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Rotor (ride)

The Rotor is an amusement ride designed and patented by German engineer Ernst Hoffmeister in 1948. The ride was first demonstrated at Oktoberfest 1949 and still appears in numerous amusement parks. The Rotor is a large, upright barrel, rotated to create an inward acting centripetal force supplied by the wall's support's force. Once at full speed, the floor is retracted, leaving the riders stuck to the wall of the drum.

History

The Rotor amusement ride was designed and patented by German engineer Ernst Hoffmeister in 1948. It was first demonstrated at Oktoberfest 1949, and was exhibited at fairs and events throughout Europe, during the 1950s and 1960s. The ride still appears in select amusement parks in Europe, although travelling variants have been surpassed by the Gravitron.

Design and operation

The Rotor is a large, upright barrel, rotated at 33 revolutions per minute. The rotation of the barrel creates an inward acting centripetal force supplied by the wall's support's force, equivalent to almost 3 g. Once the barrel has attained full speed, the floor is retracted, leaving the riders stuck to the wall of the drum. At the end of the ride cycle, the drum slows down and gravity takes over. The riders slide down the wall slowly. Most Rotors were constructed with an observation deck.

Although Hoffmeister was the designer, most Rotors were constructed under license. In Australia, the Rotors were built by Ted Hopkins of Luna Park Milsons Point. In the United States, two main companies were responsible for production; the Velare Brothers and the Anglo Rotor Corporation. A dispute between these two companies was resolved when the construction rights to touring Rotors were assigned to the Velare Brothers, while permanent-standing Rotors (later becoming known as Chance Rotors) became the domain of ARC.

Appearances

Australia – Three Rotors were built in Australia based on Hoffmeister's design. All had been demolished or destroyed by the 1990s, although a slightly redesigned Rotor was rebuilt for Luna Park Sydney in 1995, which is still in operation.
United States – Several Rotors have been constructed in the United States, since the 1960s. There is only one known fixed location Rotor currently in operation in the United States, which is an SDC Model ride. It operates at Canobie Lake Park in Salem, New Hampshire ("Turkish Twist"). A standard Chance model Rotor still stands at Sylvan Beach Amusement Park in Sylvan Beach, New York, but has not operated since the 2018 season. A traveling Chance Rotor travels with Kissel Entertainment, but no longer features the dropping floor.

Past appearances

Adventureland (Known as "Silly Silo", active 1974 – 2013), Altoona, Iowa
AstroWorld (known as the "Barrel of Fun" 1971 – 1979), Houston, Texas
Battersea Fun Fair, London
Boblo Island (circa 1980s), Ontario, Canada
Canadian National Exhibition (circa 1980's), Toronto, Ontario
Carowinds (1973-1980s, known as "The Oaken Bucket")
Cedar Point (circa 1960s – circa 1970s), Sandusky, Ohio
Coney Island (1970 – 1971), Cincinnati, Ohio
Conneaut Lake Park (known as the "Hell Hole" 1976 – 1992), Conneaut Lake, Pennsylvania
COSI Columbus (1999 – 2011), Columbus, Ohio
Crystal Beach Park (circa 1960s), west of Fort Erie, Ontario
Elitch Gardens (known as the "Mine Shaft" 1989 – 1998), Denver, Colorado
Euclid Beach Park [1957 – 1969] [Cleveland], Ohio
Fantasy Island (known as "Devil's Hole" active 1975 – 1993), Grand Island, New York
Frontier City (relocated from Six Flags Over Texas, known as the Terrible Twister from 1992 to 2014, when it was renamed Tumbleweed. 1992 – 2019)
Geauga Lake (1981 – 1999), Aurora, Ohio
Great Escape (1983 – circa 1990s) Queensbury, New York
Hersheypark (1970 – 1994), Hershey, Pennsylvania
Kennywood – three different rides (1955 – 1958; 1965 – 1972; 1988 – 1994), West Mifflin, Pennsylvania
Kings Dominion Time Shaft (1979 – 1995), Doswell, Virginia
Kings Island (1972 – 1982), Mason, Ohio
Lagoon Amusement Park (1972 – circa 1990), Farmington, Utah
Lake Compounce (closed in 2010), Bristol, Connecticut
Lakeside Amusement Park (1990s – 2005), Denver, Colorado
Nottingham Goose Fair (Mid 1950s to mid 1970s)
Old Chicago (1975 – 1980), Bolingbrook, Illinois
Old Indiana (circa 1980s?), Thorntown, Indiana
Pacific Ocean Park (1960 – 1967) Santa Monica, California
Palace Playland (closed circa mid-1990s), Old Orchard Beach, Maine
Paragon Park (closed 1984), Nantasket Beach, Hull, Massachusetts
The Pike (circa 1960s – 1979 opened as "Rotor", Long Beach, California
Playland Amusement Park (circa 1970s) Ocean City, Maryland
Pontchartrain Beach (1963 – 1983), New Orleans, Louisiana
Riverview Park (Chicago) (1952–1967)
Six Flags Great America (known as Cajun Cliffhanger, opened 1976 and closed in 2000 due to an accident when two girls were injured on the ride, Gurnee, Illinois.)
Six Flags Magic Mountain (1971 – 2008 "Spin-out" custom wood enclosure and observation deck), Valencia, California
Six Flags New England (removed after 1998 season), Agawam, Massachusetts
Six Flags Over Georgia Was called the "Spindle Top" (removed), Atlanta, Georgia
Six Flags Over Texas "Spindletop" (1967 – 1989), Arlington, Texas
Six Flags St. Louis (Known as "Tom's Twister" active 1972 – 2005), Eureka, Missouri
Wicksteed Park, Kettering, Northamptonshire
Worlds of Fun (Known as "Finnish Fling", active 1973 – 2017), Kansas City, Missouri

In popular culture

A scene in The 400 Blows depicts Antoine Doinel (Jean-Pierre Léaud) riding a Rotor. Director François Truffaut is among the other riders.
The 2006 film Candy's opening scene features actors Abbie Cornish and Heath Ledger riding the Rotor in Sydney's Luna Park, while actor Geoffrey Rush watches them from above.
In the 1976 television series Charlie's Angels, the heroines capture a criminal by trapping him into a Rotor ride and turning it on; as such, he became stuck to the wall and couldn't escape.
In the season 4 The Cleveland Show episode "Spins, Pins, and Fins!", after breaking into an abandoned amusement park, Cleveland, Lester, Holt, and Tim become trapped while riding the park's Rotor after Lester, who was supposed to be operating the ride, jumps into the ride to join the rest of his friends.

References

Sources

Marshall, Sam (2005). Luna Park – Just for fun (2nd ed.). Sydney, Australia: Luna Park Sydney Pty Ltd. ISBN 0-646-44807-2.
Historical information boards located at Luna Park Sydney
François Truffaut's The 400 Blows (1959)