Acrophobia (ride)
Encyclopedia
Acrophobia is the name for a free-fall tower ride located at Six Flags Over Georgia
Six Flags Over Georgia
Six Flags Over Georgia is a theme park located west of Atlanta, in unincorporated Cobb County. Opened in 1967, it is the second park in the Six Flags chain, after the original opening in 1961 in Texas....

 in Austell
Austell, Georgia
Austell is a city in Cobb County in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 6,581.-History:Austell used to be known as Salt Springs, and was frequented by hunters who would trap and hunt game on their way to the salt licks. Some enterprising hunters claimed...

. The attraction was designed by Intamin Worldwide of Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

, and is marketed by Intamin's Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein
The Principality of Liechtenstein is a doubly landlocked alpine country in Central Europe, bordered by Switzerland to the west and south and by Austria to the east. Its area is just over , and it has an estimated population of 35,000. Its capital is Vaduz. The biggest town is Schaan...

-based subsidiary Ride Trade. When Acrophobia opened to the public in the spring of 2001, it became the first free-fall attraction of its kind in the world.

History

Acrophobia is the latest version in a long-running series of attractions designed by Intamin that create the sensation of free fall
Free fall
Free fall is any motion of a body where gravity is the only force acting upon it, at least initially. These conditions produce an inertial trajectory so long as gravity remains the only force. Since this definition does not specify velocity, it also applies to objects initially moving upward...

. The first free-fall towers were, in essence, vertical drop roller coaster
Roller coaster
The roller coaster is a popular amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. LaMarcus Adna Thompson patented the first coasters on January 20, 1885...

 rides, although many coaster fans do not classify them as such. One such example was Six Flags Over Georgia's own Free Fall, which was installed in the park in 1983 and removed in December 2006.

The Giant Drop variant improved upon the original free-fall tower in numerous ways, most noticeably in its braking system. Whereas the first-generation towers used standard friction brakes on a horizontal track section to slow down the descending cabins, the Giant Drop uses rare-earth magnet
Rare-earth magnet
Rare-earth magnets are strong permanent magnets made from alloys of rare earth elements. Developed in the 1970s and 80s, rare-earth magnets are the strongest type of permanent magnets made and have significant performance advantages over ferrite or alnico magnets...

s to gently slow the ride vehicle to a stop at the base of the tower. This innovation provided a fail-safe
Fail-safe
A fail-safe or fail-secure device is one that, in the event of failure, responds in a way that will cause no harm, or at least a minimum of harm, to other devices or danger to personnel....

 braking system—no electricity is required to create the magnetic forces—and also allowed for a smaller footprint.

The third-generation Gyro Drop tower kept the key innovations of the Giant Drop and added a new twist, literally. The ride's single round gondola would rotate during its ascent, providing a panoramic view of the surrounding countryside prior to the drop back to the ground.

Attraction design & ride experience

Acrophobia is a significant modification to the Gyro Drop model, enough to be marketed as a distinct version, the "Floorless, Tilting Gyro Drop". Instead of being seated on the round ride gondola, riders are fastened into special harnesses that partially resemble large bicycle seats. These harnesses allow the riders' legs to dangle freely, similar to using a parachute
Parachute
A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag, or in the case of ram-air parachutes, aerodynamic lift. Parachutes are usually made out of light, strong cloth, originally silk, now most commonly nylon...

; hence, no "floor."

As the ride cycle begins, a winch system grabs the gondola and lifts it upwards. Shortly after, the gondola begins to slowly rotate, completing one revolution before reaching the top of the tower. As it approaches the top of the tower, Acrophobia's second innovation is revealed—pneumatic pistons behind the harnesses tilt them outwards roughly 15 degrees past vertical. The intent is to "force" riders to look down and see how high they are. After a short delay, the winch releases the gondola, allowing it to free-fall back to the ground, where an array of braking systems slows it down and eventually allows it to come to a full stop, thus completing the cycle.

Acrophobia is just over 200 feet in height, as evidenced by the FAA
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...

-mandated red hazard beacon at the top of the tower, although the actual drop height of the ride is approximately 161 feet.

The ride cycle begins as the airgates open to allow the riders onto the ride and take their seats on the unit. Once all safety checks have been performed, attendants enter their chained safety zones and give the all clear signal. The Catcher comes down, winches the gondola and begins the ascent to the top of the tower. The 30 seat unit begins to rotate a full 360 degrees as it completes its revolution during the ascent. Once the catcher reaches the top of the tower, the operator teases and sometimes sings to the riders to encourage them to forget about the drop. After a few nerve-wracking seconds the gondola drops to the braking system in less than 3.5 seconds.

Safety systems

Riders are held in place by over the shoulder harnesses with redundant safety belts.

The bulk of these features are concentrated at the base of the attraction; foremost among these is the tower's permanent magnet braking system. Using the principles of magnetism, these brakes slow down the falling gondola gently, yet rapidly, without actually contacting the gondola. These magnets do not require electricity to produce their magnetic fields, and as such they are able to function even in the event of a total power failure. Lastly, a set of hydraulic and pneumatic plungers "catch" the gondola and allow it to settle to the tower base. Like the magnetic brakes, these plungers do not require power to function properly. Acrophobia requires the rider to be at least fifty-two inches tall.
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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