A Rocket Ship revival idea

With all the waterpark stuff going to the old Sea World side a lot of room will be freed up. I like the idea of making it into some kind of retro themed area complete with old time rides and attractions. The Rocket ships or circle swing is as about as nostalgic as they get. At one time they were a park staple and it was a ride everyone could ride which fits well with the family friedlny image Geauga is going for. Years back shortly after they were removed it was stated in the infamous "Inside Track" newsletter that the Rocket Ships were planned to be reitroduced with the tower situated on top of a nostalgic themed restaurant. Considering Cedar Fair's penchant for nostalgia this might work well.

I love the idea. That was always a fun ride, and a good memory that I'd love to relive.

Laura

Keep in mind if the ride WAS to be rebuilt it would be considered new construction and would have to meet the requirements of the Americans with disabilites act.

What does the Americans with disabilities act have to do with building a ride?

The ride had to be handicap accesable.

Any attraction built after that act has to comply with it.

This just doesn;t make sense to me. Is this just an Aurora law?

Why do they have to follow this with only rides and not roller coasters?

They have to follow this rule with all rides and coasters built, basically they have to be accesible for those who physically cannot climb stairs. To comply a lot of rides usually have a ramp as a exit or build a liftavator(evevator) to accomidate these people.

The Americans with Disabilities Act is a federal civil rights act that was signed into law during the administration of Bush Sr. It is constantly evolving, usually the result of legal action,as much of the act as it applies to the amusement industry is somewhat vague. With old rides the term "reasonalble accomadation" is heard frequently. With some rides this is not much of a problem, such as trains ,carousels and some flats. Other rides would depend upon the limitations of the person. New rides must meet the guidelines as they are outlined in the latest version of the Act.

That said, if the platform is large enough in diameter, it would not be impossible to construct a pair of spiral, ADA-compliant 1:12 ramps for the entrance and exit. The remaining issue is that a transfer would be required at the ride platform, but that is typical of any ride.

It could be done. The question is whether Cedar Fair has the will to do it.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

And the will to refurbish what has to be a rusty heap that has been sitting in various locations around the property.

My personal opinion is that if they want to bring back the rocket ships, the only part of the original ride they would probably want to re-use are the rockets themselves. I'm no expert, but I would expect that it would be no more expensive...perhaps even less expensive...to construct a new tower and center than to try and salvage the old one. Besides, building a new tower and center, the park would know exactly what they've got, and know for certain what kind of engineering standards it's built to. Resurrecting the old tower might invoke a twinge of worry in the engineering staff.. :)

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

RideMan said:

It could be done. The question is whether Cedar Fair has the will to do it.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

RideMan- I know during the CoasterCon this past year this question was brought up and the Gm along with the head of maintence stated that if they did bring back the "Rocket Ships" it would be a labor of love and something thatcould be a possibly.

I also know that Lexi Robinson was again asked this question, because one of the cars was used as a display during "The Haunt" this past season, and she said she had not heard anything, but she thought it might be a possiblity.

The frame is not that big a deal. Morgan built the Zephyr for Disney's California Adventure. All it is is a Traver ride on steroids (which in itself causes problems). And the ride is ADA compliant.

The thing is that i can't imagine that the rockets themselves are in any condition to be used. After all, they've been sitting out since '99 with little to no attention.

I would surmise that the tubs were the ones that R.E. Chambers built as replacements for the Traver Airplanes. They are very well built out of good quality steel. While some work would undoubtedly be needed I would be surprised if they weren't salvagable.

Ahh, but the point was, does CF have the "will" revive them? Especially when you consider the current condition of the ride. *** Edited 12/20/2004 12:42:59 AM UTC by gener***

Truthfully, I'd have to say no. It's a low capacity ride that at this time is essentially scrap metal. The same thing happened to the one at Kennywood when the tower was found to be economically beyond repair. That's not to say that it couldn't be done, it's just that it will take a long time to recoup the expense of the rebuild.

Anybody know where they could find three more rockets?

If I remember correctly, each rocket can hold about eight people. That means the ride has the same per-cycle capacity as a Scrambler.

With six sweeps and a larger loading platform, I can think of no reason the ride couldn't run with six rockets. That would give the ride the same capacity as a Wave Swinger.

I keep hearing that this is a low capacity ride, but it can carry 24 adults, and that's the same as a Scrambler, Spider, Kamikaze, Sea Dragon.......

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

I believe the one that was at Kennywood was a six tub ride. They were at one time stored behind the Jackrabbit, but I couldn't tell you now if they're still on the property.