FlyOver (ride)

FlyOver was conceived by Vancouver entrepreneurs Stephen Geddes and Andrew Strang, who wanted to bring a new tourist attraction to downtown Vancouver. They were inspired by the Soarin' Over California ride located at Disneyland and Epcot. They wanted to create a ride that would attract a wide demographic and showcase the diversity of Canada.[5]

In 2013, they, along with financier Aquilini Developments, formed a partnership called Soaring Attractions. The ride is located in an old Imax theatre at Canada Place.[6][7][8][5] Soaring Attractions invested $16 million to develop the ride[7]

On June 29, 2013, the ride opened as FlyOver Canada.[9] The ride takes guests on a virtual flight across Canada, utilizing ride equipment that launches up to 61 people at a time into a 19m (62 foot) diameter spherical screen and employs wind, mist, and scents to enhance the experience.[7][10] It became the largest new tourist attraction to open in the region at the time.[7]

Soaring Attractions then went on to open a similar ride in Bloomington, Minnesota’s Mall of America with the title FlyOver America in 2016. The estimated cost for the second ride was $20 million US.[11][5] The ride opened on April 19, and includes footage of Minneapolis, Lake Calhoun, Red Wing, Alaska, Hawaii, and Maine.[12][13] As of June 8, 2017, the FlyOver Canada film was featured as an alternating attraction at FlyOver America.[14]

In December 2016, Soaring Attractions sold FlyOver to the Phoenix based travel and events company, Pursuit, a subsidiary of Viad Corp.[3][15][4]

In 2017, Pursuit announced it would be developing a FlyOver ride in downtown Reykjavik, Iceland in cooperation with Esja Attractions.[16] FlyOver Iceland opened in September 2019.[17][18][19] In commemoration of the opening, FlyOver Canada showcased the Iceland film at the Vancouver site for a limited time.[20]

In February 2019, Viad announced plans to develop a FlyOver ride in Las Vegas, scheduled to open in 2021.[21] In July 2019, Viad announced plans to develop a FlyOver ride in Toronto.[22]