I about fell into Fun Spot's fake lake when I turned the corner and saw that Cobra sitting there. It was a mainstay at the carnival thru the 70's and 80's, a lot of them went to hell, and I had taken them for vanished by now. I have no idea where theirs came from ( it was nighttime and 30 degrees when I was there - it was lit but there was no operator anywhere around so I never saw it go)
The "new and improved" version is called Viper, and I got to ride it when it played the Ohio State Fair in 2008 & 9. It's a beautiful ride, but the ride action itself didn't quite have the punch of it's predicessor. The base has a hydrolic lift, which is nice for simultaneous loading, but the cars were stopped from swinging out for some reason, causing extreme and rather uncomfortable lateral forces. I asked the woman (who with her husband operated the piece) about that and she said something like, "oh, no, they can't make em swing out - that would be too much." Whatever-I didn't like it nearly as well as the old Cobra.
Great old footage of a Chance Radar.
Looks kinda intimidating with those simple seats! I'd love to ride one.
(Note: this ride has the same structure and motion as the much talked about Chance Turbo, but with simple Ferris-wheel-like seats.)
I've ridden a Chance Radar more then 100 times, and they were incredibly fun. The ride ops would let you rock seat until your hearts content, and it made for a wild ride. A local park Willow Mills Amusement Park in Mechanicsburg, PA had the ride, and it operated up until they closed in the early 80's. I was only 7 - 10 years old at the time, and I can't really recall them having a height requirement on the ride. At that age I was able to ride by myself.
I know that many on here are more familiar with Williams Grove Amusement Park that closed in the 90's. In the 70's & 80's those 2 parks were extremely competitive. Those 2 little parks were so much fun at the time that my family never really went to Hersheypark. Oh how times have changed.
You must be logged in to post