Sky Whirl
Encyclopedia
Sky Whirl was an Intamin Triple Giant Ferris wheel
that operated at both Marriott's Great America Parks.
closed in 1997 and the one in Gurnee, Illinois
closed in 2000. Coincidentally, both were replaced with Vekoma
Inverted Boomerang roller coasters. Both rides are greatly missed, and roller coaster enthusiasts criticized the roller coaster at Six Flags Great America
, called Déjà Vu
, for taking the Sky Whirl's place. Ironically, due to constant malfunctions and down time this replacement ride was not popular with most park guests; it gave its last rides on October 28, 2007 before being removed.
The Sky Whirl ride at the Gurnee park reached a height of 110 feet.
The first of these types of rides, the Astrowheel, located at the former Six Flags Astroworld
, had only two arms and was built in 1969. A similar ride was located at Hershey Park, called the Giant Wheel, however it had two wheels instead of three. It was removed in 2004. A double wheel called the Galaxi was built at Six Flags Magic Mountain
, but it was removed due to space constraints. Another double wheel was built at Kings Island
, but was relocated to Australia
.
The Santa Clara ride was featured in the movie Beverly Hills Cop III
.
Ferris wheel
A Ferris wheel is a nonbuilding structure consisting of a rotating upright wheel with passenger cars attached to the rim in such a way that as the wheel turns, the cars are kept upright, usually by gravity.Some of the largest and most modern Ferris wheels have cars mounted on...
that operated at both Marriott's Great America Parks.
History
It was basically 3 arms with 2 wheels always spinning while one was on the ground loading. It gave park guests a chance to relax and get a cool breeze. It was a ride for the whole family. Today, neither Sky Whirl operates. The one in Santa Clara, CaliforniaSanta Clara, California
Santa Clara , founded in 1777 and incorporated in 1852, is a city in Santa Clara County, in the U.S. state of California. The city is the site of the eighth of 21 California missions, Mission Santa Clara de Asís, and was named after the mission. The Mission and Mission Gardens are located on the...
closed in 1997 and the one in Gurnee, Illinois
Gurnee, Illinois
Gurnee is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States. The population was 28,834 at the 2000 census, and estimated to be 30,772 in 2005. The village borders the city of Waukegan and is considered a part of the Chicago metropolitan area. Gurnee is perhaps best known for being the location of...
closed in 2000. Coincidentally, both were replaced with Vekoma
Vekoma
Vekoma Rides Manufacturing B.V. is a roller coaster and thrill ride designer with its facilities based in the Netherlands. The company was founded in 1926 by Hendrik op het Veld under the name "Veld Koning Machinefabriek" and had first manufactured agricultural machinery and mining equipment...
Inverted Boomerang roller coasters. Both rides are greatly missed, and roller coaster enthusiasts criticized the roller coaster at Six Flags Great America
Six Flags Great America
Six Flags Great America is a Six Flags theme park in the Chicago metropolitan area, located in Gurnee, Illinois. It first opened in 1976 as Marriott's Great America. Six Flags purchased the park from the Marriott Corporation in 1984, making it the seventh park in the chain...
, called Déjà Vu
Déjà Vu (roller coaster)
A Giant Inverted Boomerang is a type of steel shuttle roller coaster manufactured by Vekoma. The ride is a larger, inverted version of Vekoma's popular Boomerang sit down roller coasters...
, for taking the Sky Whirl's place. Ironically, due to constant malfunctions and down time this replacement ride was not popular with most park guests; it gave its last rides on October 28, 2007 before being removed.
The Sky Whirl ride at the Gurnee park reached a height of 110 feet.
The first of these types of rides, the Astrowheel, located at the former Six Flags Astroworld
Six Flags Astroworld
AstroWorld was a seasonally operated theme park located on approximately of land between Kirby Drive and Fannin Avenue, directly south of Loop 610 in Houston, Texas, USA...
, had only two arms and was built in 1969. A similar ride was located at Hershey Park, called the Giant Wheel, however it had two wheels instead of three. It was removed in 2004. A double wheel called the Galaxi was built at Six Flags Magic Mountain
Six Flags Magic Mountain
Six Flags Magic Mountain is a theme park located in Valencia, California north of Los Angeles. It opened on Memorial Day weekend on May 30, 1971 as Magic Mountain, by the Newhall Land and Farming Company. In 1979, Six Flags purchased the park and added the name Six Flags to the park's title. In...
, but it was removed due to space constraints. Another double wheel was built at Kings Island
Kings Island
Kings Island is a amusement park located northeast of Cincinnati in Mason, Ohio. Opened in 1972 by Taft Broadcasting Company and now owned by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, Kings Island is the most visited seasonal amusement park in the U.S...
, but was relocated to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
The Santa Clara ride was featured in the movie Beverly Hills Cop III
Beverly Hills Cop III
Beverly Hills Cop III is a 1994 action-comedy film starring Eddie Murphy and directed by John Landis, who had previously worked with Murphy on Trading Places and Coming to America...
.