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Volume 2, No. 8. April 26, 2002

New Arrivals

It’s a gyro swing!
Drayton Manor in Tamworth, England, announces the arrival of Maelstrom, April 17, 2002. Measurements: 17.4 meters high (57 feet), gondola swings out to a height of 22.5 meters (74 feet), revolving at 5 rpm, 32 riders. Delivered by Ride Trade.

Originally slated for a celebratory April 9 opening, Maelstrom’s debut was pushed back a week out of reverence for the funeral of Britain’s Queen Mother. With the period of national mourning receding, Drayton Manor rolled out a big bash for its newest white-knuckler.

On hand to cut the ribbon was pop chart toppers Hear’Say, a primary choice of celebrity for a park intent upon building on its primary teen-age market. The band did the trick of attracting a huge queue on an unseasonably warm and sunny day well before the ride opened. Hear’Say led the way for Maelstrom’s first official ride that Wednesday morning, and the queue remained an hour long for the rest of the day, said Edward Pawley, projects manager at the park.

“There was a lot of local interest about the ride, and a lot of people from the city of Birmingham came out,” Pawley said. Maelstrom differs from other gyro rides in that the passengers face outward in suspended seats with their legs dangling. Swinging through a rotation of 5 rpms, “this gives riders the unique feeling that they are flying through the air,” Pawley said.

Though Drayton has made a thrill impact with its Apocalypse stand-up drop tower and Shockwave stand-up coaster, the park was badly needing a flat ride thrill of the nature of Maelstrom, Pawley said. “We’ve got a number of coasters and water rides, but other than a pirate ship that swings we hadn’t had something like this in the park for a number of years.” Signifying the ride's importance, Maelstrom was placed right in the center of the park, becoming something of a focal point for Drayton Manor.