PW NOV08 P18.qxd:PW NOV08 P18.qxd 3/11/08 12:56 Page 18
Park News
www.parkworld-online.com
Rocket takes off over St Petersburg
Funtime returns to Divo-Ostrov
The owners of Divo-Ostrov in St Petersburg, Russia, have made several bold
statements since the park opened a few years ago and their latest came this
summer when they added a world first by Funtime.
The Austrian manufacturer has already installed a Slingshot, Star Flyer and
Vomatron (Booster) at the venue, and now comes the Rocket – a 45-metre high
attraction that creates a massive impact on a minimum footprint.
The concept was conceived by Funtime owner Walter Pondorfer and is patent
pending. A 10-seater rocket is suspended by cables from the end of a giant arm.
Passengers board the rocket and ground level before the arm is lifted to a height
of 60-metres and whisks them through a 102-metre diameter circle at up to
70km/h.
As the ride is in flight the passenger gondola also turns on its own axis at up to
15rpm and emits smoke and light as if it were jet-powered. “To the people the
ground it looks like a real rocket,” notes Funtime’s Hannes Lackner.
The innovative Austrian company continues to work on a number of new ride
concepts and may soon unveil another ride at the Prater in Vienna, as well as a
new version of its Chaos Pendel (triple-arm Booster), destined for a customer in
Australia. The next Star Flyer, meanwhile, will go to Tykkimäki in Kouvola, Finland,
with a possible order pending in Japan.
Fly by Wire for sale
New Zealand inventor Neil Harrap of Fly by Wire International has reached
for
retirement age and is offering to sell the patents that protect the Fly by Wire
‘Family Fitness & Fun!’
concept, a 200ft-high extreme ride capable of speeds over 95 mph.
Flying high over everything, the Fly by Wire ride is a highly visible extreme
attraction that attracts wide attention. There have been over 100 television
programmes featuring Fly by Wire, seen by over three billion people
worldwide. The attraction is suspended from three lattice towers and can be
installed in a variety of settings, including a ride in New Zealand over a
canyon.
"Piloting the Fly by Wire plane suspended by a
3/8 inch diameter cable is described by our
riders as the most exciting thing they have ever
done,” notes Harrap.
The patent he is offering covers the ride in
• NO Air Pollution
most European countries, the US, Mexico,
• NO Noise Pollution
Australia and New Zealand. Harrap feels the
ride would be particularly suited to tourist areas
in Spain and Portugal, as well as the UK.
A ride was recently sold to Fly by Wire South
Africa (FBWSA), which will install the attraction
in Cape Town early in 2009 and is currently
investigating other African locations. A customer
is also planning a ride in Whistler, British
Columbia in Canada, location for the 2010
Winter Olympic Games.
Fly by Wire is also exploring a portable system
that will be transported on three trucks and be
suitable for events or seasonal locations.
Premier Rides is Fly by Wire International's exclusive North American
Please contact David or Andrew at
agent, and Harrap will be at the company’s booth during the IAAPA
www.worldofrides.com
Attractions Expo 2008 in Orlando. He promises to provide the patent
buyers with full technical, engineering and operating support to help their
FUN Phone: + 44 (0) 191 49 20 999
success.
Email:
info@worldofrides.com
18 NOVEMBER 2008
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