Return of Sky Whirl?

I just got the News Sun this morning and found the article on 4 New Rides @ SFGAm. At some point it said:

The other three rides planned for Mardi Gras include the Big Easy Balloons, a 33 foot tall tower with 12 spinning gondolas...

Could this by any chance be Sky Whirl dressed up a little?

Nope. Its not the Sky Whirl.

Unless I am mistaken, I believe that the Big Easy Balloons is a Zamperla Balloon Race ride. They can be found in many kiddieland sections of parks, and it really is a great kids ride. *** Edited 1/19/2004 4:48:27 PM UTC by Mustang***

Anyone got a photo?

http://www.zamperla.it/scheda_prodotto.asp?ID=441

Is it that hard to search for things on the internet?

Zamperla Balloon Race rides only have 8 "gondolas".

Dorney's Balloon Race

American Adventure's Balloon Race

Or is there a 12 car model?

EDIT - There is indeed a 12 car model. Seems like that's what is going in.

*** Edited 1/19/2004 4:47:59 PM UTC by Lord Gonchar***

I thought that Sky Whirl had been junked?

Boy o boy, what a tease this thread is ;)

Yah, it appears all "removed" three-armed wheels are long gone - not much chance of seeing a "Sky Whirl" installed anywhere anytime soon.

In other words, we won't be seeing this

http://americas.best.vwh.net/mga/sw16.html

anytime soon. :(

I think Sky Whirl was a little taller than 33 feet.

Just a tad.

Yeah, but at least there's still a few out there:

http://www.lifeinkorea.com/Travel2/165

You to can buy the famous Sky Whirl for only $ 525,000 at this link http://www.italintl.com/wheel/w15.htm

Come on, if we all chip in a $ or 2 we will have it in no time.

I think that there are two Sky Whirls out there- the one that was linked to and one other. Supposedly their mechanical bits are a little more updated than the Great America versions and are less troublesome... hence the reason they are still running.