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Skyhawk to be swingin' ride

By BRANDI BARHITE
brandibarhite@sanduskyregister.com

SANDUSKY - Cedar Point's newest ride isn't a roller coaster, but it's what guests wanted, said park spokesman Bryan Edwards.

Cedar Point announced Monday morning construction began immediately on a new record-breaking ride after the park closed for the season Sunday.

A $6 million giant swing called Skyhawk will debut at the park May 6. Near Snake River Falls in Frontiertown, the 103-foot ride will be the tallest ride of its kind in the world.

Skyhawk will feature two giant swinging arms, each 84 feet in length, with 20 seats on each arm.

Each set of 20 seats will have two rows of 10 seats, positioned back to back, that will provide each rider with a front-row view.

At the peak of the arc, riders will be more than 125 feet in the area, reaching speeds of 60 mph in both directions.

"It's a different type of thrill," Edwards said of swinging higher than a 12-story building.

People always ask how the park decides what to put in, and it's the guests through comment cards and phone calls, he said.

"There is a misconception that every other year we build a roller coaster," Edwards said. "Some years it is a roller coaster and sometimes it isn't."

Some guests had been telling the park they wanted more thrill rides, not necessarily roller coasters, he said.

"This is a ride that is open to a broader audience," Edwards said.

Although Edwards said the ride is similar to maXair, which debuted at Cedar Point in May, the rides are different.

Skyhawk goes back and forth like a child would on a swing, while maXair swings in a pendulum-like motion.

Edwards said the popularity of maXair didn't play a role in deciding on Skyhawk. He also said the recent mechanical problems with the Top Thrill Dragster didn't keep the park from opening another coaster.

More than 800,000 rides were given on maXair during the 2005 season.

Carole Sanderson, president of American Coaster Enthusiasts, said coaster enthusiasts weren't expecting a coaster in 2006, although are hoping for one in 2007.

Sanderson said she has been on a similar swinging ride, and thinks guests will be pleased.

"It is very, very cool," Sanderson said. " I think they will have a hit on their hands."

Beth Robertson, spokeswoman for the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, said swing rides have been around for many decades.

The earliest rides were modifications of children's swings. However, recent advancements have made them more thrilling, she said.

Skyhawk will use pneumatic technology, similar to that used in Cedar Point's Power Tower, according to park officials. Riders are pushed toward the sky, then experience weightlessness as they reverse direction and go back toward the ground, they said.

Robertson said she expects to see more parks add these giant swings over the new few years.

Edwards said Cedar Point's sister park, Valleyfair in Shakopee, Minn., will get a smaller version of Skyhawk next year. Sister park Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom, Allentown, Pa., already has a smaller version of the swing ride.

With Skyhawk, Cedar Point will have 68 rides. White Water Landing water ride gave its last ride Sunday. The ride is being removed to make room for future improvements, although Edwards said there are no plans for that site yet.

The park's Demon Drop ride is still for sale, Edwards said.

Skyhawk is being built in a vacated area of the park. The park hopes the new ride will bring more people to Frontiertown, which is in the back of the park, he said.

Skyhawk stats

* Two giant arms, each 84 feet in length.

* At the peak, riders will be 125 feet in the air, at a speed of 60 mph.

* The $6 million ride will seat nearly 800 riders per hour.

* Each ride will be 2 minutes long.

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