Skyride (Great Adventure)
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The Skyride at Six Flags Great Adventure is one of the few remaining dual gondola lifts in the world. It was originally built for the 1964 New York World's Fair then moved to Great Adventure after the fair closed[1]. The Skyride carries passengers on a 1/3 mile, four minute trip from the Fantasy Forest section of the park to the Frontier Adventures section, or vice-versa. Just about any park guest can ride as anybody under 42 inches in height (including children and infants who cannot sit up by themselves) may ride accompanied by a responsible adult. The Skyride is one of only three rides in the park (along with the Carousel and Big Wheel) that allows cameras to be taken on the ride.
The ride consists of two continuous cable loops, held up by six evenly-dispersed support towers. The cars hang from this moving cable, each one carrying up to four passengers (or 680 pounds). These are open cars with four seats (two rows of two, facing each other). At each station (one at Fantasy Forest, one at Frontier Adventures), a large bullwheel with a pulley-like groove rotates the direction in which the cable is moving. Incoming cars are transferred from the moving cable to a stationary steel track, along which the wheels of each car glide. As each car enters the station, it is "caught" and brought to a stop by a park employee, who then holds the car in place and opens the door for the passengers to exit. The car is then pushed around to the other side of the wheel, where another employee steadies the car for new passengers to enter. The door is closed and locked and the car is moved into the launcher. This holds the car in place until the proper launch interval has passed. At the appropriate time, the employee pulls a cord which allows the car to roll down a ramp (accelerating the car to the same speed as the cable) and automatically clamp onto the cable. Once on the cable, the wheels above each cabin are not used, but the cable transporting it is gripped by a clamp between the wheels.
In addition to loading and unloading the cars, each of the stations performs a substantially different function. The Fantasy Forest station is the "Drive" station, its bullwheel is driven by a large electric motor, with a backup diesel engine used to unload the ride in case of a power outage. The cars are stored on sidetracks off to the side of this station when not being used. The Frontier Adventures station is the "Tension" station, its bullwheel is linked to a 14-ton counterweight underneath the station. The counterweight keeps the cable tight and prevents the cable from falling all the way down should it slip off one of the towers. This station has a single sidetrack for storing cars during breakdowns, but is not normally used for storing cars.
The Frontier Adventures station is not wheelchair accessible, so wheelchair-bound guests may board at the Fantasy Forest station, leave their wheelchair in the station, and take a round trip (which is not otherwise allowed). Wheelchairs, strollers, large stuffed prizes, and other bulky items can be transported in their own car if necessary and picked up by their owners upon reaching the end of the ride.
The Skyride originally had many more cars than it currently has, it ran with at least 30 cars per side at the World's Fair with a launch interval of 12 seconds[2]. It currently runs up to 20 cars per side with a launch interval of 25 seconds. The cars currently in service were relocated from Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, IL, when the Southern Cross and Eagle's Flight Skyride were removed in order to make room for the construction of additional attractions. Two of the original World's Fair cars, with their roofs removed, are currently used as maintenance cars[3].
The Skyride does not run in winds exceeding 25 miles per hour. High winds can push against the cars hard enough that the cable could fall off a tower. If this did happen, safety devices on the tower would stop the cable and the counterweight would keep the cable from falling all the way to the ground. For the same reason, passengers are prohibited from shaking the cars. One of the towers is fitted with an anemometer. When the wind speed reaches 20 miles per hour, a warning buzzer sounds in the Fantasy Forest station. When the wind speed reaches 25 miles per hour, both cables automatically stop. At this point, the ride must be unloaded and closed, and must remain closed until one hour has passed without the wind reaching 25 miles per hour. It is also closed for any thunderstorm or other severe weather. It will normally be one of the first rides to close when severe weather is approaching the park, and one of the last rides to reopen once the severe weather passes. The cable for each side is usually replaced every ten years. This skyride is a classic Von Roll type 101.
The Skyride is one of the more difficult rides in the park to operate, since it is operated manually and the cable never stops moving during normal operation. The loader is responsible for maintaining the correct spacing between cars. This is done by launching each car when the previous car has reached a predetermined point on the cable, and can only be judged by sight (which can be quite difficult at night). He is also responsible for making sure the guests are riding safely and that the car door is secure. The unloader must be strong enough to catch and stop the cars, as they weigh over 1000 pounds fully loaded and come into the station at the full line speed of 12 MPH. He must also be fully alert and aware of the incoming cars at all times, otherwise a car could come into the station uncontrolled and crash into the cars in the station, or even derail. The unloader could even be hit by an incoming car if he's standing too close and not paying attention.
