UFO (ride)

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A UFO at approximately half lift.
A UFO at approximately half lift.

The UFO is an amusement park ride designed by HUSS Maschinenfabrik in the 1970s, based on the company's Enterprise and Skylab amusement rides.

[edit] Design and operation

The UFO consists of twelve, four-person gondolas, mounted in a circle around a central drive hub. This hub is in turn connected to a hydraulic arm. The ride is rotated to produce a centrifugal force sufficient enough to stick the riders to the wall of the gondala furthest from the centre. Once this is achieved, the hydraulic arm is used to move the entire ride from the horizontal position to near-vertical. The time between the ride beginning to spin and the ride reaching near-vertical is approximately sixty seconds. The ride must be lowered back to the horizontal before the rotation can cease. Though it may look terrifying, the actual ride is quite smooth. Some people may experience nausea or motion sickness, as with all thrill rides.

There are no safety restraints on the UFO; the centrifugal force is strong enough to prevent riders from experiencing any major movement while the ride is not at horizontal, and in the event of a rotational or power failure, the size and spacing of the bars that make up the gondala 'cage' (along with enforced height and safety restrictions), prevents riders from falling out. Nevertheless, minimum rider height requirement is usually 54 inches or taller, as much as some extreme roller coasters.

[edit] Appearances

There are believed to be less than 25 UFOs operating worldwide.

[edit] References


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