Skycoaster

A Skycoaster is an amusement park ride, produced and managed by Skycoaster, Inc., owned division of Ride Entertainment Group. On the ride, riders in groups of 1 to 3 are winched to the top of a launch tower and then dropped towards the ground, swinging from a cable tether back and forth until brought to a rest.

Skycoasters can range from 100–300 feet in height. Skycoaster is an upcharge attraction at most installations, an additional fare is charged to riders who have already paid general admission to the park, and so must pay again for each ride. Names for the ride include variations of Skycoaster, along with Dare Devil Dive (at Six Flags parks), RipCord, and Xtreme Skyflyer (at Cedar Fair parks).

Production

The company is based in Cottonwood Heights, Utah. 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 173-dual arch and 100-foot single arch were the most common. Monopole Skycoasters were manufactured in a variety of sizes, 100-foot single, 100-foot dual, 180-foot single, 180-foot dual, and one 300-foot unit. Earlier Skycoasters have some unique tower structures that do not fall within these categories.

Flight cables are made of 5⁄16 inch galvanized steel, which supports 9,800 pounds, or stainless steel, which supports 9,000 pounds. However, the maximum weight for a flight is 850 pounds, mainly due to the winch. The 3-ring release system used on the Skycoaster is the same kind used on parachutes. Each Skycoaster features harnesses that are similar to hang gliding suits. There are three types of harnesses: a blue one, a red one and a pink one. Small-sized guests will wear the pink harness, medium-sized guests would wear the blue harness and the large-sized guests will wear the red harness.

There are two types of Skycoaster loading systems. One is the Rolling boarding platform, a cart is rolled out to and from flight line in order to help the flyers on and off the ride. The other is the Scissors lift, an elevator-like platform is raised up and down to allow flyers on and off the ride.