Suspended roller coaster
A Suspended Coaster (English " Suspended roller coaster" ) is a roller coaster where the cars are suspended below the track and can swing freely to the sides. This additional movement is possible in this type of web, unlike the related inverted coaster, wherein the carriages are rigidly connected to the chassis, not possible to pass through inversions.
History
As early as 1902 was in Long Beach, California opened a similar ride with Bisby 's Spiral Airship. The first true Suspended Coaster Alpine took flight for the Munich Oktoberfest in 1975, a year late due to technical problems will start operating. The plant was built by the air carriers MBB after designs by Werner Stengel and operated by the Munich fairground Max Decorators, Jr.. The manufacturer who previously had no experience in the aft rail construction, not made for reasons of cost, the rails curve with slope as specified in the engineering design. This occurred during the operation of the system after a short time, due to the high forces in the curves, structural defects. This led to the decommissioning by TÜV according to the 16 days of game time at the fairground. The plant was under construction as a second of this type scrapped. MBB engaged then no further aft construction.
Another little successful concept was founded in 1981 Ohio implemented by the company Arrow Dynamics at the amusement park Kings Iceland, with the Bat. Even Arrow refrained from the rails in the curves inclined to run. Similarly, as already in the Alps - flight Hence, there were very high loads and wear on the rails and the chassis of the trains. Despite many attempts, the vibration behavior of the car, which caused additional problems to get under control, there were often technical problems and the failures of the web. Thus this railway was closed and demolished at the end of the 1984 season.
For the year 1984, a swing Coaster Company Schwarzkopf GmbH in today's Busch Gardens Europe, Virginia was planned. More than models of the trains were never implemented by Schwarzkopf. After the bankruptcy of Schwarzkopf designed by Werner Stengel track layout for the web but was acquired by Arrow for the opened there in the same year track The Big Bad Wolf. Arrow had improved the technology after the experience with the Bat, this railway was closed and demolished on September 7, 2009 due to high maintenance costs.
Car
It is where the legs of the rider hanging on Suspended Coastern both car with soil as well as those free, used as the cars of the inverted coaster. In Arrow and Vekoma cars usually come for four people in two rows used.
Partly also tracks have been converted and equipped with new features without soil. For example, Vampire at Chessington World of Adventures, England or Dreamcatcher (formerly Air Race with aircraft designed as a car) in the Belgian Bobbejaanland. The Bottomless trains consist of cars with two seats in a row.
The manufacturer Caripro builds systems with single-car for two people. There are with Sky Rider Skyline Park a plant with rotating gondolas in which four passengers look inwards to a central axis of rotation. Furthermore, there are in the English Milky Way Adventure Park by Caripro also run as a powered coaster, so having self-propelled cars.
Also, the manufacturer equips its setpoint tracks with single cars. There are Pteranodon Flyers with American Universal Studios Iceland Adventures of a system with two individual seats arranged one behind another, reminiscent of a chain carousel. The other facilities of Setpoint have four seats, the pairs are arranged back to back.
The so far unique Mountain Glider Vertigo by Doppelmayr in Walibi Belgium has bottomless single wagon with a number four.
Manufacturer
The suspended coaster is one of the rarely -built roller coaster types. It was built by the company Arrow Dynamics ten, nine of Caripro, Doppelmayr one of MBB one of Setpoint and three of Vekoma four lanes. Currently, only 22 lanes are in operation worldwide. For 2008, the opening of two new tracks is planned.