Rock-O-Plane
| Rock-O-Plane | |
|---|---|
 Rock-O-Plane ride | |
| Status | Discontinued |
| First manufactured | 1948 |
| Manufacturer | Eyerly Aircraft Company |
| Designer | Lee Eyerly |
| Capacity | 16 riders per hour |
| Vehicles | 8 |
| Riders per vehicle | 2 |
The Rock-O-Plane is an amusement park ride designed by Lee Eyerly in 1948 and manufactured by the Eyerly Aircraft Company of Salem, Oregon.[1]
It is sometimes nicknamed "the cages" or "the eggs". Its shape is similar to that of a Ferris wheel, but with seats that are enclosed and rock and roll as the ride rotates. If the rocking builds sufficient momentum, the seats will flip upside-down and roll end-over-end. There is usually a manual hand wheel inside that the riders can use to lock the seat and prevent it from rocking. This can be used to make the ride less scary by ensuring that the seats do not rock too much; or to make it more intense by locking the seats at crucial points in the ride's revolution, causing the seats to flip upside down and spin erratically. The minimum rider height requirement is 36 inches.
In the UK, many of these fairground rides are still travelling, and most were imported from the US in the 1980s. Some of these traveling examples have had their standard 'egg' shaped cages replaced with front-facing open cars. These rides are known as "Sky Dancer", "Hi Impact", "The Cages", or sometimes colloquially as an "Egg Roller".
This ride can be found in various amusement parks throughout North America including:
- Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk in Santa Cruz, California[2]
- All Star Adventures in Wichita, Kansas[3]
- Arnolds Park Amusement Park in Arnolds Park, Iowa[4]
- Enchanted Forest Water Safari in Old Forge, New York
- Lakeside Amusement Park in Lakeside, Colorado
- Lagoon in Farmington, Utah
- Oaks Amusement Park in Portland, Oregon
- Sylvan Beach Amusement Park in Sylvan Beach, New York[5]
- Thomas Amusements in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada[6]
- Knoebels Amusement Resort in Elysburg, Pennsylvania
Incident
In 2016, the door of one of the cages opened on the ride at the Morton Pumpkin Festival but no one was hurt .[7]
See also
References
- ^ Lynn, Capi (August 21, 2008). "From the sky to the midway, it's been a wild ride". Statesman Journal. Retrieved September 13, 2011.
- ^ "Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Amusement Park Thrill Rides".
- ^ "Go-Karts, Miniature Golf, Bumper Boats, Video and Redemption Games and more! - All Star Adventures". www.allstarwichita.com. Archived from the original on September 13, 2010.
- ^ "The Rides".
- ^ "Midway Rides at Sylvan Beach Amusement Park".
- ^ "ABOUT US - Thomas Amusements | amusement park | rides |family activities | Newfoundland".
- ^ Luciano, Phil; Kravetz, Andy (September 19, 2016). "State wonders: Why did safety door fly open on Morton carnival ride with little girl inside?". Journal Star. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
External links
- Rock-O-Plane page at Ride Extravaganza
- Rock-O-Plane page at All The Fun of the Fair
- Rock-O-Plane page at Kansas Based Carnival
- Rock-O-Plane Pictures at Ultimate Rollercoaster
