Orlando Eye
| Orlando Eye | |
|---|---|
| File:Orlando Eye Logo.png | |
 | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Status | Completed |
| Type | Ferris wheel |
| Location | 8401 International Drive, Orlando, Florida, US |
| Opened | • 1st passenger: April 29, 2015 • Official: May 4, 2015 |
| Owner | • Structure: Circle Entertainment[1][2] • 'Eye' brand: Merlin Entertainments (tenant & operator)[3] |
| Height | 400 ft (122 m) |
| Website | |
| https://www.officialorlandoeye.com/ | |
The Orlando Eye is a 400 ft (122 m) tall giant Ferris wheel in Orlando, Florida, US. It carried its first passenger on April 29, 2015.[4]
Design and construction
The Orlando Eye is described by its operator Merlin Entertainments[5] as an observation wheel, because "[t]his is a stabilized-driven (capsule) that gives you a really smooth experience on the way around, so it doesn't feel like when you're at 400-feet, that you're swinging around in mid-air."[6] According to its official website, the Orlando Eye is the first wheel ever to use such a system in combination with a suspended 'ski lift capsule design'.[7]
The wheel was reported to be in the early stages of planning in March 2011,[5] with completion due in the summer of 2014 and was approved by county commissioners in September 2012.[5]
In January 2013, it was reported that the expected opening date had been pushed back to "by Thanksgiving [November] 2014".[8] Erection of the main support structure began in December 2013.[9] In April 2014 it was reported that completion had been further delayed until Spring 2015.[6]
Installation of the 30 air-conditioned passenger capsules, each of which can carry up to 15 persons, began in mid-January 2015, and the last capsule was installed on February 5, 2015.[10]
In mid-February, it was announced that the soft opening was scheduled for May 1, followed by a grand opening ceremony on May 4.[11]
Malfunctions
On July 3, 2015, at around 4:00pm, a few months after operations began, the Eye experienced a technical fault with the system that monitors the wheel position, causing the system to automatically shut down, stranding about 66 riders for approximately three hours.[12]
References
- ^ Merlin Entertainments confirms talks with Circle Entertainment
- ^ Wood, Debra (March 17, 2011). "Merlin Eyes Orlando for Ferris Wheel Project". ENR Southeast. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
- ^ Merlin Entertainments PLC - Announcement of Intention to Float Archived 2015-09-25 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Jensen, Christina (April 30, 2015). "13-year-old leukemia patient becomes Orlando Eye's first official rider". News 13. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
- ^ a b c Cruz, Georgina (January 19, 2015). "Orlando Eye observation wheel set to open in spring". Orlando Sentinel.
- ^ a b Fais, Scott (April 16, 2014). "I-Drive 360: Construction continues on the Orlando Eye". Bay News 9.
- ^ Alava, Andrea (January 20, 2015). "Passenger Capsules Begin Installation". Orlando Eye.
- ^ "Construction to soon begin on Orlando Eye". Click Orlando. January 24, 2013.
- ^ "I-Drive Live: The Orlando Eye Goes Vertical!". Orlando Parks News. December 11, 2013.
- ^ Bevil, Dewayne. "Orlando Eye: All 30 capsules now in place". orlandosentinel.com. Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
- ^ Dineen, Caitlin (February 17, 2015). "Orlando Eye grand opening set for May 4; Harris to Tussauds". Orlando Sentinel.
- ^ "Orlando Eye back open after malfunction left riders stuck". WFTV. July 4, 2015.
External links
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