Drop tower (ride)

For Cedar Fair's specific implementation of this concept, see Drop Tower: Scream Zone.

A drop tower or big drop is a type of amusement ride, based around a central structure or tower. With most drop towers, the gondola is lifted to the top of a large vertical structure, before being released and falling towards the ground. Brakes activate to slow the ride prior to reaching the ground. Some designs expand on this concept, with some designs promoting rotating gondalas or that riders be 'bounced' several times before coming to a rest.

Most parks and carnivals require riders to be 48 inches (122 cm) or taller. The fastest free-fall/drop tower in the world is an Intamin designed and manufactured ride named Giant Drop. The ride is 390 feet (119 m) high and reaches a speed of 84.375 mph (135.6 km/h), the ride is located at Dreamworld on the Gold Coast, Australia. The highest drop tower is The Big Shot which is located on the top of the Stratosphere Las Vegas casino hotel tower. The base of the ride is 921 feet (281 m) above ground with the top of the ride at 1,081 feet (329 m).

Drop towers vary in height, passenger capacity, lift type, and brake type. Many are custom made, although there are some mass-produced designs, which are listed below.

The drop tower ride type should not be confused with the observation tower ride type.

Contents

Tallest Vertical Drop Towers

Rank Name Park Location Drop Height Structural Height Manufacturer Record Holder
Lex Luthor: Drop of Doom Six Flags Magic Mountain Valencia, California, USA 400 feet (120 m) 415 feet (126 m) Intamin Under Construction
1. Giant Drop Dreamworld Coomera, Queensland, Australia 377 feet (115 m) 390 feet (120 m) Intamin December 1998 – present
2. Big Tower Beto Carrero World Penha, Brazil 328 feet (100 m) N/A Intamin N/A
Blue Fall Sea Paradise Yokohama, Japan 328 feet (100 m) 351 feet (107 m) Intamin N/A
La Venganza del Enigma Parque Warner Madrid Madrid, Spain 328 feet (100 m) N/A S&S Worldwide N/A
3. AtmosFear Liseberg Gothenberg, Sweden 300 feet (91 m) 381 feet (116 m) Intamin N/A
4. Hurakan Condor PortAventura Salou, Catalonia, Spain 282 feet (86 m) N/A Intamin N/A
5. Drop Tower: Scream Zone Kings Dominion Doswell, Virginia, USA 272 feet (83 m) 305 feet (93 m) Intamin N/A
6. Drop Tower: Scream Zone Kings Island Mason, Ohio, USA 264 feet (80 m) 315 feet (96 m) Intamin N/A
7. Fritt Fall Grona Lund Stockholm, Sweden 262 feet (80 m) 328 feet (100 m) Intamin N/A
8. Supreme Scream Knott's Berry Farm Buena Park, California, USA 252 feet (77 m) 312 feet (95 m) S&S Worldwide July 1998 - December 1998
Dalton Terror Walibi Belgium Wavre, Belgium 252 feet (77 m) N/A Intamin N/A
9. Power Tower Valleyfair Shakopee, Minnesota, USA 250 feet (76 m) 275 feet (84 m) S&S Worldwide N/A
10. Superman: Tower of Power Six Flags Over Texas Arlington, Texas, USA 245 feet (75 m) 313 feet (95 m) S&S Worldwide N/A

Examples

Ride designs

Mass-produced tower rides include:

Injuries and accidents

See also: Intamin AG#Safety Incidents

See also

References

  1. ^ [1]