SkyScreamer
SkyScreamer | |
---|---|
Ride statistics | |
Attraction type | Tower Swinger |
Manufacturer | Funtime |
Model | Star Flyer |
Speed | 43 mph (69 km/h) |
Vehicles | 16 |
Riders per vehicle | 2 |
Height restriction | 48 in (122 cm) |
Flash Pass available |
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. Since 2011, Six Flags has installed SkyScreamers in ten of their parks.
Riders aboard SkyScreamer are carried aloft in two-person swing-like chairs attached to a rotating gondola mounted on a central tower. When the gondola reaches the top of the tower, riders are swung in a wide circle at speeds approaching 43 miles per hour (69 km/h), with expansive views of the adjacent countryside. The ride is marketed to both thrill-ride enthusiasts and patrons seeking a more family-friendly experience.
History
The first two SkyScreamers were announced in late 2010 for Six Flags Discovery Kingdom and Six Flags St. Louis for the 2011 season.[1][2] On May 14, 2011, SkyScreamer officially opened at Six Flags St. Louis,[3] where it replaced the Riverview Racer.[4] On May 27, 2011, SkyScreamer made its debut at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, adjacent to the Medusa roller coaster.[5]
In September 2011, Six Flags announced the addition of SkyScreamer to two more parks, Six Flags Fiesta Texas and Six Flags Great Adventure.[6][7] On January 19, 2012, Six Flags announced that La Ronde would also receive a Star Flyer tower.[8] On May 19, 2012, La Ronde opened their attraction, using the name Vol Ultime (French for "Ultimate Flight") instead of SkyScreamer.[9] On May 23, 2012, Six Flags Great Adventure opened SkyScreamer as part of their new Adventure Alley section, which was based around the idea of retro-style amusement rides.[10] On May 27, 2012, Six Flags Fiesta Texas opened their SkyScreamer in the Spassburg section of the park; season passholders were allowed to experience the ride one day earlier.[11]
In July 2012, Six Flags New England submitted plans to the city of Agawam, Massachusetts requesting special approval to construct a 385-foot-tall (117 m) Star Flyer ride, as the proposed height exceeded the city's height limit.[12] The approval was granted a week later, with an additional conditional approval to build as tall as 410 feet (125 m), in case a competing park built a taller model first.[13] The planning documents revealed that the ride would replace the park's Skycoaster, "Taz's Dare Devil Dive" as well as the former spot of "Catapult".[13]
However, when Six Flags announced its 2013 capital investments in August 2012, the Six Flags New England Star Flyer was not included.[14] Instead, two other parks, Six Flags Over Texas and Six Flags Over Georgia, were set to receive SkyScreamer attractions.[15][16] Six Flags Over Georgia's 242-foot (74 m) version replaced the Wheelie and officially debuted on May 24, 2013, after two weekends of passholder previews.[16][17] Six Flags Over Texas' model, dubbed the Texas SkyScreamer, was awarded the title of the "world's tallest swing carousel ride" by Guinness World Records.[18] Although reports suggested it took this record from the 117-metre-tall (384 ft) Prater Turm in Vienna, Austria,[18] Eclipse at Gröna Lund actually held the record for a period of a month standing at 120 metres (390 ft), 3 metres (9.8 ft) shorter than the Texas SkyScreamer.[19]
On August 29, 2013, Six Flags announced that they would be adding the New England SkyScreamer to Six Flags New England in 2014.[20] The over 400-foot-tall ride debuted officially on May 23, 2014 in the park's North End section.[21]At the time of its debut, New England SkyScreamer held the title for the tallest swing ride.
As part of its 2015 attractions presentation on August 28, 2014, Six Flags announced that Six Flags Mexico will be the next park to receive a SkyScreamer, a 242-foot (74 m) model and the only attraction of its kind in Latin America.[22]
Two years later after the announcement of Six Flags Mexico addition, Six Flags announced that they would be adding yet another Funtime Star Flyer for the 2017 season after a hiatus of building the swing ride back to back. Six Flags America announced on September 1, 2016, that for the following season they would be constructing the tallest ride in the park, Wonder Woman Lasso of Truth a 242-foot (74 m) SkyScreamer.[23] The ride would become one of the first SkyScreamers to be themed to a DC Comics character. Six Flags Mexico rethemed their SkyScreamer to Supergirl in 2018 to be a part of the new theme area the tower was already located in.
On August 30, 2018, Six Flags announced the Six Flags SkyScreamer. The 242-foot-tall ride is set to open in May of 2019 at the newly-renamed Six Flags Darien Lake, as Six Flags has recently re-purchased the operating lease for Darien Lake. The ride is set to be the tallest ride in New York State. The current holder of said title is the park’s Ride of Steel roller coaster.[citation needed]
Ride experience
While the heights of t
Installations
All rides were installed by Ride Entertainment Group, who handle all of Funtime's operations in North America.[24][25]
Name | Park | Area | Height | Opening date | Refs |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
SkyScreamer | Six Flags St. Louis | Illinois | 72 metres or 236 feet | May 14, 2011 | [2][3] |
SkyScreamer | Six Flags Discovery Kingdom | Sky | 46 metres or 151 feet | May 27, 2011 | [5] |
Vol Ultime | La Ronde | 45 metres or 148 feet | May 19, 2012 | [9] | |
SkyScreamer | Six Flags Great Adventure | Adventure Alley | 74 metres or 243 feet | May 22, 2012 | [10] |
SkyScreamer | Six Flags Fiesta Texas | Spassburg | 61 metres or 200 feet | May 27, 2012 | [11] |
SkyScreamer | Six Flags Over Georgia | ScreamPunk District | 74 metres or 243 feet | May 24, 2013 | [16] |
Texas SkyScreamer | Six Flags Over Texas | USA | 122 metres or 400 feet | May 25, 2013 | [citation needed] |
New England SkyScreamer | Six Flags New England | North End | 122 metres or 400 feet | May 23, 2014 | [21] |
Supergirl Sky Flight | Six Flags Mexico | Hollywood | 74 metres or 243 feet | March 7, 2015 | [22] |
Wonder Woman Lasso of Truth | Six Flags America | Gotham City | 74 metres or 243 feet | June 13, 2017 | |
Six Flags SkyScreamer | Six Flags Darien Lake | 74 metres or 243 feet | May 18, 2019 |
Reception
SkyScreamer has been described as being a "classic" and "retro" ride by the press.[10][11] It is marketed as a compromise between riders who prefer roller coasters and similar thrills and those who prefer more family-friendly rides.[10][11] Roller coaster enthusiasts, who are often sought out to sample new thrill rides, have been generally positive about the attractions. Frankie Gobel, a roller coaster fan whose father, Charlie Gobel, wrote a book about their experiences entitled Flying With Frankie: Three Hundred Days in Amusement Parks Riding Roller Coasters With My Son, described the ride as not being "your typical swing set" commenting that "It’s not too intense for Mom or too dull for a teenager. It’s the perfect family ride - assuming your family has a strong stomach."[10]
Gary Slade, the publisher of Amusement Today magazine, said that while SkyScreamer doesn't have the same drawing power as a new roller coaster, it still was the type of ride parks needed to install to keep guests returning.[11] Slade said, in regards to the attraction at Six Flags Fiesta Texas, "I think it's really going to be a huge hit for them."[11]
See also
- WindSeeker, a similar ride by Mondial at several Cedar Fair parks
- 2011 in amusement parks
- 2012 in amusement parks
- 2013 in amusement parks
References
- ^ Brady MacDonald (October 7, 2010). "Six Flags Discovery Kingdom to add tower swing ride for 2011". latimes.com. Tribune Newspapers. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
- ^ a b Evan S. Benn (September 16, 2010). "More rides, more fun: Six Flags to add SkyScreamer". stltoday.com. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
- ^ a b Huy Mach (May 16, 2011). "Video: Take a peek at Six Flags' new SkyScreamer ride". stltoday.com. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
- ^ Six Flags St. Louis (September 16, 2010). "where is the ride..." Facebook. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
- ^ a b Amy Maginnis-Honey (May 25, 2011). "Six Flags launches new ride with support from Travis AFB". dailyrepublic.com. Fairfield-Suisun Daily Republic. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
- ^ Guillermo X. Garcia (September 2, 2011). "SkyScreamer ride to be built". mysanantonio.com. Hearst Newspapers. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
- ^ "Great Adventure, Dorney Park announce new rides for 2012". NJ.com. New Jersey On-Line LLC. September 1, 2011. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
- ^ La Ronde (January 19, 2012). "La Ronde will set the limit in 2012 with its upcoming new extreme tower ride" (PDF). Press Release. Six Flags. Retrieved January 19, 2012.
- ^ a b "La Ronde ouvre ses portes et nous entraîne dans son Vol Ultime!". quebec.huffingtonpost.ca (in French). Huffington Post. May 19, 2012. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e Jacob E. Osterhout (May 24, 2012). "Six Flags Great Adventure debuts new SkyScreamer ride". nydailynews.com. New York Daily News. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f William Pack (May 23, 2012). "New ride screams onto park scene". mysanantonio.com. Hearst Newspapers. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
- ^ Constantine, Sandra (July 23, 2012). "Six Flags New England seeks to build world's tallest swing set ride in Agawam". News Article. MassLive.com.
- ^ a b Constantine, Sandra (July 30, 2012). "Six Flags New England gets Agawam OK to build highest swing set ride in world". News Article. MassLive.com.
- ^ "Six Flags New for 2013". SixFlags.com. Retrieved August 30, 2012.
- ^ Karen Robinson-Jacobs (August 30, 2012). "Six Flags plans to launch world's tallest swing ride next spring". dallasnews.com. Dallas Morning News. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
- ^ a b c Beth Sawicki (August 30, 2012). "Six Flags, White Water unveil new rides". 11alive.com. Pacific and Southern Company. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
- ^ Tom Kelley (May 10, 2013). "Six Flags' SkyScreamer gets you in the swing of things at 24 stories". myajc.com. Cox Newspapers, Inc. Retrieved May 11, 2013.
- ^ a b "Guinness World Records certifies Six Flags' Texas SkyScreamer as 'world's tallest swing ride'". The Dallas Morning News. July 9, 2013. Retrieved July 10, 2013.
- ^ "Officially the world's tallest Star Flyer!". Park World Magazine. Datateam Business Media Limited. June 13, 2013. Retrieved July 11, 2013.
- ^ "New for 2014". August 29, 2013. Archived from the original on September 1, 2013. Retrieved August 29, 2013.
- ^ a b Kristi Palma (June 4, 2014). "New SkyScreamer Ride at Six Flags New England Inspires Photos, Videos, Tears". boston.com. Boston Globe Media Partners, LLC. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
- ^ a b "Six Flags México anuncia emociones de altura con el nuevo SkyScreamer". sixflags.com.mx (in Spanish). Retrieved August 28, 2014.
- ^ "Six Flags America Announces New WONDER WOMAN Lasso of Truth to Open in 2017". Six Flags. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
- ^ "Star Flyer opens in Vancouver". Park World Magazine. August 5, 2011. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
- ^ "Projects". Ride Entertainment Group. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
External links
- Official website for first installation, Six Flags St. Louis
- Attraction model home page
- Amusement rides introduced in 2011
- Amusement rides introduced in 2012
- Amusement rides introduced in 2013
- Amusement rides introduced in 2015
- Amusement rides manufactured by Funtime
- Six Flags attractions
- Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
- Six Flags Fiesta Texas
- Six Flags Great Adventure
- Six Flags México
- Six Flags Over Georgia
- Six Flags St. Louis
- Swing rides
- Towers in California
- Towers in Texas
- Towers in New Jersey
- Towers in Georgia (U.S. state)
- Towers in Mexico
- Towers in Missouri