High Rides – Parktimes.com

Superman, The Ride

Year Installed: 2003
Last Year Operated: Currently Operating
Section: Tower
Manufacturer: S&S Power, Inc
Other Names and Nicknames:

The park opened the Superman tower ride for 2003. The ride, a three leg free-fall tower, stands 325-feet tall from the ground to the top of the ten-foot tall US flag mounted on the structure. It is one of the world’s tallest free falls rides. At the time that it was installed, it was the tallest structure in the park when measured to the top of the American flag.

Built by S&S Power, Inc. of Logan, Utah, each one of the three legs has three sides. Each of the three sides holds three seats, for a total of twenty-seven simultaneous riders. The ride has a capacity of 1,200 riders per hour.

The ride seats are propelled by compressed air. Riders feel 3.5 g’s on the ascent and a negative .8 g’s on the descent. The cost of construction was estimated at over $10 million dollars.

The Superman Tower of Power was previewed with a media event on Wednesday, March 23rd, 2003. The ride officially opened to the public the following Saturday. Twelve contest winners were the initial riders for the ride’s official opening. Named for Superman, the hero of comic books, TV shows, and movies, the ride followed the park’s practice of naming rides after DC Comic characters.

Air Racer

Year Installed: 1984
Last Year Operated: 1999
Section: Tower
Manufacturer: Intamin
Other Names and Nicknames:

The Great Air Racer was a high swing ride installed for the 1984 season. The ride units were shaped to look like barn-storming bi-planes. Each plane was designed to hold six, with three seats, each holding two adult riders.

After the twelve planes were loaded, a structure rose up the middle of a large tower structure. The planes, each connected to cables, rose in the air with the structure. As the planes rose, they began to spin around the tower. Eventually, the force of the spinning planes forced them to spin further and further from the tower.

At their highest, they were nearly 100 feet off of the ground. The plans reached a spin rate of 36 miles per hour. After a few minutes of spinning, the rotation slowed and the planes began their descent back to the tarmac below them.

The ride was installed by Intamin and cost two million dollars. A sister ride was built at the Six Flags over Georgia park.

It was removed after the 1999 season.

The Sky Hook

Year Installed: 1963
Last Year Operated: 1968
Section: Boomtown USA
Manufacturer:
Other Names and Nicknames: Crane Ride

The main attraction of the original Boomtown was the 190 foot tall Sky Crane Ride. This unique ride was actually adapted from a cargo crane. The ride units consisted of two metal teardrop shaped baskets, each of which could hold 14 guests. Each was attached to a cable at the end of one of the structure’s “Y” shaped girder arms.

After loading, the basket was lifted up into the air. Midway up the height of the structure, the basket stopped and the entire structure rotated 180 degrees. While in that position, the basket rose again, to a total of 155 feet in the air. As the basket rose into the air, the basket on the other arm descended to be unloaded. While the other basket was unloaded and reloaded, guests in the first basket enjoyed a panoramic view of the park below them.

Once the other basket was loaded, it ascended halfway up as the first basket descended. At the half way point, the baskets again rotated, so that the original basket could descend to the dock and be unloaded while the guests in the second basket could enjoy the view.

Strictly speaking, the ride was not “themed” to anything in particular in the boomtown section. It was, however, a unique experience and provided a view of the park unmatched by any ride to that date. It also provided a visual identity for the park from the freeway and surrounding area until 1968 when it was removed and replaced by the Oil Derrick as the park’s high ride.

The ride itself had quite a history, having first thrilled attendees at the Brussels’ world’s fair of 1958. From there it came to Texas. After being removed from Six Flags Over Texas in 1968, the ride was dismantled and moved to Six Flags Over Georgia, where it stood as that park’s major focal point until it was sold to Magic Springs amusement park in Arkansas, where it operated for several years. It was later converted to a bungee jump platform.

During a major remodeling of the Arkansas park it was dismantled and sold for scrap metal.

January 1, 2020 by Davis_McCown (Edit)

The Tower

Year Installed: 1968
Last Year Operated: Currently Operating
Section: Tower
Manufacturer: Intamin
Other Names and Nicknames: Oil Derrick; Derrick

The Tower is a 300 foot tall observation tower shaped like an oil derrick. It first opened for the 1969 Season and is the park’s ninth oldest operating ride. It is billed as “the world’s largest land based oil derrick”, but of course it can not function as an actual oil tower. The Tower is the tallest structure in the park.

The ride was built by Intamin. It was constructed in an area that was a part of Skull Island which contained the Pirate Ship and cave. It replaced the Crane Ride in the Boomtown section as the park’s observation ride. The Crane Ride was closed at the end of the 1968 season.

Two high speed elevators take riders to the tower’s two observation platforms. From there the entire park can be viewed. On a clear day, guests can see all the way to Dallas on the East and Fort Worth on the West. Arlington is to the South and the mid-cities to the North. Telescopes are also available for a quarter for close up viewing.

A railing wraps around the tower at the 100 foot level. This railing is nonfunctional, however, and only provides “balance.” There is no platform at this level.

The top of the structure is 300 feet high; the highest guest platform is 267 feet high and 50 feet wide; the lower guest platform is at 255 feet and is 45 feet wide; the “fake” railing is at approximately 100 feet; the old slide level, which can function as a lower observation deck serviced by stairs, is at 47 feet and is 75 feet wide; the base level is 74 feet wide.

Originally the tower had a twelve lane slide attached to the fifty foot platform. The slides traveled off the East side of the tower, towards the area that is now the roaring rapids. The slide was removed in 1976. The platform and railing are still visible at that level.

In the 1980s, the shoulder high railing system was supplemented with a mesh fencing which caged in the entire observations deck.

The entire elevator system was rebuilt and closed for the 1998 season.

At Halloween, the Tower is decorated with a Giant Ape. At Christmas, the Tower is decorated with a star. In the 1998 season, the Ape sprung a hole and had to be taken down.

The Tower has sister towers at Kings Island in Ohio and Kings Dominion in Virginia. Although the other Towers are shaped to look like the Efle Tower, they are both dimensionally almost identical to the Texas Tower.

Views

Texas Skyscreamer

Year Installed: 2013
Last Year Operated: Currently Operating
Section: USA
Manufacturer: Funtime
Other Names and Nicknames:

The Texas SkyScreamer is a giant swing ride which opened in May, 2013.

The ride is 400 feet high and spins at 35 mph. There are 12 units, with two seats each, for a total capacity of 24. As the swings spin, the circle that they travel in becomes 124 foot wide. The ride lasts 2 minutes, 45 seconds.

The ride is a “Star Flyer” type ride manufactured by Austrian manufacturer Funtime.

JANUARY 1, 2020 by DAVIS_MCCOWN (Edit)

Astrolift Ride

Year Installed: 1961
Last Year Operated: 1980
Section: Texas
Manufacturer: Von Roll
Other Names and Nicknames:

The Astrolift was one of the original rides at the park’s opening in 1961. The ride was a suspended cable car ride similar to rides at the Texas State fair, the San Antonio Zoo, and other amusement parks. The 25 cars provided guests a panoramic view of the park as they traveled up to 55 feet high.

Astrolift ride over Confederate section, looking east towards the Modern section. Southern Palace is large white building in Middle. Sky Hook is in left upper corner.

The 2,100 feet ride traveled across the park from the Modern section to the Texas section. The Modern station sat near where the ‘Escape From Dino Island’ theater is now. The Texas Station was located near what is now the picture center for the Texas Giant. At various times the ride was two-way, allowing guests to return to their starting terminal, and one-way, requiring they exit and the opposite terminal.

While the ride originally traveled across the park, by the time it was removed, expansion placed the Modern station more towards the middle of the park.

Built by the Von Roll Co. of Berne, Switzerland, the ride cost $300,000.

Cliffhanger

Year Installed: 1982
Last Year Operated: 2007
Section: Modern USA
Manufacturer: Intamin
Other Names and Nicknames: G Force

The Cliffhanger was a 128 foot tall “L” shaped tower built by Intamin.

Riders sat in small gondolas which were lifted by an elevator mechanism 128 feet to the top of the tower’s structure. There they moved forward, outside of the lift mechanism, onto an outside track. Once properly positioned, the units were released for a free fall ten floors straight down the tower. Near the bottom, the track gradually curved, changing directions 90 degrees, so that it was parallel to the ground. The car then ran down the parallel track with the riders on their backs until it stopped.

The first of its kind ride cost the park 2.1 million dollars. A Six Flags press release for the ride notes that when riding the Cliffhanger, “the sensation is the same you would feel if you stepped off the roof of a ten story building.” As with the Flume and the mine train, the Cliffhanger was immediately copied.

Front view of Cliffhanger after being renamed.

Later, the Modern section was rethemed as an “Air Force Base and Astronaut training center” as part of the addition of the “Right Stuff Theater”. At that time the Cliffhanger was renamed as the “G-Force”, and themed as an astronaut training mechanism. Even later the ride was renamed as the Wildcatter and themed with the Boomtown section. Despite the fact that the ride became part of the Boomtown section, it was not physically moved. Its location was always on the border between the Boomtown and Modern Sections. Instead of moving the ride, the Boomtown section was simply expanded into the area around the Cliffhanger. The size of the Modern USA section was reduced accordingly.

The ride was intentionally imploded in 2007.