maXair | |
---|---|
Cedar Point | |
Area | The Boardwalk |
Coordinates | 41°28′50.92″N82°40′48.53″W / 41.4808111°N 82.6801472°W |
Status | Operating |
Opening date | May 7, 2005 |
Ride statistics | |
Manufacturer | HUSS Park Attractions |
Model | Giant Frisbee |
Height | 140 ft (43 m) |
Speed | 70 mph (110 km/h) |
Capacity | 1,000 riders per hour |
Vehicle type | Circular Gondola |
Riders per vehicle | 50 |
Duration | 2:30 |
Height restriction | 52 in (132 cm) |
Restraints | Over the shoulder |
Fast Lane available |
maXair is a Huss Park Attractions Giant Frisbee ride at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, United States. It is one of two HUSS Giant Frisbees in the United States, the other being Delirium at Kings Island. It is located near the front of the park near Troika, GateKeeper, and Kiddy Kingdom.
At the start of the cycle, a movable floor drops to allow clearance for the ride to move. After that, the ride begins to swing back and forth as the circular gondola rotates, gaining more height and speed with each swing. At the peak, riders reach a height of 140 feet (43 m) above the ground although the structure of the ride is only 84 feet (26 m) tall. The pendulum motion propels riders back and forth at 70 miles per hour (110 km/h) up to an arc of 120 degrees, making it one of the fastest non-coaster rides at Cedar Point. [1] At the end of the cycle, the pendulum gradually slows to a stop and the gondola stops rotating. Once the pendulum and gondola are parked at the loading position, the floor rises and the restraints release.
maXair is one of several rides at Cedar Point that require glasses to be secured with an athletic strap. Loose articles may be brought into the queue, but must be secured in small cubbies located around the gondola on the loading platform.
Riders are secured with a ratcheting shoulder harness and a backup seatbelt between the legs. In addition to the seatbelt, the restraints contain sensors which will not allow the ride to be started unless all 50 harnesses have been closed past a certain limit, which is indicated by a green light near each seat.
A pirate ship is a type of amusement ride based on pirate ships, consisting of an open, seated gondola which swings back and forth, subjecting the rider to various levels of angular momentum. A variant where the riders must pull on ropes to swing the ride is known as a swing boat.
A suspended roller coaster is a steel roller coaster model in which passengers are seated in open-top, boat-like gondolas that hang under the track. Traveling beneath the rolling stock, each gondola is affixed to a pivoting fulcrum or hinge assembly, allowing for the entire car to swing outwards and side-to-side as the train makes sharp turns along the course. Riders are typically secured with over-the-shoulder restraints. Due to the nature of the ride and the swinging effect, suspended roller coasters do not feature inversions, and are generally considered “family” rides; certain suspended roller coasters may be considered more or less intense than others, however.
The UFO is an amusement park ride designed by HUSS Maschinenfabrik in 1978, based on the company's Enterprise and Skylab amusement rides. Numerous carnivals feature this ride which is known as Alpha One Peeters and Vertical Limits.
The Frisbee is a type of pendulum amusement ride featuring a circular gondola that rotates as it swings back and forth. Riders are seated on the gondola facing inward or outward, depending on the model. On some models, the entire pendulum makes a full 360 degree swing.
Demon Drop is a drop tower amusement ride located at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Designed by Intamin, it is a Freefall model that was originally located at Cedar Point that opened in 1983. It was relocated to Dorney Park following the 2009 season, where it reopened in 2010. It is one of the oldest rides of its kind still in operation.
A Kamikaze is a pendulum amusement ride, usually found as a traveling ride, with some examples found at amusement parks. The ride is manufactured by FarFabbri & Sartori, and first made its debut in 1984. Since then, over 150 Kamikazes have been sold.
The Top Spin is a thrill ride developed by HUSS Park Attractions, and is the generic name for a series of rides from other manufacturers that follow the same principle. The ride consists of a passenger platform suspended between two counterweighted arms. The arms are turned by motors, while the platform typically only has brakes that are engaged and disengaged at various points of the ride cycle. A typical top spin program runs the main arm motors while engaging and disengaging the platform brakes so that it will rotate in exciting ways. The minimum rider height requirement is 54 inches; maximum is 80 inches due to the seat and restraint design. The ride was introduced to the public in 1990 and proved an instant success with European fairgoers.
The Enterprise is an amusement ride, manufactured primarily by HUSS Park Attractions and Anton Schwarzkopf beginning in 1972. The HUSS ride was an adaptation and improvement of a design produced earlier that year by Schwarzkopf, with an increased passenger capacity. Despite not owning the original incarnation of the ride, HUSS was issued the patent.
A Ranger is an inverting pendulum ride first manufactured by HUSS Machinenfabrik in 1981. Many of the design elements were later used in the HUSS Rainbow, and the term 'Ranger' has become synonymous with inverting pendulum rides. It was the first inverting swing ride designed since Lee Eyerly's Loop-O-Plane and set the standard for many other attractions using the inverting pendulum ride system, such as the Rainbow, the Kamikaze (ride), and the Inverter.
The Troika is an amusement park ride designed and manufactured by HUSS Park Attractions in the mid-1970s. The name Troika means "group of three" in Russian, a reference to its three armed design. There are several variations on the design.
Pendulum rides are amusement rides based on the motion of a fixed pendulum. The Ali Baba, Looping Starship, and Pirate Ship are some examples.
Fantasy Island is a Resort Theme Park located in Ingoldmells on the East Coast of Lincolnshire.
The HUSS Swing Around is an amusement park ride formerly manufactured by HUSS. It was HUSS Maschinenfabrik's first ride model, debuted in 1969. It is not manufactured by the company anymore, but there are a handful of known units left around the world. The ride rotates in a circle, and the arms swing out, and then come in. They keep on doing this during the ride, in bigger and bigger increments until the very end, where they all swing out, using pneumatic pressure. Most parks require riders to be 42 inches tall to ride; anyone under 48 inches tall must ride with an adult.
Acrophobia is a free-fall tower ride located at Six Flags Over Georgia in Austell, Georgia. The attraction was designed by Intamin of Switzerland, and is marketed by Intamin's Liechtenstein-based subsidiary Ride Trade. When Acrophobia opened to the public on May 12, 2001, it became the first free-fall attraction of its kind in the world.
Vortex is a KMG Afterburner at Thorpe Park, an amusement park in Chertsey, Surrey, England. It was installed in the Lost City area of the park in 2001. It opened on 25 May, seven weeks after the opening of the 2001 season.
WindSeeker is a 301-foot-tall (92 m) swing ride at several Six Flags parks. The rides are Wind Seeker models manufactured by Mondial. They opened for the 2011 season at Canada's Wonderland in Ontario, Cedar Point and Kings Island in Ohio, and Knott's Berry Farm in California. Carowinds in North Carolina and Kings Dominion in Virginia opened their WindSeekers in 2012. The first four each cost US$5 million, while the remaining two each cost $6.5 million. Cedar Fair relocated the Knott's Berry Farm WindSeeker to Worlds of Fun in 2014, where it reopened as SteelHawk.
Psyclone is a 23 metres (75 ft) ride at Canada's Wonderland. On May 5, 2002, this Mondial ride was opened to the public at the park. The 1 minute and 54 second ride features 40 seats facing outwards which rotate from a central pendulum as the ride reaches its maximum arc angle of 120 degrees. Even though the ride height is 23 metres (75 ft), when the ride reaches the top of its swing, the height becomes 37 metres (121 ft) high.
Delirium is the name of three Frisbee rides located at three Six Flags parks – California's Great America, Kings Island, and Kings Dominion. The installation at California's Great America, the smallest of the three, was designed by Chance Rides and opened in 2002. The installation at Kings Island was designed by HUSS Park Attractions and opened on April 12, 2003, as the largest Frisbee ride of its kind in the world. The record-setting ride is able to swing 50 passengers up to 76 mph (122 km/h) reaching a height of 137 feet (42 m). Mondial manufactured the version of Delirium at Kings Dominion, which opened in 2016. It accommodates up to 40 passengers, reaches a top speed of 60 mph (97 km/h), and swings to a maximum height of 115 feet (35 m).
The Riddler Revenge is a Zamperla Giant Discovery Frisbee ride that pendulums riders at Six Flags Over Texas. It opened on May 28, 2016.
La Revolucion is a swinging Pendulum ride at Knott's Berry Farm built by Chance Morgan rides. Riders rotate 360 degrees while simultaneously swinging back and forth in a pendulum motion. The ride opened to the general public on May 29, 2003, in the Fiesta Village section of the park. As the pendulum ride swings left and ride it gains speed and height with each passing cycle. In the process, riders begin to rotate 360 degrees with each passing swinging cycle. At its peak, La Revolucion swings guests 64 feet in the air. The ride is positively rated for the sensation of weightiness throughout the duration of the ride.