Design and operation
The ride consists of a single 66-foot (20 m) arm mounted to four 90 kW DC motors at the midpoint. A 40-seat gondola is mounted on one end of the arm, with passengers sitting in eight rows, four on each side of the arm, facing inwards. On the opposite end of the arm is a pair of counterweights. The side of the arm facing out to the crowd is decorated with an elaborate lighting array. The ride is designed to rock back and forth, before making several inversions, although the gondola can be inverted from a standing start. Unlike most pendulum rides, the Ranger is reliant primarily on the motors to invert, as opposed to momentum. The ride is capable of maintaining a speed of 8 revolutions per minute, and the gondola and arm weigh 65 tons.
Unlike most inverting rides, the Ranger uses a stomach restraint to secure passengers. A large rectangular pad is hydraulically pushed into the passengers' stomachs, keeping them pinned to the seats. Keeping the stomach firm while the restraints are being deployed is enough to prevent major discomfort during the ride. This system is unique to the Ranger and directly copied designs. The minimum rider height requirement is 48 inches.
Transportable versions of this ride can be racked on two 30-foot trailers: one for the station platform, support arm, and ride arm, and the second carrying the gondola, lighting, and counterweights. The first trailer also acts as the base of the ride.
A roller coaster is a type of amusement ride employing a form of elevated railroad track that carries passengers on a train through tight turns, steep slopes, and other elements usually designed to produce a thrilling experience. Trains consist of open cars connected in a single line, and the rides are often found in theme parks around the world. Roller coasters first appeared in the 17th century, and LaMarcus Adna Thompson obtained one of the first known patents for a roller coaster design in 1885, based on the Switchback Railway which opened a year earlier at Coney Island.
Särkänniemi is an amusement park in Tampere, Finland, located in the district by the same name. The park features an aquarium, a planetarium, Doghill Fairytale Farm, an art museum and an observation tower Näsinneula. Särkänniemi is the second most popular amusement park in Finland with Linnanmäki in Helsinki being the most popular one. Särkänniemi has five rollercoasters: the inverted coaster Tornado, the flying coaster Trombi, the family motorcycle launch coaster MotoGee and Hype, a launched steel Sky Rocket II coaster, and family coaster Vauhtimato. The half-pipe coaster called Half Pipe was recently removed due to multiple reasons. Särkänniemi is owned by the city of Tampere and attracts over 600 000 visitors annually.
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.
Arrow Dynamics was an American manufacturing and engineering company that specialized in designing and building amusement park rides, especially roller coasters. Based in Clearfield, Utah, the company was the successor to Arrow Development (1946–1981) and Arrow Huss (1981–1986), which were responsible for several influential advancements in the amusement and theme park industries. Among the most significant was tubular steel track, which provided a smoother ride than the railroad style rails commonly used prior to the 1960s on wooden roller coasters. The Matterhorn Bobsleds at Disneyland, built in 1959, was Arrow's first roller coaster project.
A Topple Tower is an amusement ride designed in 2001 by van Orsouw Amusement Rides Design Service of Berghem, Netherlands, vanorsouwridesdesign. The first design was rejected due to its difficult and heavy construction. After a re-design in 2002, a license agreement was closed, and the ride was produced in 2005 by Huss Maschinenfabrik GmbH, now HUSS Park Attractions. The first Topple Tower, El Volador, was placed in 2005 at Bellewaerde Park in Belgium.
The Condor is the trade name of an amusement ride sold by HUSS of Bremen, Germany. It was debuted at the 1984 New Orleans World's Fair, under the name "Cyclo Tower".
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.
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.
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.
The Ali Baba is a type of amusement ride consisting of a stationary horizontal gondola with a 360 degree swinging pendulum.
Zodiac is an Enterprise ride at Thorpe Park, Surrey, United Kingdom.
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).
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.
Rainbow is an Amusement park ride created by HUSS Maschinenfabrik of Bremen, Germany. The Rainbow was manufactured from 1982 to 2000 and is often confused with its cousins Ali Baba and 1001 Nachts plus other similar models. The HUSS Rainbow has developed a vast fan base due to its large stature, smooth ride, bright lights, iconic motor noise and amazing air-time ride experience.
