Skycoaster

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A typical Skycoaster arch tower.
A typical Skycoaster arch tower.
A typical Skycoaster's entire structure, including the lifting towers and the main arch
A typical Skycoaster's entire structure, including the lifting towers and the main arch

Skycoaster, most commonly also named Ripcord (in Cedar Fair, L.P.-owned theme parks) or Xtreme SkyFlyer (in former 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. In most cases, riders who already paid admission to the park must pay again to ride the Skycoaster.

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[edit] Notable facts

  • The first Skycoaster ride opened in 1993; since then, Skycoaster, Inc. has opened more than 108 rides, all around the world.
  • Flight cables are made of 5/16 inch (0.8 cm) galvanized 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 300 foot tall Skycoaster is located in Kissimmee, Florida. It's the tallest SkyCoaster in the world.

[edit] Sky Coaster Operation

  • Sky Coaster Operations are strictly followed from the Sky Coaster Owners Manual. This is published each year.

[edit] Positions

  • Customer Representative: This position is generally the cashier. They are responsible for answering general questions about the ride and selling tickets.
  • Video Person: This person is the one that video tapes the fliers on the ride.
  • Flight Suiter: A flight suiter is the first trained person according to the Owners Manual. The Flight Suiter is responsible to suit all fliers in their flight suits. There are 5 sizes of flight suits.
  • Expediter: This crew member is responsible for helping the flight crew. This position is not used at locations with rolling board platforms.
  • Assistant Controller: The assistant controller hooks the fliers to the Flight Cables and the Launch Release System.
  • Controller: This is the person that winches the fliers to the top of the tower.
  • Site Controller: This position is the most trained of all the crew at Sky Coaster. They receive over 24 hours of training. They are also certified by Sky Coaster, INC.
  • Senior Site Controller: This is a title more than a certification. They are responsible for the training and overall operation of the ride.

[edit] Types of Sky Coasters

There are two types of sky coasters:

  • Rolling boarding platform: A cart is rolled out to and from flight line in order to help the flyers on and off the ride
  • Scissors lift: An elevator-like platform is raised up and down to allow flyers on and off the ride.

[edit] Sky Coaster Convention

  • A yearly convention takes place. The senior site controller from each site is required to attend.

[edit] Amusement Parks with Skycoasters

Park Name Ride Name Location Height
Fun Spot USA Skycoaster Kissimmee, Florida 300 feet
Parque de la Costa Vertigo eXtremo Buenos Aires, Argentina 213 feet
Skyborne Skycoaster London, England 200 feet
PlayCenter Skycoaster São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil 197 feet
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Sky Coaster Arlington, Texas 190 feet
Wild Adventures Geronimo Skycoaster Valdosta, Georgia 190 feet
Worlds of Fun RipCord Kansas City, Missouri 189 feet
Michigan's Adventure RipCord Muskegon, Michigan 183 feet
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
Darien Lake Theme Park Resort 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
Hopi Hari Hadikali Vinhedo, São Paulo, Brazil 174 feet
La Ronde La Catapulte Montreal, Quebec, Canada 173 feet
Canada's Wonderland Xtreme SkyFlyer Vaughan, Ontario, Canada 170 feet
The Great Escape & Splashwater Kingdom Sky Coaster Lake George, New York 175 feet
Seoul Land SKY-X Seoul, South Korea 165 feet
Oakwood Theme Park Vertigo Pembrokeshire, Wales 164 feet
Elitch Gardens XLR8R Denver, Colorado 160 feet
Six Flags Magic Mountain Dive Devil Valencia, California 153 feet
Kings Dominion Xtreme SkyFlyer Doswell, Virginia 153 feet
Carowinds Xtreme SkyFlyer Charlotte, North Carolina 153 feet
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 St. Louis Dragon's Wing Eureka, Missouri 152 feet
Cedar Point RipCord Sandusky, Ohio 152 feet
Lagoon Amusement Park Skycoaster Farmington, Utah 143 feet
Six Flags New England Sky Coaster Agawam, Massachusetts 128 feet
Wet N' Wild Emerald Pointe Skycoaster Greensboro, North Carolina 125 feet
Enchanted Village I-5 Sky Dive Federal Way, Washington 125 feet
Kings Island Xtreme SkyFlyer Warren County, Ohio 125 feet
Six Flags Great America Dare Devil Dive Gurnee, Illinois 125 feet
Blackpool South Pier Skycoaster Blackpool, UK 120 feet
Bell's Amusement Park Dive Devil Tulsa, Oklahoma 113 Feet
Frontier City Geronimo Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 113 feet
The Track Family Fun Center Skycoaster Gulf Shores, Alabama 110 feet
Karasyk Skycoaster Ayia Napa, Cyprus 110 feet
Zero Gravity Skycoaster Dallas, Texas 110 Feet
Big Kahuna's Skycoaster Destin, Florida 110 Feet
Tusenfryd Skycoaster Oslo, Norway 110 feet
Parque Mundo Aventura Skycoaster Bogotá D.C., Colombia 110 feet
Cici Waterpark The Skycoaster Acapulco, Mexico 100 feet
Ratanga Junction The Slingshot Century City, Cape Town, South Africa 100 feet
Nascar Speedpark Skyflyer Myrtle Beach, South Carolina 100 Feet
Ozark Mountain Skycoaster Skycoaster Branson, Missouri 100 Feet
Joyland Park Sky Coaster Wichita, Kansas 100 feet
Extreme World Skycoaster Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin 100 feet
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
Funtown Pier Skycoaster Seaside Heights, 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 Discovery Kingdom Skycoaster Vallejo, California 100 feet
Mitsui Greenland Parachute Drop Arao-shi, Japan  ??
Tokyo SummerLand  ?? Tokyo, Japan  ??
Al Jeewanah Trading Co. Fadheel, Kuwait  ??
Parque de las Americas  ?? Bogotá, Colombia  ??
Superland Sky Coaster Rishon LeZion, Israel  ??
Six Flags America Skycoaster Prince George's County, Maryland  ??
Defunct Skycoasters
Geauga Lake Ripcord Aurora, OH 100 feet
MGM Grand Adventures Theme Park Sky Screamer Las Vegas, Nevada 250 feet
Six Flags AstroWorld Barnstormer Houston, Texas 151 feet
Six Flags Fiesta Texas Sceamin' Skycoaster San Antonio, Texas 180 feet
Six Flags New Orleans Sky Coaster New Orleans, Louisiana 180 feet
American Adventure Theme Park Skycoaster Ilkeston, Derbyshire 200 feet

[edit] External links