 | |
| Industry | Manufacturing and design |
|---|---|
| Predecessor | Patent Lab, LLC |
| Founded | 1992 |
| Founder | Bill Kitchen (Inventor) |
| Defunct | December 21, 2022 |
| Headquarters | , |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Amusement rides, roller coasters |
US Thrill Rides was an entertainment design and consulting company in Orlando, Florida. It was best known for creating thrill rides in several US locations, hence its name.
In 1992, William Kitchen and Ken Bird invented the SkyCoaster. Kitchen founded Sky Fun I Inc. that same year to sell the product to amusement parks. Canadian firm ThrillTime Entertainment International purchased the company for $12 million in mid-1998, renaming it SkyCoaster Inc.[ citation needed ] All 12 employees kept their jobs, with Kitchen remaining linked to the company as a consultant. [1]
Kitchen's next invention was that of the SkyVenture, sold under SkyVenture, LLC. The first installation opened across from Wet 'n Wild Orlando on International Drive in July 1998. The attraction received a visit by George H. W. Bush. [2]
Kitchen next founded US Thrill Rides. [3] US Thrill Rides has since developed the UniCoaster flat rides and SkyQuest transport rides, [4] as well as the SkySpire and Polercoaster (in collaboration with Intamin). [5]
Martin & Vleminckx acquired Kitchen's portfolio of rides in November 2022. [6] On December 21, 2022, US Thrill Rides filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and quietly shuttered. [7] [8]
US Thrill Rides specializes in amusement rides and attractions. [9]
Polercoaster was an amusement ride offered as a joint venture by US Thrill Rides and Intamin. An installation consists of a large tower structure which featured glass elevators to an observation deck, as well as an El Loco steel roller coaster wrapping around the tower. [10] The model was first introduced in 2012. US Thrill Rides' Bill and Michael Kitchen invented the concept to allow amusement parks with little available space to be able to design a full-size roller coaster. [11] [12] [13] By November, 2014 Kitchen had licensed the Florida rights for his invention to Skyplex where it was announced the first Polercoaster (called the "Skyscraper") would’ve been the tallest rollercoaster in the world and would be built by 2017. [14] The Skyplex project was still claimed to be moving forward but had not broken ground and has not opened in 2020 as previously claimed by the developer. [15]
SkyQuest is a people mover introduced in 2010. The cable-car style ride utilizes covered platforms and gondolas to move rides either around the track or from one platform to another. [16] [17]
SkySpire is an amusement ride offered by US Thrill Rides. An installation consists of a large tower structure which features glass elevators to an observation deck, as well as a ride featuring fully enclosed gondolas wrapping around the tower in the shape of a double helix. [18] [19] Skyspire was chosen as one of the five finalists to anchor the San Diego Bay revitalization project. [20] 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. [21]
SkyView is a proposed concept for lightweight Ferris wheel designs with heights between 200 feet (61 m) and 1,000 feet (300 m) and able to withstand strong winds. [22] The wheel itself does not turn like a conventional Ferris wheel, instead a chain-like mechanism is used to move the gondolas around the structure, which could be constructed in shapes other than the traditional circle. [23] In 2009, Park World Online reported that US Thrill Rides planned to erect and operate 300-foot (91 m) tall SkyView rides in Orlando and Las Vegas, [23] however the 400-foot (120 m) Orlando Eye and 550-foot (170 m) High Roller giant wheels have since been constructed in those cities. No SkyView rides have yet been built.
UniCoaster is an amusement ride with a small footprint designed to mimic the experience of a looping roller coaster. The design was licensed exclusively to Chance Rides [24] until 2020 when Kitchen cancelled the exclusivity and began marketing variations such as "Unicoaster Roulette" to casinos [25] in an attempt to mitigate the financial impact of the COVID-19 theme park shutdown.
| Year | Ride | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | BrainSurge (UniCoaster) | Nickelodeon Universe – Bloomington, Minnesota |
|
| 2010 | Octotron (UniCoaster) | Belmont Park – San Diego, California | |
| 2012 | SkyQuest | Indianapolis Zoo – Indianapolis, Indiana | [16] [17] |
| 2013 | Unicoaster (UniCoaster) | Happy Valley Tianjin - Tianjin, China | |
| 2016 | Trouble Twist (Formerly Zero Gravity) (UniCoaster) | Galaxyland - Edmonton, Alberta | |
| 2019 | Jimmy Neutron Atom Smasher (UniCoaster) | Nickelodeon Universe American Dream - East Rutherford, New Jersey | |
| 2021 | Time Tumbler (UniCoaster) | Doha Quest | [26] |
| 2022 | Rivet Town Roller (UniCoaster) | Genting SkyWorlds – Genting Highlands, Malaysia | |
| Cancelled | Skyscraper (Polercoaster) | Skyplex – Orlando, Florida |
|
Cedar Point is a 364-acre (147 ha) amusement park located on a Lake Erie peninsula in Sandusky, Ohio, United States, owned and operated by Six Flags. It opened in 1870 and is considered the second-oldest operating amusement park in the US behind Lake Compounce. Prior to the merger with Six Flags in 2024, Cedar Point served as the "flagship park" of the Cedar Fair amusement park chain and hosted the corporate headquarters. Known as "America's Roller Coast", the park features 17 roller coasters, which ranks third among amusement parks in North America behind sister parks Canada's Wonderland (18) and Six Flags Magic Mountain (20).
Kingda Ka is a hydraulically-launched steel roller coaster located at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey, United States. Manufactured by Intamin and designed by Werner Stengel, Kingda Ka opened as the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world on May 21, 2005, surpassing Top Thrill Dragster. It is the second strata coaster ever built, exceeding 400 feet (120 m) in height. Both were made with similar designs, although Kingda Ka's layout adds an airtime hill on the return portion of the track.
Intamin Amusement Rides is a design and manufacturing company in Schaan, Liechtenstein, best-known for designing and constructing thrill rides and roller coasters at dozens of international theme parks, amusement parks and other establishments. The Intamin brand name is a syllabic abbreviation for "international amusement installations". The company has corporate offices across the world, including three in Europe, three in Asia, and two in the United States.
Skycoaster is the name of a free-fall and flight-simulating amusement park attraction produced and managed by Skycoaster Company, LLC.. On the Skycoaster, riders in groups of 1 to 3 are harnessed in specialized Flight Suits, and are winched to the top of a launch tower; the riders then pull a ripcord to engage their “flight”, upon which they swing several times from a cable tether, back and forth, until finally brought to a rest. The attraction is often compared to a combination of skydiving, bungee jumping, and hang gliding.
Pacific Park is an oceanfront amusement park located in Santa Monica, California. The park, located on the Santa Monica Pier, looks directly out on the Pacific Ocean, in the direction of Catalina Island. It is the only amusement park directly located on the West Coast of the United States located on a pier and LA's only admission-free park. There are a total of thirteen rides in Pacific Park, including the world's first and only solar-powered ferris wheel that provides a view of the Pacific Ocean and a roller coaster that circles the majority of the park. Pacific Park is also home to 14 midway games and over-the-ocean food and retail outlets. It has appeared in over 500 movies and television shows such as Fat Albert, Hannah Montana, Hannah Montana: The Movie, Kidsongs, 90210, Bean, and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, as well as the popular video game Grand Theft Auto V. In 2020, it featured in the opening ident for the sky television channel Sky Comedy. It is operated by SC Holdings.
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.
Chance Morgan Coasters, Inc. is a roller coaster and amusement ride manufacturer. It was formed on June 14, 2001 when Michael Chance, grandson of Chance Rides founder Richard H. Chance, acquired the assets of roller coaster builder D. H. Morgan Manufacturing of La Selva Beach, California.
Chance Rides is a roller coaster and amusement ride manufacturer. Originally founded in 1961, the current company was formed on May 16, 2002, when the former Chance Industries Inc. emerged from bankruptcy. The main office and manufacturing facility are located in Wichita, Kansas.
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom is a 135-acre (55 ha) animal theme park located in Vallejo, California, off of Interstate 80 between San Francisco and Sacramento. The park includes a variety of roller coasters and other amusement rides. Six Flags Discovery Kingdom has been part of the Six Flags chain of amusement parks since 1999.
Family Kingdom Amusement Park is a seaside amusement park in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Located on Ocean Boulevard in Myrtle Beach, the amusement park has 37 rides for adults and children of all ages, including thrill rides, family rides, kiddie rides and go karts. In 2008 TripAdvisor ranked it at number five on its list of the top 10 amusement parks outside Orlando.
SkyScreamer is an amusement ride located at several Six Flags theme parks in North America. Designed by Funtime, an Austrian ride manufacturer, the attraction is one of their "Star Flyer" models.
BrainSurge is a flat ride located in Nickelodeon Universe amusement park in the Mall of America. It is a first park model of Chance Morgan's "UniCoaster" attraction that is located near the center of the park. The ride is based on the game show of the same name.
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).
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, US Thrill Rides cancelled all future Polercoaster locations, after the company went bankrupt.
Martin & Vleminckx is a thrill ride and roller coaster manufacturing and construction company headquartered in Montreal, Québec, Canada with an affiliated office in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, a manufacturing facility in Orlando, Florida, United States, and two subsidiaries, including a warehouse in China.
Ride Entertainment is a firm based in the United States specializing in the construction, sales, service, and operation of amusement rides and attractions.
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 been 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.
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 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 were to 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. In 2020, Lionsgate was originally set to build the complex called Lionsgate World Resort Orlando, which was set to be constructed in early 2021 and was set to open in 2024. 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, resulting in the complex being cancelled.
William Joel Kitchen is an American inventor and business executive. Kitchen is the Founder and CEO of U.S. ThrillRides, Inc. and Thrillcorp, Inc.
