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| Statistics | |||||||||||||
| Builder | George Sinclair Harry C. Baker | ||||||||||||
| Designer / calculations | John A. Miller | ||||||||||||
| Type | Wooden - Terrain | ||||||||||||
| Drop | 80 feet | ||||||||||||
| Inversions | 0 | ||||||||||||
Ravine Flyer was a wooden roller coaster located at Waldameer & Water World in Erie, Pennsylvania, USA. It was designed by John A. Miller, built by George Sinclair and Harry C. Baker, and was well-known for crossing overtop Pennsylvania Route 832 twice.[1]
It is the namesake for Ravine Flyer 3 and Ravine Flyer II, which opened 62 and 70 years after Ravine Flyer closed, respectively.
History
In the early 1920s, George Sinclair, a roller coaster builder and owner of Meyer's Lake Park in Canton, Ohio, traveled to Waldameer and built Ravine Flyer.[1] It opened in 1922.[1][2]
In 1924, a section of Pennsylvania Route 832, known locally as Peninsula Drive, was built in the ravine that the coaster dove into twice, so two bridges were constructed for the coaster above the road.[2][3][4]
On the evening of August 7, 1938, a train failed to clear the hill following the Peninsula Drive bridge crossing.[5] As it valleyed back and forth in the dip between two hills, 19-year-old Clarence Sersch, riding with his sister, rose out of his seat, either to calm his frightened sister, prevent her from jumping out of the train, or to check if another train was coming.[5][6][7][8] Nonetheless, he either lost his balance, or frightened, jumped out of the train, and fell between 16 feet and 30 feet to the road, after which he was transported to the hospital with a possible skull fracture.[7][9][10] Sersch was pronounced dead two days later on August 9.[5]
Soon after the accident, the ride was deemed unsafe and ordered to be closed, with the cause of the train stalling concluded to be due to a locked wheel assembly or structural issue.[7][8] Then-park owner Alex Moeller stated that no one had ridden Ravine Flyer since the death.[8] It was reportedly condemned and demolished shortly after the incident.[1][8]
In 1996, Waldameer owner Paul Nelson stated that Ravine Flyer had been cleared of any wrongdoings, and that it had only been removed because Moeller's wife, Lydia Ruth, had been extremely upset by the accident.[10]
The coaster's station was converted into the Lakeview Grove picnic shelter, which still stands today.[1][2]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Futrell, Jim (2002). Amusement Parks of Pennsylvania (1st ed.). Stackpole Books. pp. 106–109. ISBN 0-8117-2671-1.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Park History". Waldameer & Water World. Retrieved March 2, 2025.
- ↑ McQuiston, James (April 27, 2016). "The Road to Presque Isle". Erie Reader. Retrieved March 2, 2025.
- ↑ "A very rare #ThrowbackThursday photo here!". Facebook - Waldameer & Water World. November 30, 2023. Retrieved March 2, 2025.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Temple Fullback Killed in Plunge". The Philadelphia Inquirer. August 9, 1938. p. 19. Retrieved March 2, 2025.
- ↑ "- DIES IN ATTEMPT TO SAVE SISTER". The Evening Independent. August 9, 1938. p. 7. Retrieved March 2, 2025.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 "A coroner's jury Friday ordered". The Kane Republican. August 22, 1938. p. 7. Retrieved March 2, 2025.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Silverthorn, Ann (May 6, 2016). "The Story of Waldameer's First Ravine Flyer Roller Coaster". Ann Silverthorn. Retrieved March 2, 2025.
- ↑ "Aspinwall Man Hurt At Waldameer Park". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. August 8, 1938. p. 1. Retrieved March 2, 2025.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Waldameer: 100 Years of Fun (21:50)". WQLN Original Productions. October 6, 1996. Retrieved March 2, 2025.
External links
- Ravine Flyer on the Roller Coaster DataBase.
