Bill Kitchen (inventor)

Last updated
Bill Kitchen
BillPortrait.jpg
Born
William Joel Kitchen

September 30, 1948
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Employer(s)U.S. ThrillRides, Inc.

Thrillcorp, Inc.

Pollercoaster, Inc.

Skyventure, Inc. (1999 - 2001)

Sky Fun 1, Inc. (1992 - 1998)
Known forInventor of Skycoaster, iFly (Consumer Vertical Wind Tunnel,) Polercoaster
TitleFounder and Chairman at US ThrillRides

Founder and Chairman Polercoaster

Founder and Chairman Thrillcorp

William Joel Kitchen (born September 30, 1948) is an American inventor and business executive. Kitchen is the Founder and CEO of U.S. ThrillRides, Inc. [1] and Thrillcorp, Inc. [2]

Contents

Career

Kitchen has a background in electrical engineering and initially put it to use in radio broadcasting before shifting his interests to skydiving and thrill seeking in 1990. [3] He developed a thrill ride company, Sky Fun 1, Inc. with Ken Bird in 1992. [4] Beginning with the resulting "Skycoaster", [5] he continued to develop and sell thrill ride industry concepts through patents including the iFly indoor skydiving wind tunnel, [6] Unicoaster circular ride (operating as Brain Surge), [7] and Polercoaster vertical roller coaster tower ride. [8] In 2015 he founded Thrillcorp, Inc. with longtime business partners Micheal Kitchen and David Gust in order to play a larger role in the physical development and applications of their ride concepts. [2]

Inventions

Skycoaster

In 1990 Kitchen completed his first skydive and developed an interest in high thrill sports. [1] This led to the founding of Sky Fun 1, Inc. by Kitchen along with Ken Bird in 1992. While they initially offered traditional bungee jumping from a crane, their focus was to develop an idea Kitchen had for a safer alternative to bungee jumping that could be easily installed in amusement parks. In March 2011 Kitchen told the Orlando Sentinel: "I drew on a dinner napkin a picture of a ride which I thought would simulate skydiving without having to jump out of a perfectly good airplane." [1] Kitchen and Bird subsequently filed the initial patent for this ride on August 19, 1992 [5] and the first "Skycoaster" was permanently installed at Kennywood Park in Pittsburgh (West Mifflin), Pennsylvania that year. [9] In 1998, Kitchen licensed his Skycoaster patents to another company in order to focus full-time on his developing a wind tunnel invention.

iFly (formerly Skyventure)

In 1995, before the sale of Skycoaster, Kitchen began developing his ideas for another method of simulating skydiving by use of a vertical wind tunnel. He filed the first version of this patent as a "Skydiving Trainer Windtunnel" that year. [6] Kitchen then hired an engineer named Michael Palmer to assist him in refining his concept and in 1998, after licensing the Skycoaster business, filed an improved patent [10] that represented the first proof of concept and prototype Skyventure location in Orlando, Florida. Kitchen's Skyventure attracted the attention of Alan Metni, of the U.S. Skydiving team, Airspeed, after a training session there. They began working together to expand the business and in 2002 Kitchen sold to Metni the rights to the Skyventure business which was then rebranded as iFly. [11]

Unicoaster

In 2006, Kitchen filed the first patent for his "Big wheel roundabout amusement ride" he developed along with John Chance. [7] Chance Rides, Inc. then developed the first park-based installation under license, branded for Nickelodeon Universe as BrainSurge on March 20, 2010. The following year, a second installation was opened in San Diego's Belmont Park on January 16, 2011. [12] [13] After further developing the concept into a full roller-coaster style track ride, Kitchen filed a supplemental patent. [14] Shortly after Chance Rides opened the most recent Unicoaster ("Jimmy Neutron's Atom Smasher") at the American Dream on October 25, 2019, [15] Kitchen made a deal with them to regain all manufacturing and distribution rights for all future versions of the Unicoaster.

Polercoaster

In 2009, Kitchen filed to change the name of his company, then called "Patent Lab, LLC" (Previously Skyventure, Inc.) into its current incarnation, U.S. Thrillrides, LLC. [16] Then in 2011, he filed a patent for a "Tower Ride" that would become the basis for both his Skyspire and Polercoaster ride concepts. [17] By November, 2014 Kitchen had licensed the Florida rights for his invention to Skyplex where it was announced the first Polercoaster would be the tallest rollercoaster in the world, (called the "Skyscraper") and would be built by 2017. [18] The project was delayed by setbacks however, as Universal Studios, Orlando lobbied the county's zoning and planning board to deny the required building permits in 2015, resulting in an advisory vote against the project. [19] [20] [21] The well publicized debate drew public attention, resulting in a vote and subsequent win for the developers of Skyplex, Joshua Wallack, Bernard and Robert Friedman, along with Kitchen who has remained a consultant on the project. [22] After a number of additional administrative and budget-related setbacks, the Skyplex project is still claimed to be moving forward but has not yet broken ground and is unlikely to be open by 2020 as claimed by the developer. [23]

In addition to Orlando, Kitchen sold exclusive building rights to Wallack and the Friedmans to build in Atlantic City, New Jersey, which was announced in April 2017 for a 2019 projected completion date. [24] In 2018 that project was reported to be delayed with no visible development, [25] however all parties involved insisted the project was in the works as recently as February 2020. One of the earliest potential sites, Las Vegas, was announced in 2013 [26] but has also seen no visible development beyond initial reporting and planning.

Skyspire

Using the same patent, [17] Kitchen developed the concept of Skyspire along with Polercoaster to be a scenic, family friendly, ferris-wheel view type of ride in a smaller land area. [27] After many proposals, U.S. Thrill Rides' Skyspire was chosen as one of the five finalists to anchor the San Diego Bay revitalization project. [28] Skyspire won the contract with 1HWY1 who took primary ownership of redesigning the initial concept and implementation, but encountered numerous obstacles that have hindered development to the present day. [29]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roller coaster</span> Rail-based amusement park ride

A roller coaster, or rollercoaster, is a type of amusement ride that employs a form of elevated railroad track designed with tight turns, steep slopes, and sometimes inversions. Passengers ride along the track in open cars, and the rides are often found in amusement parks and theme parks around the world. LaMarcus Adna Thompson obtained one of the first known patents for a roller coaster design in 1885, related to the Switchback Railway that opened a year earlier at Coney Island. The track in a coaster design does not necessarily have to be a complete circuit, as shuttle roller coasters demonstrate. Most roller coasters have multiple cars in which passengers sit and are restrained. Two or more cars hooked together are called a train. Some roller coasters, notably Wild Mouse roller coasters, run with single cars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Intamin</span> Swiss design and manufacturing company

Intamin Amusement Rides is a design and manufacturing company in Schaan, Liechtenstein. It is best known for creating thrill rides and roller coasters worldwide. The Intamin brand name is a syllabic abbreviation for "international amusement installations". The company has offices throughout the world, including three in Europe, three in Asia, and two in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skycoaster</span> Amusement park ride

Skycoaster is an amusement park ride produced and managed by Skycoaster Company, LLC.. On the Skycoaster, riders in groups of 1 to 3 are harnessed in specialized Flight Suits, winched to the top of a launch tower, pull the ripcord to engage flight, swing from a cable tether back and forth until brought to a rest. The attraction is often compared to a combination of skydiving, bungee jumping, and hang gliding.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Incredible Hulk Coaster</span> Roller coaster at Islands of Adventure

The Incredible Hulk Coaster is a launched roller coaster located at Universal's Islands of Adventure within the Universal Orlando Resort. Designed by Werner Stengel and manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M), the roller coaster is themed after Marvel's Hulk and opened to the public on May 28, 1999. It is the first B&M coaster themed to a Marvel Comics superhero character and the first to feature a launch design, a system that was primarily implemented by Universal Creative and MTS Systems Corporation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vertical wind tunnel</span> Wind tunnel which moves air up in a vertical column

A vertical wind tunnel (VWT) is a wind tunnel that moves air up in a vertical column. Unlike standard wind tunnels, which have test sections that are oriented horizontally, as experienced in level flight, a vertical orientation enables gravity to be countered by drag instead of lift, as experienced in an aircraft spin or by a skydiver at terminal velocity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iron Gwazi</span> Hybrid roller coaster in Tampa, Florida

Iron Gwazi is a steel-track hybrid roller coaster at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, a theme park in Tampa, Florida, United States. The ride, named after a fabled creature with a tiger's head and a lion's body, was built by Great Coasters International (GCI) as Gwazi, a wooden dueling roller coaster with two separate tracks. Named Lion and Tiger, the tracks were 3,508 ft (1,069 m) long and 105.4 ft (32.1 m) high, with trains reaching a maximum speed of 51 mph (82 km/h). Gwazi, which was constructed on the former site of an Anheuser-Busch brewery, opened to the public on June 18, 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Universal Creative</span> Engineering, architecture and design division of Universal Parks & Resorts

Universal Creative designs and creates themed attractions, rides, and resorts, for Universal Destinations & Experiences. Its divisions include master planning, creative development, design, engineering, project management, and research and development. The Universal Creative team is composed of artists, architects, engineers, designers, producers, builders, writers and more who design and create all of the themed entertainment experiences for Universal Destinations & Experiences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thrill-Ville USA</span>

Thrill-Ville USA was an amusement park in Turner, Oregon, United States. The park was located next to the Enchanted Forest south of Salem on Interstate 5. Opened in the 1970s, the park grew to more than 20 rides before closing in 2007. Rides included roller coasters, go-karts, classic carnival rides a 55-foot (17 m) double water slide, and a regular slide. The park also had an area called "Thrill-Zone" which included a Sky Coaster, Big Sling ride, SCAD Freefall Tower, and Turbo Force. De-construction of the park's major roller coaster, the "Ripper" started in spring 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheetah Hunt</span> Amusement ride in Tampa, Florida

Cheetah Hunt is a steel launched roller coaster at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay in Tampa, Florida. The roller coaster was manufactured by Intamin and designed in collaboration with Mark Rose. Cheetah Hunt opened to the public on May 27, 2011, alongside a cheetah exhibit called Cheetah Run. Cheetah Hunt features three linear synchronous motor (LSM) launches and a single inversion. The roller coaster reaches a height of 102 feet (31 m), with a maximum speed of 60 miles per hour (97 km/h) and a total track length of 4,429 feet (1,350 m).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SheiKra</span> Roller coaster at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay

SheiKra is a steel Dive Coaster roller coaster at the Busch Gardens Tampa Bay amusement park in Tampa, Florida, United States. The roller coaster was proposed by Mark Rose, vice-president of design and engineering for the park, and designed by Bolliger & Mabillard. The ride was planned to be 160 feet (49 m) high, but the park's executives rejected this and the height was changed to 200 feet (61 m). SheiKra reaches a maximum speed of 70 miles per hour (110 km/h) and has a total track length of 3,188 feet (972 m). It first opened on May 21, 2005, and was converted to a floorless roller coaster on June 16, 2007, following the opening of its sister Dive Coaster Griffon at Busch Gardens Williamsburg that year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rocky Mountain Construction</span> Roller coaster manufacturer

Rocky Mountain Construction, often abbreviated as RMC, is a manufacturing and construction company based in Hayden, Idaho, United States. The company is best known for its I-Box track and Topper Track for wooden roller coasters. Established in 2001, the company was founded by Fred Grubb and Suanne Dedmon. The company has built over 20 roller coasters. In 2023, amusement ride manufacturer Larson International merged with Rocky Mountain Construction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polercoaster</span> Amusement ride

Polercoaster was a type of amusement ride offered by US Thrill Rides and Intamin. An installation consists of a large tower structure which features glass elevators to an observation deck, as well as a steel roller coaster wrapping around the tower. The model was first introduced in 2012, and in 2013, four were proposed for construction. However, none have been constructed as of 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ride Entertainment Group</span> Amusement ride manufacturer

Ride Entertainment is a firm based in the United States specializing in the construction, sales, service, and operation of amusement rides and attractions.

RoboCoaster Ltd is an amusement ride design firm based in Warwickshire, England. Through partnerships with KUKA and Dynamic Attractions, RoboCoaster has installed its namesake products at locations around the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skyscraper (roller coaster)</span> Cancelled roller coaster concept

Skyscraper was a roller coaster concept originally planned for a future Skyplex entertainment complex located in Orlando, Florida. Development began in 2012 by American manufacturer US Thrill Rides and Swiss manufacturer Intamin, with both companies designing the attraction as the first Polercoaster model utilizing an observation tower for its main support structure. Skyscraper would have become the tallest roller coaster in the world at over 500 feet (150 m), and it would have featured both the steepest drop and highest inversion in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fun Spot America Theme Parks</span> Amusement park in Orlando, Florida

Fun Spot America Theme Parks is a group of amusement parks. Since 1979, the group has owned and operated a number of small amusement parks over the years and currently has three locations in Orlando, Florida, Kissimmee, Florida, and Fayetteville, Georgia.

Skyplex was a proposed and planned entertainment complex, It was to be located on a 14-acre (5.7 ha) lot at the northeast corner of Sand Lake Road and International Drive in Orlando, Florida. Plans for the complex include a 570-foot (170 m) tower which would’ve featured the world's tallest roller coaster, Skyscraper, and the world's largest Perkins Restaurant and Bakery. In January 2019 the project was expected to cost US$250,000,000 and include space for a future hotel. The complex was originally planned to open first in 2016. But pushed back to 2017, then 2018. The project was once again delayed to 2019, until the final delay to 2020. As of 2023, construction on the project did not begin. However, on December 21 2022, US Thrill Rides and Polercoaster, LLC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. On January 30, 2023, WPC confirmed that the project would not be moving forward.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">US Thrill Rides</span> American entertainment design and consulting company

US Thrill Rides is an entertainment design and consulting company in Orlando, Florida. It is best known for creating thrill rides in several US locations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tigris (roller coaster)</span> Steel roller coaster at Busch Gardens Tampa

Tigris is a steel launched roller coaster at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay theme park in Tampa, Florida, United States. Built on the former Tanganyika Tidal Wave water ride, Tigris officially opened on April 19, 2019 as the park's ninth roller coaster. Tigris is located within the Stanleyville section of the park. The roller coaster and surrounding area re-uses previous infrastructure and landscaping of the former attraction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">VelociCoaster</span> Roller coaster at Islands of Adventure

VelociCoaster is a launched roller coaster at Universal's Islands of Adventure in Orlando, Florida. Manufactured by Intamin and themed to the Velociraptors from the Jurassic World film franchise, the ride officially opened on June 10, 2021. It is located in the Islands of Adventure's Jurassic Park area, occupying the site of the former Triceratops Encounter attraction. VelociCoaster features two high-speed launches powered by linear synchronous motors, a signature 155-foot-tall (47 m) top hat, four inversions, and a maximum speed of 70 mph (110 km/h).

References

  1. 1 2 3 Sentinel, Sara K. Clarke, Orlando. "Talking With ... Bill Kitchen: Has an eye for thrill rides". OrlandoSentinel.com. Retrieved 2020-02-11.
  2. 1 2 Bilbao, Richard (2016-08-18). "Bill Kitchen's American scream dream: How the Orlando ride inventor plans to give you the thrill of your life". Orlando Business Journal. Retrieved 2020-02-03.
  3. ↑ Sentinel, Sara K. Clarke, Orlando. "Talking With ... Bill Kitchen: Has an eye for thrill rides". capitalgazette.com. Retrieved 2020-03-05.
  4. ↑ Michelson, Harry (2017-11-07). "Sky Fun 1, Inc". The Amusement Parkives. Retrieved 2020-02-03.
  5. 1 2 US 5267906,Kitchen, William J.&Bird, Kenneth G.,"Amusement ride",published 1993-12-07, assigned to Sky Fun 1 Inc.
  6. 1 2 US 5655909,Kitchen, William J.&Bird, Kenneth G.,"Skydiving trainer windtunnel",published 1997-08-12
  7. 1 2 US 7918740,Kitchen, William J.&Chance, John H.,"Big wheel roundabout amusement ride",published 2011-04-05
  8. ↑ Design patent US D759774,Kitchen, William J.&Kitchen, Michael A.,"Tracks for amusement rides",published 2016-06-21
  9. ↑ "Skycoaster – Kennywood Connection" . Retrieved 2020-02-11.
  10. ↑ US 6083110,Kitchen, William J.&Palmer, Michael,"Vertical wind tunnel training device",published 2000-07-04, assigned to Sky Venture Inc.
  11. ↑ Winter, Caroline (April 26, 2017). "iFly and the Rise of indoor Sky Diving". Bloomberg. Retrieved February 17, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  12. ↑ "Octotron thrill ride to open Sunday at San Diego's Belmont Park". Los Angeles Times. 2011-01-14. Retrieved 2020-02-17.
  13. ↑ "Belmont Park Opens Octotron Unicoaster Thrill Ride". www.ultimaterollercoaster.com. Retrieved 2020-02-17.
  14. ↑ US 7594473,Kitchen, William J.&Chance, John H.,"Wheel hub rider conveyance",published 2009-09-29
  15. ↑ "America's largest indoor theme park opens in New Jersey". Theme Park Insider. Retrieved 2020-02-21.
  16. ↑ "Detail by Entity Name". search.sunbiz.org. Retrieved 2020-02-18.
  17. 1 2 US 8490549,Kitchen, William J.,"Tower ride",published 2013-07-23
  18. ↑ "The World's Tallest Roller Coaster (Opens 2017)". Time. Retrieved 2020-02-18.
  19. ↑ Pedicini, Sandra. "Universal, citizens float anti-Skyplex mailers". orlandosentinel.com. Retrieved 2020-02-18.
  20. ↑ Pedicini, Sandra. "Skyplex battle puts Orlando-Universal relationship in spotlight". orlandosentinel.com. Retrieved 2020-02-18.
  21. ↑ Wolf, Colin. "World's tallest roller coaster at I-Drive is denied, developer calls Universal a 'bully'". Orlando Weekly. Retrieved 2020-02-18.
  22. ↑ Dineen, Caitlin. "Orange County Commission approves Skyplex Orlando". orlandosentinel.com. Retrieved 2020-02-18.
  23. ↑ Pepperman, Kelly (2019-01-10). "International Drive developer talks new coaster, more parking". WKMG. Retrieved 2020-02-21.
  24. ↑ Walsh, Jim. "'Polercoaster' proposed for Atlantic City". Courier-Post. Retrieved 2020-02-21.
  25. ↑ Comlay, Elinor (2018-03-21). "The PolerCoaster Is Behind Schedule". Route 40. Retrieved 2020-02-21.
  26. ↑ "Firm seeks FAA approval for 650-foot-tall Vegas Strip thrill ride". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2020-02-21.
  27. ↑ "Bill Kitchen reaches for the Sky". Park World Online - Theme Park, Amusement Park and Attractions Industry News. Retrieved 2020-02-21.
  28. ↑ "Soaring 'SkySpire' proposed for waterfront". fox5sandiego.com. 2015-02-05. Retrieved 2020-02-21.
  29. ↑ "Seaport San Diego tower is like nothing else on California's coast. That's the problem". San Diego Union-Tribune. 2019-07-20. Retrieved 2020-02-21.
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