 | This article needs additional citations for verification .(March 2012) |
The Wipeout and Trabant are models of amusement rides manufactured by Chance Rides. Often seen at fairs and traveling carnivals, their design consists of a giant wheel which tilts at a steep angle, fluctuates in a wavelike manner, and spins at various speeds. There is a motor underneath the ride that makes both of these rides raise up and down.
Carl Sedlmayr of Royal American Shows discovered the Trabant (German for satellite) in Germany. He purchased the manufacturing rights from the young German man who invented it, and approached Harold Chance of Chance Industries to build the ride. Chance saw the potential in the ride, made it flashier by adding lights and colorful panels, and mounted it on a trailer so it would be portable. [1] The first ride was sold in 1963 and it became very popular with traveling showmen. Chance eventually started producing a permanent model that was not mounted to a trailer. The ride was also available in a number of different themes such as Mexican Sombrero, Wagon Wheel, and Roulette Wheel. Chance sold 254 Trabant rides between 1963 and 1990. [1] In 1991 Chance introduced the Wipeout, an updated version of the Trabant that has seating that faces in both directions and has the ability to spin faster than a Trabant.
During the duration of the ride, the ride changes speeds. When the ride is fluctuating in its wavelike manner, the person will feel like the ride is not going that fast. However, when the ride is almost over, the person will feel forces on their body, and get pushed toward the outside of the cars. This happens when the ride starts lowering to the ground in a non-wavelike manner.
Both the Trabant and Wipeout move forward and backward. Because the forces experienced on the ride can cause a rider to move sideways and potentially slip under the lap bar if riding alone, riders must be seated in pairs (sharing a lap bar). Most parks and carnivals require that riders be a minimum of 42 inches [107 cm] tall with an adult, and 48 inches [123 cm] tall without an adult.
The Wipeout can accommodate up to 40 people. Seating consists of 10 groups of four seats each. Each group seats a pair of riders on the left and another pair on the right.
There are only 2 traveling Trabants in the UK, The oldest one known as Craig Murray's Super Satellite available for hire only from Bounce Time. Originally built in America in 1961 by Chance Rides and now fully restored and in excellent working condition.
The original one sent to Australia (built by Bennett) is still traveling and still provides significant competition for some of the newest rides.
Inners Shows out of Franklinton, NC, have and operate a traveling Trabant named the Drive-In at fairs and festivals up and down the East Coast.
James Gang Amusements out of Andalusia, Alabama have and operate a Trabant under its original name. Their route includes Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee and Indiana.
El Sombrero at Six Flags Over Texas is a portable Trabant that was installed in 1965. [2] In 2006, the ride was moved from its previous location, removed from the trailer, and given a complete overhaul. It is one of the oldest operating Trabant rides at a permanent amusement park.
Other appearances include:
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.
Dreamworld is a theme park and zoo situated on the Gold Coast in Queensland. It is Australia's biggest theme park with over 40 rides and attractions.
The swing ride or chair swing ride is an amusement ride that is a variation on the carousel in which the seats are suspended from the rotating top of the carousel. On some versions, particularly on the Wave Swingers, the rotating top of the carousel also tilts for additional variations of motion.
The Giant Drop is a drop tower ride located at the Dreamworld theme park on the Gold Coast, Australia. Manufactured by Intamin, the ride was added in December 1998 to the existing Dreamworld Tower which housed the Tower of Terror. For fourteen years, The Giant Drop held the record for the tallest drop tower in the world.
The Rotor is an amusement ride designed and patented by German engineer Ernst Hoffmeister in 1948. The ride was first demonstrated at Oktoberfest 1949 and still appears in numerous amusement parks. The Rotor is a large, upright barrel, rotated to create an inward acting centripetal force supplied by the wall's support's force. Once at full speed, the floor is retracted, leaving the riders stuck to the wall of the drum.
The Dreamworld Tower is a 119-metre-high (390 ft) tower located in the Dreamworld theme park on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. The Giant Drop and the former Tower of Terror II uses this tower.
The Tower of Terror II was a steel shuttle roller coaster located at the Dreamworld amusement park on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. When the Tower of Terror opened on 23 January 1997, it was the first roller coaster in the world to reach 100 miles per hour (160 km/h), making it the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world of its time. The ride was situated on the Dreamworld Tower, which also houses The Giant Drop free fall ride. The ride was originally known as the Tower of Terror until it was modified and relaunched in September 2010 as Tower of Terror II.
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 Rides Manufacturing is a roller coaster and amusement ride manufacturer. The 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.
The Gold Coaster is a steel roller coaster operating at Dreamworld. The roller coaster is one of the tallest in the Southern Hemisphere, after originally being the tallest when it was first built. Designed by Arrow Dynamics, built in Melbourne by Able Leisure Pty. Ltd the ride was originally installed at Luna Park Sydney in 1995 as the Big Dipper before being sold and relocated to Dreamworld on the Gold Coast in 2001. When it was brought to Dreamworld, the ride was the first roller coaster to be opened on the Gold Coast since 1997. The roller coaster was named Cyclone from 2001 until 2015 when it was refurbished and named Hot Wheels SideWinder as part of the new Motorsport Experience themed land from 2015 to 2020.
Funfields is a 15.7-hectare (39-acre) theme park located in the suburban fringe town of Whittlesea, approximately 40 kilometres (25 mi) north of Melbourne, Australia. Opened in 1985, originally as the Alpine Toboggan Park, it has over the years evolved into a multifaceted theme park encompassing a wide variety of wet and dry attractions, and is one of four major theme parks in Victoria. Due to Melbourne's climate and the water related nature of several of its attractions, the park closes during the colder winter months. Its newest attractions have been the Supanova water slide in December 2022, a heated outdoor wave pool, named Volcano Beach, in December 2018, the Gravity Wave water slide, and the Voodoo pendulum ride, both of which opened in October 2017.
The Claw is an Intamin Gyro Swing located at Dreamworld on the Gold Coast, Australia. The ride opened in September 2004 after months of construction and advertising.
The Wipeout was a Vekoma Waikiki Wave Super Flip at Dreamworld on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. The opening of this ride in 1993 caused part of Country Fair to be rethemed to Ocean Parade.
Ocean Parade is a themed land at the Dreamworld amusement park on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. It features 3 of the Big 7 Thrill Rides at Dreamworld, The Claw, The Gold Coaster and Tail Spin, which are within close proximity of each other. Ocean Parade has an Australian beach culture theme, and has beach-themed rides scattered around the area. It currently provides a link between Main Street, Kenny and Belinda's Dreamland, and the adjacent water park WhiteWater World.
ABC Kids World was a themed land at the Dreamworld amusement park on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. The area was dedicated to the shows and characters from various shows that air on ABC Kids.
The history of Dreamworld dates back to the mid-1970s when John Longhurst envisioned the future theme park. After a seven-year construction period, Dreamworld officially opened to the public on 15 December 1981. Now owned by publicly listed Ardent Leisure, the park has seen many expansions, closures and replacements over its 30-year history.
Burnout is a Chance Rides Trabant amusement ride at Funfields. It was originally located at Dreamworld on the Gold Coast from 1983 until 2012 where it was known as the Roulette and Stingray. The ride was rethemed and relocated to Funfields in time for an opening on 23 November 2012.
Tail Spin is a Gerstlauer Sky Fly flat ride located within the Ocean Parade section of the Dreamworld amusement park on the Gold Coast, Australia. The ride began operation on 20 September 2014 as the replacement of Reef Diver.
The Big Red Car Ride was a dark ride that takes 6 guests at a time on a 120-metre (390 ft) car journey through the Wiggles' house. The house features Wag's Kennel, Henry's Underwater Big Band, and Dorothy's rosy garden. The attraction opened with Wiggles World on 17 September 2005 and closed on 12 August 2020.
9. https://poorjackamusements.com/ride-details.asp?rideID=18
