Skycoaster

Skycoaster
A typical Skycoaster arch tower.
General statistics
Manufacturer	Ride Entertainment Group
Designer	William Kitchen & Ken Bird
Model	Single Swing Dual Swing
Height	100 ft - 300 ft

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

File:Arch tower of Skycoaster at Fun Spot USA, Kissimmee, Florida - 20081030.jpg

The A-frame tower of the world's tallest SkyCoaster in Kissimmee, Florida

Skycoaster (most commonly named RipCord or Xtreme SkyFlyer at Cedar Fair-owned parks) is an amusement park ride, produced and managed by Skycoaster, Inc., owned division of Ride Entertainment Group. On the ride, riders in groups of 1 to 3 are winched to the top of a launch tower and then dropped towards the ground, swinging from a cable tether back and forth until brought to a rest. Sky Coasters can range from 100–300 feet (30.5–91.4 m) in height. Skycoaster is an Upcharge attraction at most installations, an additional fare is charged to riders who have already paid general admission to the park, and so must pay again for each ride.

History

William Kitchen, founder of Sky Fun 1 Inc., and Ken Bird originally came up with the idea of the Skycoaster in 1992. They wanted to find a way to let others experience the thrill of jumping out of a plane. They wanted a ride with the same thrills of bungee jumping but with the safety factor of a merry-go-round. Sky Fun 1 Inc. was later sold to ThrillTime Entertainment International Inc. for $12 million.

The Ride Entertainment Group has owned Skycoaster since 2005. Skycoaster has grown their award-winning safety program in that time and remains one of the most popular and safest "extreme ride" in the amusement industry.

Production

The company is based in Cottonwood Heights, Utah. Parts are manufactured throughout the United States, with the attractions assembled on site.

The two most common types of Skycoasters are lattice and monopole. Lattice Skycoasters were manufactured in a variety of sizes, but the 173-dual arch and 100-foot single arch were the most common. Monopole Skycoasters were manufactured in a variety of sizes, 100-foot single, 100-foot dual, 180-foot single, 180-foot dual, and one 300-foot unit. Earlier Skycoasters have some unique tower structures that do not fall within these categories.

Flight cables are made of galvanized steel, which supports 9,800 pounds (4,445 kg), or stainless steel, which supports 9,000 pounds (4,082 kg). However, the maximum weight for a flight is 850 pounds (386 kg), mainly due to the winch. The 3-ring release system used on the Skycoaster is the same kind 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).

There are two types of Skycoaster loading systems:

• 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.

Amusement parks with Skycoasters

Park Name	Ride Name	Location	Height
Fun Spot USA	Skycoaster	Kissimmee, Florida	300 feet or 91.4 metres
Fun Spot America	Skycoaster	Orlando, Florida	250 feet or 76.2 metres
Wet'n'Wild Sydney	Sydney Skycoaster	Sydney, Australia	250 feet or 76.2 metres
Parque de la Costa	VertigoXtremo	Tigre, Buenos Aires, Argentina	213 feet or 64.9 metres
Skyborne	Skycoaster	London, England	200 feet or 61 metres
PlayCenter	Skycoaster	São Paulo, São Paulo Brazil	197 feet or 60 metres
Wild Adventures	Geronimo Skycoaster	Valdosta, Georgia	190 feet or 57.9 metres
State Fair of Texas	SkyCoaster	Dallas, Texas	189 feet or 57.6 metres
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor	Caribbean Swing	Arlington, Texas	189 feet or 57.6 metres
Worlds of Fun	RipCord	Kansas City, Missouri	189 feet or 57.6 metres
Michigan's Adventure	RipCord	Muskegon, Michigan	183 feet or 55.8 metres
Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resort	SkyCoaster	New Braunfels, Texas	183 feet or 55.8 metres
Kennywood	Skycoaster	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania	180 feet or 54.9 metres
Lake Compounce	Skycoaster	Bristol, Connecticut	180 feet or 54.9 metres
Valleyfair	RipCord	Shakopee, Minnesota	180 feet or 54.9 metres
Darien Lake	Redhawk	Darien, New York	180 feet or 54.9 metres
Six Flags Over Georgia	Skycoaster	Austell, Georgia	180 feet or 54.9 metres
Ultimate Rush Speed & Thrill Park	Ultimate Rush	Reno, Nevada	180 feet or 54.9 metres
United Entertainment & Tourism Company		Shaab park, Kuwait	180 feet or 54.9 metres
Great Escape	Sky Coaster	Lake George, New York	175 feet or 53.3 metres
Hopi Hari	Hadikali	Vinhedo, São Paulo, Brazil	174 feet or 53 metres
La Ronde	La Catapulte	Montreal, Quebec, Canada	173 feet or 52.7 metres
Canada's Wonderland	Xtreme SkyFlyer	Vaughan, Ontario, Canada	170 feet or 51.8 metres
Seoul Land	SKY-X	Seoul, South Korea	165 feet or 50.3 metres
Superland	Sky Coaster	Rishon LeZion, Israel	165 feet or 50.3 metres
Oakwood Theme Park	Vertigo	Pembrokeshire, Wales	164 feet or 50 metres
Wet'n'Wild Gold Coast	SkyCoaster	Gold Coast, Australia	164 feet or 50.0 metres
Elitch Gardens Theme Park	XLR8R	Denver, Colorado	160 feet or 48.8 metres
Kings Island	Xtreme SkyFlyer	Mason, Ohio	153 feet or 46.6 metres
Six Flags Magic Mountain	Dive Devil	Valencia, California	153 feet or 46.6 metres
Kings Dominion	Xtreme SkyFlyer	Doswell, Virginia	153 feet or 46.6 metres
Carowinds	RipCord (formerly Xtreme SkyFlyer)	Charlotte, North Carolina	153 feet or 46.6 metres
California's Great America	Xtreme SkyFlyer	Santa Clara, California	153 feet or 46.6 metres
Six Flags Great Adventure	Dare Devil Dive	Jackson, New Jersey	153 feet or 46.6 metres
Six Flags Over Texas	Dive Bomber Alley	Arlington, Texas	153 feet or 46.6 metres
Six Flags St. Louis	Dragon's Wing	Eureka, Missouri	152 feet or 46.3 metres
Challenge Park	RipCord	Sandusky, Ohio	152 feet or 46.3 metres
Lagoon Amusement Park	Skycoaster	Farmington, Utah	143 feet or 43.6 metres
Wild Waves Theme Park	I-5 Sky Dive	Federal Way, Washington	125 feet or 38.1 metres
Six Flags Great America	Dare Devil Dive	Gurnee, Illinois	125 feet or 38.1 metres
South Pier, Blackpool	Skycoaster	Blackpool	120 feet or 36.6 metres
Six Flags America	Skycoaster	Prince George's County, Maryland	115 feet or 35.1 metres
Frontier City	Geronimo	Oklahoma City, Oklahoma	113 feet or 34.4 metres
Casino Pier	Skycoaster	Seaside Heights, New Jersey	110 feet or 33.5 metres
The Track Family Fun Center	Skycoaster	Gulf Shores, Alabama	110 feet or 33.5 metres
Karasyk	Skycoaster	Ayia Napa, Cyprus	110 feet or 33.5 metres
Zero Gravity	Skycoaster	Dallas, Texas	110 feet or 33.5 metres
Big Kahuna's	Skycoaster	Destin, Florida	110 feet or 33.5 metres
The Track Family Recreation Center	SkyFlyer	Destin, Florida	110 feet or 33.5 metres
Tusenfryd	Skycoaster	Oslo, Norway	110 feet or 33.5 metres
Parque Mundo Aventura	Skycoaster	Bogotá D.C., Colombia	110 feet or 33.5 metres
Cici Waterpark	The Skycoaster	Acapulco, Mexico	100 feet or 30.5 metres
Ratanga Junction	The Slingshot	Century City, Cape Town, South Africa	100 feet or 30.5 metres
Broadway Grand Prix	Skycoaster	Myrtle Beach, South Carolina	100 feet or 30.5 metres
Ozark Mountain Skycoaster	Skycoaster	Branson, Missouri	100 feet or 30.5 metres
Joyland Park	Sky Coaster	Wichita, Kansas	100 feet or 30.5 metres
Extreme World/Mt. Olympus	Skycoaster	Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin	100 feet or 30.5 metres
Indiana Beach	Sky Coaster	Monticello, Indiana	100 feet or 30.5 metres
Morey's Piers - Adventure Pier	Sky Coaster	Wildwood, New Jersey	100 feet or 30.5 metres
Royal Gorge Park	Royal Rush	Royal Gorge, Colorado	100 feet or 30.5 metres
Seacoast Adventure	Sky Swing	North Windham, Maine	100 feet or 30.5 metres
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom	Skycoaster	Vallejo, California	100 feet or 30.5 metres
Mitsui Greenland	Parachute Drop	Arao-shi, Japan	Unknown
Tokyo SummerLand		Tokyo, Japan	Unknown

Defunct Skycoasters

Park Name	Ride Name	Location	Height
MGM Grand Adventures	Sky Screamer	Las Vegas, Nevada	250 feet or 76.2 metres
The American Adventure	Skycoaster	Ilkeston, Derbyshire	200 feet or 61 metres
Kentucky Kingdom	Skycoaster	Louisville, Kentucky	180 feet or 54.9 metres
Six Flags Fiesta Texas	Screamin' Skycoaster	San Antonio, Texas	180 feet or 54.9 metres
Six Flags New Orleans	Sky Coaster	New Orleans, Louisiana	180 feet or 54.9 metres
Opryland USA	Skycoaster	Nashville, TN	152 feet or 46.3 metres
Six Flags AstroWorld	Barnstormer	Houston, Texas	151 feet or 46 metres
Parque Mundo Aventura	Skycoaster	Colombia, Bogotá	125 feet or 38.1 metres
Wet 'n Wild Emerald Pointe	Skycoaster	Greensboro, North Carolina	125 feet or 38.1 metres
Bell's Amusement Park	Dive Devil	Tulsa, Oklahoma	113 feet or 34.4 metres
Six Flags New England	Skycoaster	Agawam, MA	110 feet or 33.5 metres
Funtown Pier	Sky Coaster	Seaside Heights, New Jersey	110 feet or 33.5 metres
Luna Park, Coney Island	Boardwalk Flight	Coney Island, New York	110 feet or 33.5 metres
Geauga Lake	Ripcord	Aurora, Ohio	100 feet or 30.5 metres
Morey's Piers - Surfside Pier	Sky Coaster	Wildwood, New Jersey	100 feet or 30.5 metres

External links

• Official website
• The Ride Entertainment Group
• A Youtube video of the Skycoaster experience