Skycoaster
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.
There are currently over 80 Skycoasters in operation all around the world, ranging in heights from. The ride can be found on every continent but Antarctica. Most locations operate as upcharge attractions with an additional fare charged to riders who have already paid general admission to the park.
Many installations use a variation of the "Skycoaster" model name, whereas others use a custom name like Dare Devil Dive or Xtreme Skyflyer.
History
, founder of Sky Fun 1 Inc., and Ken Bird originally came up with the idea of the Skycoaster in 1992. They wanted to find a way to let others experience the thrill of jumping out of a plane or the thrills of bungee jumping, but with the safety factor of a merry-go-round. By January 1994, there were four portable models of the ride and 16 permanent fixtures in the United States.In 1998, Kitchen sold his patents for Skycoaster and most of the Sky Fun 1 Inc. company to ThrillTime Entertainment International Inc. for $12 million. Skycoaster, Inc. was then sold to the Ride Entertainment Group in 2005.
Ride Entertainment introduced Sky Sled in 2017, a new method of riding a Skycoaster. The Sky Sled replaces the flying position with a sitting one. It was first introduced in 2018 at Fun Spot America in Kissimmee, Florida.
Ride Entertainment has partnered with KCL Engineering to offer lighting systems for the Skycoasters and Kool Replay to offer automated video systems.
Production
The company is based in Stevensville, Maryland. Parts are manufactured throughout the United States, with the attractions assembled on site.The two most common types of Skycoasters are lattice and monopole. Lattice Skycoasters were manufactured in a variety of sizes, but the 53-meter dual arch and 31-meter single arch were the most common. Monopole Skycoasters were manufactured in a variety of sizes, 31-meter single or dual, 56-meter single or dual, and one 91-meter unit. Earlier Skycoasters have some unique tower structures that do not fall within these categories.
Flight cables are made of galvanized steel, which supports, or stainless steel, which supports. However, the maximum weight for a flight is, mainly due to the winch. The 3-ring release system used on the Skycoaster is the same kind used on parachutes. The flight suits worn are similar to hang gliding suits, and are made by a parachute company to support weight of up to.
There are two types of Skycoaster loading systems:
- Rolling boarding platform: A cart is rolled out to and from flight line in order to help the flyers on and off the ride.
- Scissors lift: An elevator-like platform is raised up and down to allow flyers on and off the ride.
Skycoaster installations
| Skycoaster name | Park | Location | Height | Opened | Closed | Details |
| Skycoaster | Fun Spot America - Kissimmee | Kissimmee, Florida | 1997 | World's tallest Skycoaster. Opened on Saturday, November 22, 1997, with an appearance by 82-year-old George A. Blair. | ||
| Sydney Skycoaster | Raging Waters Sydney | Sydney, Australia | 2013 | World's second tallest Skycoaster. Dual Skycoaster and the first with a new design with less steel than other Skycoaster designs. Second Skycoaster with the Village Roadshow group. | ||
| Skycoaster | Fun Spot America - Orlando | Orlando, Florida | 2013 | Relocated from MGM Grand Adventures Theme Park. Only uses one of two former towers. | ||
| Sky Screamer | MGM Grand Adventures | Las Vegas | 1996 | Relocated to Fun Spot Orlando. After closing to the public, the ride was originally retained on property and available for rent by companies. | ||
| VertigoXtremo | Parque de la Costa | Tigre, Buenos Aires, Argentina | 1999 | |||
| Skycoaster | Skyborne | London | ||||
| Skycoaster | The American Adventure | Ilkeston, Derbyshire | ||||
| X-Flight | Six Flags Mexico | Mexico, Mexico City | 2015 | Tallest Skycoaster in Mexico at over tall. | ||
| Skycoaster | PlayCenter | São Paulo | ||||
| RipCord | Worlds of Fun | Kansas City, Missouri | 1996 | |||
| Caribbean Swing | Hurricane Harbor | Arlington, Texas | 1995 | |||
| Skycoaster | Kennywood | West Mifflin, Pennsylvania | 1994 | Single Lattice A-Frame. First permanent Skycoaster installation in an amusement park. | ||
| SkyCoaster | State Fair of Texas | Dallas | ||||
| RipCord | Michigan's Adventure | Muskegon, Michigan | 2002 | |||
| SkyCoaster | Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resort | New Braunfels, Texas | 2002 | |||
| Skycoaster | Lake Compounce | Bristol, Connecticut | 1998 | |||
| RipCord | Valleyfair | Shakopee, Minnesota | 1996 | |||
| Geronimo Skycoaster | Wild Adventures | Valdosta, Georgia | 1999 | |||
| Skycoaster | Six Flags Darien Lake | Darien, New York | 1995 | Opened as "Skycoaster". | ||
| Sky Coaster | Six Flags Over Georgia | Austell, Georgia | 1996 | |||
| Ultimate Rush | Grand Adventure Land | Reno, Nevada | 1998 | |||
| Unknown | United Entertainment & Tourism Company | Shaab Park, Kuwait | ||||
| Skycoaster | Kentucky Kingdom | Louisville, Kentucky | 2001 | |||
| Screamin' Skycoaster | Six Flags Fiesta Texas | San Antonio | 1995 | Relocated to Texas State Fair. | ||
| Skycoaster | Six Flags New Orleans | New Orleans | 2000 | Demolished in 2025. | ||
| Skydiver | Walibi Holland | Biddinghuizen, Netherlands | 2002 | |||
| Dare Devil Dive | Six Flags Great Escape and Hurricane Harbor | Queensbury, New York | 2001 | |||
| Hadikali | Hopi Hari | Vinhedo, São Paulo, Brazil | ||||
| Catapulte | La Ronde | Montreal, Quebec, Canada | 2008 | |||
| Skycoaster | Opryland USA | Nashville, Tennessee | 1995 | Originally opened in park's State Fair area before being relocated within park for 1997 season. Park was closed and demolished following 1997 season. | ||
| Xtreme SkyFlyer | Canada's Wonderland | Vaughan, Ontario, Canada | 1996 | Dual Skycoaster. | ||
| SKY-X | Seoul Land | Gwacheon, South Korea | 2000 | |||
| Sky Coaster | Superland | Rishon LeZion, Israel | 1998 | |||
| SkyCoaster | Wet'n'Wild Gold Coast | Gold Coast, Australia | ||||
| XLR8R | Elitch Gardens | Denver | 1996 | |||
| Xtreme Skyflyer | Kings Island | Mason, Ohio | 1995 | Opened as "Drop Zone", named after Paramount movie Drop Zone. Renamed in 1996 to "Xtreme Skyflyer". | ||
| Dive Devil | Six Flags Magic Mountain | Valencia, California | 1996 | |||
| Xtreme SkyFlyer | Kings Dominion | Doswell, Virginia | 1996 | |||
| RipCord | Carowinds | Charlotte, North Carolina | 1995 | Opened as "Skycoaster". Renamed in 1996 to "Xtreme Skyflyer". Relocated next to Nighthawk in 2014. | ||
| Xtreme SkyFlyer | California's Great America | Santa Clara, California | 1997 | |||
| Dare Devil Dive | Six Flags Great Adventure | Jackson, New Jersey | 1997 | |||
| Dive Bomber Alley | Six Flags Over Texas | Arlington, Texas | 1996 | |||
| Dragon's Wing | Six Flags St. Louis | Eureka, Missouri | 1996 | |||
| Barnstormer | Six Flags AstroWorld | Houston | 1997 | |||
| Sky Coaster | Lagoon Amusement Park | Farmington, Utah | 1995 | |||
| Vertigo | Oakwood Theme Park | Pembrokeshire, Wales | 1997 | |||
| I-5 Sky Dive | Wild Waves Theme Park | Federal Way, Washington | 1998 | |||
| Dare Devil Dive | Six Flags Great America | Gurnee, Illinois | 1997 | |||
| Skycoaster | Wet 'n Wild Emerald Pointe | Greensboro, North Carolina | - | |||
| Professor Delbert's Frontier Fling | Cedar Point | Sandusky, Ohio | 1996 | Originally opened as "Ripcord" in Cedar Point's Challenge Park. Relocated in 2017 to Frontier Trail and renamed. | ||
| Skycoaster | South Pier, Blackpool | Blackpool | 1994 | |||
| Skycoaster | Six Flags America | Prince George's County, Maryland | 2001 | Removed to make way for Harley Quinn Spinsanity. | ||
| Sky Shark | Magic Springs and Crystal Falls | Hot Springs, Arkansas | 2014 | |||
| Geronimo Skycoaster | Frontier City | Oklahoma City | 1995 | |||
| Dive Devil | Bell's Amusement Park | Tulsa, Oklahoma | ||||
| Skycoaster | The Track Family Fun Center | Gulf Shores, Alabama | 1995 | |||
| Skycoaster | Zero Gravity | Dallas | 1994 | |||
| Sky Coaster | Indiana Beach | Monticello, Indiana | 1995 | |||
| Skycoaster | Big Kahuna's | Destin, Florida | 1993 | |||
| Skycoaster | Tusenfryd | Oslo, Norway | 1996 | |||
| Skycoaster | Parque Mundo Aventura | Bogotá D.C., Colombia | ||||
| Skycoaster | Six Flags New England | Agawam, Massachusetts | 1995 | Formerly known as "Taz's Daredevil Dive". Featured a unique curved tower. Replaced with Star Flyer. | ||
| Sky Coaster | Funtown Pier | Seaside Heights, New Jersey | 2007 | Demolished after Hurricane Sandy destroyed most of the pier. | ||
| Boardwalk Flight | Luna Park, Coney Island | Coney Island, New York | 2012 | |||
| Skycoaster | Casino Pier | Seaside Heights, New Jersey | 2015 | |||
| The Skycoaster | El Rollo Waterpark | Acapulco, Mexico | 2015 | single tower. | ||
| Skycoaster | Broadway Grand Prix | Myrtle Beach, South Carolina | 1996 | |||
| Skycoaster | Ozark Mountain Skycoaster | Branson, Missouri | ||||
| Skycoaster | Extreme World/Mt. Olympus | Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin | ||||
| Skycoaster | Andy Alligator's Fun Park and Water Park | Norman, Oklahoma | 2016 | |||
| Sky Coaster | Morey's Piers – Adventure Pier | Wildwood, New Jersey | 1994 | |||
| Sky Coaster | Adventure Park USA | Monrovia, Maryland | 2018 | |||
| Royal Rush Skycoaster | Royal Gorge Bridge and Park | Royal Gorge, Colorado | 2003 | Positioned over a canyon. | ||
| Sky Swing | Seacoast Adventures | North Windham, Maine | ||||
| Skycoaster | Six Flags Discovery Kingdom | Vallejo, California | 2001 | |||
| Drop Zone | Playland | Vancouver, Canada | 1998 | |||
| Ripcord | Geauga Lake | Aurora, Ohio | 1999 | Sold at auction for $85,000, then put up for sale by third-party company ITAL International LLC for $105,000. | ||
| The Slingshot | Ratanga Junction | Century City, Cape Town | 1999 | |||
| Sky Coaster | Joyland Park | Wichita, Kansas | ||||
| Sky Coaster | Morey's Piers – Surfside Pier | Wildwood, New Jersey | ||||
| Skycoaster | Kissimmee, Florida | Kissimmee, Florida | 1994 | Located one mile east of Old Town. | ||
| Parachute Drop | Mitsui Greenland | Arao-shi, Japan | ||||
| Flying Carpet | Tokyo SummerLand | Tokyo, Japan | ||||
| Skycoaster | Orlando, Florida | Orlando, Florida | Formerly known as "Bungee Mania". |