworks were actually launched from the top ring of the gasp while a "Peach" was dropped, much like the one still dropped in Atlanta, during the Holiday in the Park New Year's Eve celebration on December 31, 1990.
