When is the last time you went on a double ferris wheel?

We have CP movies at home too, from '63 or so. Unfortunately the shots are more family oriented than scenic. My dad did shoot a sequence of me riding solo in the pink and black Tilt a Whirl. I look very nonchalante.

The Sky Wheel was the first ride you hit at CP back then, it was between the main entrance and the Sky Ride station, and the line was always long. It was centered and the seats faced the Sky Ride giving you a straight view down the midway from the top wheel. Space Spiral was constructed in 1965 along with, I believe, the new Fascination/Games building.

When I was in Florida back in January, I spotted the one at Fun Spot and told my friends how cool they were and that we had to ride it. Still fun.

Otherwise, the last time I rode one was maybe five years ago at the Iowa State Fair (Bluegrass Shows carnival company). Pretty sure they still get one every year. I seem to recall there even being two of them side by side at least one year, but that could be a fragmented memory playing tricks on me.

Nope, doubles were definitely out there. I saw one in Kentucky once and we had one play the Ohio State Fair one year. It seems to me there were only 3 main vertical support legs and the structure was actually built for 2 rides - not just 2 single rides placed side by side. On slower days they would only run one side, but on busy nights with both wheels going at once it was great to see.

Bluegrass used to be known for travelling with their two sky wheels. In latter years they beame one "frankenstein" wheel with one donating parts to the other. There was also one travelling built by the Volare Bros called space wheel. This one was two sky wheels that shared a common center tower.

http://flatrides.com/Ride%20Index%20Pages/spacewheel.html

Not sure if anyone has been around a Belle City Amusements date this summer, but I know they had a sky wheel travelling the southeast, and one of the nicer examples still in operation.

There you go, thank you. That Space Wheel must've been the one I saw in Ohio.

Belle City books on to the Ohio State Fair every year, but it's usually their two Bertazzon Rock and Rolls, their Drop Zone tower, and their Power Surge. I wish some year they'd show up with their Sky Wheel, as we really miss having one.

Anymore the fair committees have a lot to say about what a show brings in. They all like to have as many high grossing spectaculars as possible, as the fair gets a percentage of the take. While the Sky Wheel was considered a spectacular 45 years ago, it's rph figures have made it not very attractive to either show owners and fairs. It's a great "billboard" piece, as it grabs attention from a distance, but gondola wheels have taken that spot for the most part.

That's true, but especially if the show is an independant midway, (Minnesota and Florida come to mind), where you really see the spectaculars. In order to win a bid to play the date they must promise their best pieces. Big A has had the Ohio fair for a while now, with more years left on the contract. Even with combined units and a few booked-on rides, you can count the number of spectaculars on one and a half hands. The rest is your usual assortment of tilts, scooters, gravitrons, tornados and the like. Even the back end pieces weren't great this year, and one dark ride never operated the entire run, as it didn't pass inspection.

We use to have a "thrill zone" with bungee, sling shots, skyscrapers, all that. That is until the slingshot malfunctioned leaving riders dangling way up there on their sides for the better part of the evening. (It was one of those spring-loaded ones, and when it shot up one of the cables went and the other one didn't) After that the fair board said no more, too dangerous, and all that went away. So we are left with a euro bungee, a mechanical bull, and a helicopter that's just plain annoying.

Showmen these days are victims of the economy and gas prices, and it seems lately that if a ride travels with more than 1 or 2 trailers they'd rather not bring it. And manufacturers have listened and followed suit. It's why you see fewer and fewer of the big Mack Himalayas out there and more of the (crappy) one trailer Wisdom versions. Or the Ali Baba instead of the Rainbow. Lots of flash and no ride seems to be the rule these days. Ah, well.

Well I wasent alive but Hershey Park used to have a double ferris wheel

Was Hershey's a double ferris wheel, or twins placed side by side?

ah. just found a picture of it. They we're side by side

With regard to the Ohio State Fair...

Something that the Fair learned the hard way a few years ago...Ohio is a P-O-P state. Even if it would be cheaper to buy tickets, most people buy the POP, and if the POP isn't offered, they skip the midway altogether. So in many ways it really doesn't matter what pieces come. It was kind of disappointing this year to see that not only the one funhouse, but also the Rok N Roll were missing critical components (little rectangular stickers with the number "2009" on them) and the showmen neither got them running nor replaced them with operating rides. And why should they? They are at the beginning of a multi-year contract at a largely POP fair. What incentive do they have to bring the good stuff? Good rides or crap, either way they gross about the same, and they already know they will be back next year.

Incidentally, I did notice a theme this year: three completely different rides (and two different spellings) called "Rock 'N Roll". Plus the MTV Funhouse.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

And two of those R-n-R's were side by side!

Both the Rok-n-Rol and that un-named dark ride were recent purchases, according to my friend who is an inspector. The ride-thru was missing parts, and they set it up and tore it down at least twice hoping to make it right, but no go. I asked my friend if it wasn't some sort of contractual violation to have rides set up that didn't operate, and he said yes, but they always bring extras. So if a ride is down or fails to pass muster it's ok because they were either already over count, or they can set something up quick. And it can be a kiddie ride or anything, it doesn't matter.

Two things did well at the fair this year- food and rides. Merch was down some and games were practically zero. The POP is still a value at 20 bucks, discount advance sales were not available at Kroger this time, but had to be purchased through Ticketmaster!

ooops. Sorry to hijack the Skywheel thread. There's an Ohio State Fair thread under news and we should probably be using it.

The Nebraska state fair had one about five years ago, which is the last time I rode one.

The key to the ride of course was hoping that you were just getting ready to crest the upper rotation as the ride itself began to rotate. I remember riding one when I was about 8 or 9 at the Chemung County fair in Elmira NY in the mid-70s and thinking that it was the wildest free fall experience I ever had. Amazing how some things change....

Rode C.P.'s in 76' and found it alot more terrifying than a zipper. The double wheel mimics the zippers motion but with open cars that feel like they could flip and dump you out on the midway at any moment.

True, which is why I find the Sky Wheel so unsettling. If it operates correctly, and if the cycle is long enough, each chair has a chance to hit the "outside" around each part of the larger revolution - bottom, front, top (scariest), and back. The lucky riders who go over the very top feel their seat pitch far forward, then swing back for a sudden view of the sky and the seats above. Those that go down the front get the double-fast freefall feeling that SVLFever mentioned above. Which, incidentally, is still as scary as it was in the 70's!

janfrederick said:
This and Tobaggan are two flats I've always been fascinated by, but never had the privelege to ride.

I always felt Toboggans look a lot more fun than they actually are to ride so you're not missing too much. There's a super limited visuals and the most exciting part is the suprise of the quick drop after coming out of the spiral. Other than that it's a bit of a snoozer.

I used to think POP was the culprit as well, after seeing the Bloomsburg Fair midway decline over the last ten years. At one time Reithoffer's was under contract to bring no less than 10 spectacular rides for the main midway. This meant once we had the Flip N Out, Giant Wheel, Huss Tornado, Sea Storm Bahn, Tango, etc. Now it seems that Reithoffer considers a Ring of Fire, Phoaroah's Fury, or Century Wheel a spectacular, and we are lucky to see a Chance Slinghot.

I also know as far as Skywheels, Benner's Amusements in central PA used to have one, but after a massive fire at their winter quarters it appears they dissolved their assets and are not out of the business.

phoenixphan :-) said:
http://flatrides.com/Ride%20Index%20Pages/spacewheel.html

Not sure if anyone has been around a Belle City Amusements date this summer, but I know they had a sky wheel travelling the southeast, and one of the nicer examples still in operation.

That is the new vendor at the Iowa State Fair this year.

I think the only double ferris wheel I was ever on was at CP. I loved it. I think parks should bring em back.

BTW, When did CP get rid of Sky Wheel?

Chance-Morgan owns the plans, patterns and the rights, but it is no longer offered in their catalog. They still supply parts on a on order basis the last time I checked. It's probably been at least 25 years since they built one.