Rotor (ride)

Interior of the Rotor at Luna Park Sydney. The ride is in mid-cycle, and the riders are stuck to the wall of the barrel by the force of friction due to centripetal force. The yellow lines on the barrel wall indicate the level the floor is at during different points of the ride; the higher line is level with the floor when the ride begins.

The Rotor is an amusement park ride, designed by German engineer Ernst Hoffmeister in the late 1940s. The ride was first demonstrated at Oktoberfest 1949,^{[citation needed]} and was exhibited at fairs and events throughout Europe during the 1950s and 1960s. The ride still appears in numerous amusement parks, although travelling variants have been surpassed by the Gravitron.

Design and operation

The Rotor is a large, upright barrel, rotated at 33 revolutions per minute. The rotation of the barrel creates a centripetal force equivalent to almost 3 g. Once the barrel has attained full speed, the floor is retracted, leaving the riders stuck to the wall of the drum. At the end of the ride cycle, the drum slows down and gravity takes over. The riders slide down the wall slowly. Most Rotors were constructed with an observation deck. The minimum rider height requirement for most Rotors is 36 inches with an adult and over 46 inches to ride alone.^{[citation needed]}

All American Rotors were forced to be modified after an accident on Cajun Cliffhanger, which was a historic Rotor at Six Flags Great America.^{[citation needed]} The floor was redesigned with a small plastic guard to prevent feet and toes from being wedged under the floor.^{[citation needed]}

Although Hoffmeister was the designer, most Rotors were constructed under license. In Australia, the Rotors were built by Ted Hopkins of Luna Park Milsons Point. In the United States, two main companies were responsible for production; the Velare Brothers and the Anglo Rotor Corporation. A dispute between these two companies was resolved when the construction rights to touring Rotors were assigned to the Velare Brothers, while permanent-standing Rotors (later becoming known as Chance Rotors) became the domain of ARC.

Appearances

Facade of Rotor at Luna Park Sydney

• Australia - Three Rotors were built in Australia based on Hoffmeister's design. All had been demolished or destroyed by the 1980s, although a slightly redesigned Rotor was rebuilt for Luna Park Sydney in 1995, which is still in operation.
• United States - Several Rotors have been constructed in the United States since the 1960s. Most of these have since been demolished and replaced by other rides, although Canobie Lake Park in Salem, New Hampshire, After having SDC rides rehab their Original ARC model, continues to operate their Rotor named Turkish Twist. There are also Rotors in operation at the COSI Columbus Science Center in Columbus, Ohio (Note: According to the COSI website, the Genorotor will close permanently after September 5, 2011), and the Sylvan Beach Amusement Park in Sylvan Beach, New York. An unmodified Rotor, Finnish Fling, operates at Worlds of Fun. Some notable Rotors in good condition are the Silly Silo at Adventureland (Iowa), Tom's Twister at Six Flags St. Louis (shut down and replaced late 2005), and the Terrible Twister at Frontier City. Another Rotor, with an observation platform, appears at the yearly Puyallup Fair in Puyallup, Washington.

Past appearances

• AstroWorld (1970s), Houston, Texas
• Boblo Island 1980s, Ontario, Canada
• Cedar Point (1960s), Sandusky, Ohio
• Coney Island (1970–1971), Cincinnati, Ohio
• Crystal Beach (1960s), east of Fort Erie, Ontario
• Elitch Gardens(1989 to 1998), Denver, Colorado
• Euclid Beach Park [1957 to 1969] [Cleveland], Ohio
• Geauga Lake (1981–2000), Aurora, Ohio
• Hersheypark (1969 to 1995), Hershey, Pennsylvania
• Kennywood (1955–1958; 1965–1994), West Mifflin, Pennsylvania
• Kings Dominion Time Shaft (1979-1990s), Doswell, Virginia
• Kings Island (1972–1982), Mason, Ohio
• Martin's Fantasy Island (known as "Devil's Hole" active 1975 to 1993), Grand Island, New York
• Old Indiana (80s?), Thorntown, Indiana
• Pacific Ocean Park (1960–1967) Santa Monica, California
• Playland Amusement Park (1970's) Ocean City, Maryland
• The Pike (1960's-1979 opened as "Rotor", rethemed as "Alpine", retaining observation deck), Long Beach, California
• Six Flags Magic Mountain (1971-2008 "Spin-out" custom wood enclosure and observation deck), Valencia, California
• Six Flags New England (80s?), Agawam, Massachusetts
• Six Flags Over Texas (1967–1989), Arlington, Texas
• Six Flags St. Louis (Known as "Tom's Twister" active 1972 to 2005), Eureka, Missouri
• Lake Compounce (closed in 2010), Bristol, Connecticut

In Popular Culture

• A famous scene in The 400 Blows depicts Antoine Doinel (Jean-Pierre Léaud) riding a Rotor. Director François Truffaut is among the other riders.

• The 2006 Film Candy's opening scene featured actors Abbie Cornish and Heath Ledger riding the Rotor in Sydney's Luna Park, while actor Geoffrey Rush watches them from above.

References

• Marshall, Sam (2005). Luna Park - Just for fun (2nd ed. ed.). Sydney, Australia: Luna Park Sydney Pty Ltd. ISBN 0-646-44807-2. 
• Historical information boards located at Luna Park Sydney
• Francois Trauffaut's The 400 Blows(1959)

External links

• Patent at Google Patents
• Rotor page at Ride-Extravaganza.com