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Flying fox (cablecar)
Encyclopedia
A flying fox is a small cable car, often propelled by gravity, and used as an item of child
ren's play
equipment and more rarely for other purposes. The term flying fox is Australian English
and New Zealand English
. In other countries, it can be called a zip-line
. Similar toys are known as death slides (British
). The toy should not be confused with a foxtail
(or fox tail), which is a children's toy consisting of a ball with a rope attached to it, allowing it to be thrown like a sling
.
In South Africa it is referred to as a Foofy Slide.
s attached to the car. The car itself can consist of anything from a simple handle for the passenger to grip or a bucket for transporting small items to a quite elaborate construction, perhaps including a seat, a safety strap or a box with a lid for example.
A flying fox is a common way to return participants to the ground at the end of a ropes adventure course. In past days in the Australia
n outback
, flying foxes were occasionally used for delivering food, cigarettes or tools to people working on the other side of an obstacle such as a gully or river. Australian troops have used them to deliver food, mail and even ammunition to forward positions in several conflicts.
In order to be propelled by gravity, the cable needs to be on a fairly steep slope. Even then the car will generally not travel completely to the end, although this will depend on the load and some means of safely stopping the car at the bottom end is sometimes needed. It can be returned by several means, a line leading from the car to the uphill end being the simplest.
Child
Biologically, a child is generally a human between the stages of birth and puberty. Some vernacular definitions of a child include the fetus, as being an unborn child. The legal definition of "child" generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger than the age of majority...
ren's play
Play (activity)
Play is a term employed in ethology and psychology to describe to a range of voluntary, intrinsically motivated activities normally associated with pleasure and enjoyment...
equipment and more rarely for other purposes. The term flying fox is Australian English
Australian English
Australian English is the name given to the group of dialects spoken in Australia that form a major variety of the English language....
and New Zealand English
New Zealand English
New Zealand English is the dialect of the English language used in New Zealand.The English language was established in New Zealand by colonists during the 19th century. It is one of "the newest native-speaker variet[ies] of the English language in existence, a variety which has developed and...
. In other countries, it can be called a zip-line
Zip-line
A zip-line consists of a pulley suspended on a cable mounted on an incline...
. Similar toys are known as death slides (British
British English
British English, or English , is the broad term used to distinguish the forms of the English language used in the United Kingdom from forms used elsewhere...
). The toy should not be confused with a foxtail
Foxtail
-Plants:*Foxtail , the dry spikelet or spikelet cluster of some grasses** Alopecurus ** Bromus madritensis ** Hordeum jubatum...
(or fox tail), which is a children's toy consisting of a ball with a rope attached to it, allowing it to be thrown like a sling
Sling (weapon)
A sling is a projectile weapon typically used to throw a blunt projectile such as a stone or lead "sling-bullet". It is also known as the shepherd's sling....
.
In South Africa it is referred to as a Foofy Slide.
Description
The cable is fixed at both ends and runs through one or more pulleyPulley
A pulley, also called a sheave or a drum, is a mechanism composed of a wheel on an axle or shaft that may have a groove between two flanges around its circumference. A rope, cable, belt, or chain usually runs over the wheel and inside the groove, if present...
s attached to the car. The car itself can consist of anything from a simple handle for the passenger to grip or a bucket for transporting small items to a quite elaborate construction, perhaps including a seat, a safety strap or a box with a lid for example.
A flying fox is a common way to return participants to the ground at the end of a ropes adventure course. In past days in the Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n outback
Outback
The Outback is the vast, remote, arid area of Australia, term colloquially can refer to any lands outside the main urban areas. The term "the outback" is generally used to refer to locations that are comparatively more remote than those areas named "the bush".-Overview:The outback is home to a...
, flying foxes were occasionally used for delivering food, cigarettes or tools to people working on the other side of an obstacle such as a gully or river. Australian troops have used them to deliver food, mail and even ammunition to forward positions in several conflicts.
In order to be propelled by gravity, the cable needs to be on a fairly steep slope. Even then the car will generally not travel completely to the end, although this will depend on the load and some means of safely stopping the car at the bottom end is sometimes needed. It can be returned by several means, a line leading from the car to the uphill end being the simplest.