Whirlpool Aero Car
Encyclopedia
Aerial tramway
An aerial tramway , cable car , ropeway or aerial tram is a type of aerial lift which uses one or two stationary ropes for support while a third moving rope provides propulsion...
located in Niagara Falls, Ontario
Niagara Falls, Ontario
Niagara Falls is a Canadian city on the Niagara River in the Golden Horseshoe region of Southern Ontario. The municipality was incorporated on June 12, 1903...
that transports passengers over a section of the Niagara River
Niagara River
The Niagara River flows north from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. It forms part of the border between the Province of Ontario in Canada and New York State in the United States. There are differing theories as to the origin of the name of the river...
referred to as the Niagara Whirlpool
Niagara Whirlpool
The Niagara Whirlpool is a natural whirlpool along the Niagara River located along the U.S.-Canadian border between New York and Ontario. The whirlpool is located in the Niagara Gorge, downstream from Niagara Falls...
.
History
The Aero Car was conceived by J. Enoch ThompsonJ. Enoch Thompson
Chevalier John Enoch Thompson was a prominent citizen of Toronto. He was a politician, diplomat, writer, and businessman. He was born in Durham, England in 1846 and moved to Toronto in 1870 with his six other brothers. Two of his other brothers rose to great prominence. Joseph Elijah Thompson was...
, and built in 1913 by The Niagara Spanish Aerocar Co. Limited, according to the design of Spanish engineer Leonardo Torres y Quevedo
Leonardo Torres y Quevedo
Leonardo Torres y Quevedo was a Spanish civil engineer and mathematician of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.- Biography :Torres was born on 28 December 1852, on the Feast of the Holy Innocents, in Santa Cruz de Iguña, Molledo , Spain...
. It opened in August 1916, and has since been upgraded in 1961, 1967, and 1984.
Near the entrance, there is a plaque which reads:
Technical specifications
The Aero Car is suspended on six interlocking steel cables, each of which is 25 mm (1 inch) in diameter. The car is powered by an electric 50 horsepower (37 kW) motor and travels at approximately 7 km/h (5 mph). In the event of a power failure, a diesel generator safely pulls the car back to dock. It also has a rescue car which holds four passengers and one operator. The rescue car has so far only been used for training purposes.The Aero Car is suspended between two Canadian points, though it crosses the Canadian and American borders four times on a full trip. At each end of the crossing, it is 240 feet (73.152m) high, and in the centre, it is 200 feet (60.96m) above the river. Its span is 1770 feet (539 m). The rapids entering the whirlpool below the Aero Car move at an estimated 35 to 37 km/h, and the flow of the water coming through the river is about 2,800 cubic meters per second (623,000 imperial gallons per second) in the summer months, and 1,400 m³/s (300,000 imp gal/s) in the winter months. From the Aero Car, sightseers can see Whirlpool State Park
Whirlpool State Park
Whirlpool State Park is located in Niagara County, New York, north of the city of Niagara Falls. The park overlooks the Niagara Whirlpool on the Niagara River and the lower Niagara Gorge....
in Niagara Falls, New York
Niagara Falls, New York
Niagara Falls is a city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 50,193, down from the 55,593 recorded in the 2000 census. It is across the Niagara River from Niagara Falls, Ontario , both named after the famed Niagara Falls which they...
, as well as the Robert Moses Niagara Hydroelectric Power Station in Lewiston, New York
Lewiston, New York
Lewiston is a village in Niagara County, New York, United States. The population was 2,781 at the 2000 census. The village is named after Morgan Lewis, an early 19th-century governor of New York. It is part of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area.The Village of Lewiston,...
. From the side or center of the car, one can view the violent motion of the 60 acre (0.25 km²) whirlpool below. Riders may also see hikers on nature trails and fishermen on both sides of the river.
See also
- Incline railways at Niagara Falls
- Niagara Parks Commission People MoverNiagara Parks Commission People MoverThe Niagara Parks Commission People Mover is a bus service in the city of Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. The service links the various tourist sights and attractions along the Canadian side of the Niagara Falls and the gorge downstream of it....
- Niagara WhirlpoolNiagara WhirlpoolThe Niagara Whirlpool is a natural whirlpool along the Niagara River located along the U.S.-Canadian border between New York and Ontario. The whirlpool is located in the Niagara Gorge, downstream from Niagara Falls...