Volume 1, No. 9. June 1, 2001
It's a Downdraft!
Knoebels Groves Amusement Resort in Elysburg,
Pennsylvania, announces the arrival of Downdraft, May 12, 2001. Measurements:
30 feet tall (9 meters), 60 feet in diameter (18 meters), 30 seats. Delivered
by Dartron Industries, Inc.
The contraption is so bizarre looking
a queue for it formed immediately on the day it was ready for public consumption.
Aside from what it does, it draws attention with how it sounds. "It makes a
really loud noise, a big burst of air, POP!" said Joe Muscato, Knoebels' marketing
director.
Riders sit in five-seat platforms, three passengers behind two, that rest at
the end of large arms coming out of a center pole. As the ride starts, the arms
extend and raise to the 30-foot height of the poll. Once it reaches 15 rpm,
Muscato said, "It does its trick:" the arms individually drop and raise, giving
guests the negative G's they crave.
"The re-ridership has been good. That's always the test," Muscato said. "There
was a little concern there because you can be a little wobbly when you get off
it, like stepping from a boat to land. But people like wobbly."
©2001, Minton Enterprises LLC
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