Paratrooper (ride)

An example of the Paratrooper ride as set up at the Picton, Ontario, Canada fair in 2013.

The Paratrooper, also known as the "Parachute Ride" or "Umbrella Ride", is a type of fairground ride based on seats suspended below a wheel which rotates at an oblique angle. The seats are free to rock sideways and swing out under centrifugal force and the wheel rotates. Invariably, the seats on the Paratrooper have an umbrella or other shaped canopy above the riders. In contrast to modern thrill rides, the Paratrooper is a ride suitable for almost all ages, except for infants and very small children.

Older Paratrooper rides have a rotating wheel which is permanently raised, which has the disadvantage that riders can only embark, two at a time, as each seat is brought to hang vertically at the lowest point of the wheel. Some models have a lower platform that's slightly raised on the ends that could permit the loading of up to three seats at a time. Most of these were made by either Bennett, Watkins or Hrubetz. The German manufacturer Heintz-Fahtze also made larger models under the name of Twister. Most of these rides require the rider to be at least 36 inches tall with an adult and over 48 to ride alone.

More modern Paratrooper rides use a pneumatic lifting piston to raise the ride to its riding angle before spinning the seats. In its lowered position, all the seats hang vertically near the ground and can be loaded simultaneously. The above manufacturers also made these types and the height requirement remains pretty much the same.

Variations

Two girls take the last ride of the day on a Paratrooper.

The Force 10 is a ride made by Tivoli Enterprises that features some of the same motion of the Paratrooper. The Star Trooper is a variant created by Dartron Industries that features seats facing both ways. The Star Trooper's initial design eventually evolved into the Cliffhanger, also made by Dartron Industries.

The same seats for this ride is used in the Swift-O-Plane and the same height requirement is just like in the Enterprise.

Incidents

• On July 31, 1979, at the privately owned Belmont Park in Montreal, Canada, two children were injured when one of the seats separated from the Paratrooper ride and slammed into the concrete base of a nearby lamp post. The entire ride was dismantled shortly afterwards and its ultimate fate is unknown.

References

• All the Fun of the Fair description of the Paratrooper.