Eyerly O-Plane Rides - CoasterBuzz

The O-Planes can get semi-confusing as to which model is which, so to clarify (this is mostly for myself as I always seem to confuse the latter 3):

I'm still pining for that elusive ride I've yet to get on a Roll-O!

I survived a Japanese typhoon and the Togo flat ride of death!!!!!!

No one has mentioned it yet. The Rock-O-Plane at SCBB is in excellent condition and the brakes all seem to work well. :)

That Satellite's been sitting in the same place at Knoebels' for at least the past 35 years. I wouldn't call that elusive. ;)

It has been awhile since I have been to Lagoon but I remember them having an excellent model of the Rock-O-Plane that was always operating.

A long time ago they used to have a Roll-O-Plane model that was just south of the Rock-O-Plane but it is gone now. I remember getting to ride it once and it was awesome! I think I only got one ride because the capacity was aweful and there was always a line for it.

RatherGoodBear said:That Satellite's been sitting in the same place at Knoebels' for at least the past 35 years. I wouldn't call that elusive.

Depends on where you live, RGB.

Note that NONE of these rides are purported to be operating at CP, GAdv, SFMM, SFGAm, etc. To many, that makes them "hard to find"... ;)

Well, many enthusiasts have a habit of looking for the right things in the wrong spots ;)

Education is what they need!

It's not that I haven't been to Knoebels, because I have, but with only 4 hours there and with two of those hours a raging downpour, it doesn't leave a lot of time for hitting all the flats. Plus, with Knoebels being a good two day's drive away, the Satellite is well...yes, elusive. Someday can't come soon enough!

I survived a Japanese typhoon and the Togo flat ride of death!!!!!!

^^ I think it's more along the lines of even *educated enthusiasts*, like our friend thrillerman here, oftentimes find it difficult to spend enough time and effort getting to some of these "remote" parks AND enjoying the bounty to be found...if I didn't have family in Jersey, it's probably safe to say I *never* would have gotten to all those parks in PA. Note to self: Still need Seasme Place... ;)

The bane of being a COASTER geek - not being able to spend oodles of time seeking out exotic flats to ride... LOL! :)

*** Edited 2/21/2007 10:50:57 PM UTC by rollergator***

I rode my first first Rock-O-Plane last summer at Parc Safari near Montreal.Very short line, brake that works perfectly and a long cycle! I loved it. I'll probably go back there this summer just to ride this and the other fun flats.

Goliath Kills said:
The Rock-O-Plane at SCBB is in excellent condition and the brakes all seem to work well.

Seemed like everything at SCBB was pretty much in excellent condition! Too bad I've only experienced that one and then the one I originally lost my Rock-O virginity to in Wichita at ASA.

I survived a Japanese typhoon and the Togo flat ride of death!!!!!!

Loop-O-Planes and Roll-O-Planes each have a capacity of 8. That makes them best suited to small parks and carnivals and this is one of the reasons that the big theme parks don't have them.

Years ago, parks like KW would have rides of this type but as the parks grew, they wanted rides with bigger capacities. Knoebels is a special case being a mid-sized park that never lost touch with its small park roots.\

Rock-O-Planes can hold 16 and I wonder why there aren't more of them around now. I can remember when most of the major traditional parks and carnivals had them. I do know that cable driven vertical ride designs (such as that on the Rock-O-Plane) have been on the way out in recent years because such rides can be tricky to operate. Eli Bridge uses rim drive on its current Ferris Wheels as do the companies that make gondola wheels.

Arthur Bahl

^Well, even though the (theoretical maximum) cqpacity *per ride* is as you stated, remember that Loop-Os and Roll-Os need to load two times per cycle, and the Rock-Os twice as often as that. So the capacity *per hour* is REALLY low....not unlike the Eli Wheels, loading and unloading is very time-consuming.

Certainly that has ALOT to do with their "retreat" into the smaller and smaller parks...

rollergator said:
...if I didn't have family in Jersey, it's probably safe to say I *never* would have gotten to all those parks in PA.

One of the many good things about living in NJ is it's close proximity to PA and the wealth of great parks they have. ALMOST makes up for a lack of parks in northern NJ... ALMOST.

Doesn't beat living in PA ;)

"Life's What You Make It, So Let's Make It Rock!"

The Loop-O-Plane has a one stop loading cycle. In a large park or carnival, however, capacity is still an issue.

No need to worry, gator or thriller, I've never ridden it (Satellite) either.

I'd love to ride a Satellite, considering how much fun a Roto-Jet can be!

The Sattelite(a.k.a The salt and pepper shakers) is a pretty sweet ride. It has a pretty long cycle, Forwards and Backwards. The only problem i have with it is the tilting when it goes horizontal! There is not too much padding on the side, and riding with a partner, you slam into each other. So if you ever go on it, make sure you take someone you really dont like. ;] And another tip, make sure if you go on the skloosh, make sure you get dried off before you go on. Me and my cousin did that one year, lets just say my hips were pretty bruised, but it was still fun. :]

Loop-O-Planes have given way at bigger parks to bigger rides such as Zamperla Hawks which have the same type of movement. Other rides of this genre included Skyflyers and Rangers.

Why doesn't someone come up with bigger rides that have the same action as Roll-O-Planes and Rock-O-Planes?

Arthur Bahl

Isn't a Huss Top Spin pretty much a group Rock-O-Plane?