Rock-O-Plane

Rock-O-Plane at Oaks Amusement Park, Portland, Oregon

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" and known in the UK specifically as "Vinsom". Its shape is similar to that of a Ferris wheel, but with seats that are enclosed and rock and roll as the ride turns. If the rocking builds sufficient momentum the seats will flip upside-down and end-over-end. There is usually a wheel inside that participants 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 don't 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 rides are still traveling 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' usually or in one case 'hi impact'. The ride packs down onto one trailer as the center pole folds down on a hydraulic ram. The arms all fold inwards and the cages are unbolted from them and secured to the side of the trailer. The paybox usually sits on the rear of the trailer.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Lynn, Capi (August 21, 2008). "From the sky to the midway, it's been a wild ride". Statesman Journal. Retrieved 2011-09-13.

External links

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