Chain carousel

Ride on a chain carousel

Classic chain carousel for children

Chain carousel Apollo in the Attractiepark Slagharen

A chain carousel , chain flyer or chain prater is a classic type of carousel in which the passenger seats are attached to chains on a turntable. As a rule, seats for single people and a few double seats are used, but there are also occasional crews for several people, which are often designed as small ships or swans. Due to the centrifugal force , the passenger carriers swing out to the side and the passengers “fly” through the air.

history

Chain carousels were among the most popular amusement rides on German fairgrounds from the first decades until the sixties of the twentieth century . The merry-go-rounds of that time mostly attracted attention due to their high tower-like construction. In the 1950s, with the advent of space travel, some shops were designed as globes. Even today, a chain carousel is part of almost every fair.

In 1972 the company Zierer developed the wave flight . This form of the chain carousel is the most common today.

Since 2003 the Austrian company Funtime has offered the highest type of chain carousel in the world, the Star Flyer . On a tower up to 125 meters high, the slewing ring with the seats attached to chains can be moved up and down. There are both stationary and transportable systems. The first model has been in the Vienna Prater since 2004 , and since 2005 a 52.5 meter high installation by the showman Alexander Goetzke has been to be found at German folk festivals . Since 2007 the company has had a second system with twice the number, i.e. 48 instead of 24 seats. Similar attractions are also offered by other manufacturers such as Zamperla and Fabbri.

The Star Flyer in Copenhagen's Tivoli was the largest chain carousel in the world with a height of over 80 meters until the Praterturm in Vienna replaced it as the highest carousel at 117 meters on May 1, 2010 .

Since then, this record has been exceeded in April 2013 by the Eclipse with 120 m in the Gröna Lund amusement park in Sweden, since May 25, 2013 by the Texas SkyScreamer to 122 meters and since May 23, 2014 by the NewEngland SkyScreamer to the current record height of 125 meters.

A modification of the Star Flyer is the Rocket ride , also from the Austrian manufacturer Funtime.

Wave flying at Roonkarker Mart
Star Flyer Lighthouse Tower in Holiday Park
The Praterturm in the Vienna Prater
Star Flyer from Goetzke (52.5 meters high, 24 seats) at the Rheinkirmes in Düsseldorf
Star Flyer from Goetzke (55 meters high, 48 seats) at the Allerheiligenkirmes in Soest in the evening
Rocket at the Stuttgart Spring Festival
At the Munich Oktoberfest
Chain carousel (Dachauer Voksfest 2013)