Reverse bungee

The reverse bungee (also known as catapult bungee, slingshot, or ejection seat) is a modern type of fairground ride that was invented by Troy Griffin in c. 1978. The ride grew a following and is now one of the best known rides.[1] Many installations also utilize a reverse-mounted camera that records passengers during their experience, typically available for purchase after completing the attraction.

Not to be confused with bungee jumping.
A reverse bungee launch with the passenger car nearing the top of the launch.
Passenger car immediately after launch.

Reverse bungee rides operate at amusement parks and as stand-alone attractions. Due to the limited capacity of the attraction, most installations are an upcharge and require a separate admission from their respective park.

Reverse bungee rides are manufactured by several different companies. One of the most prominent is the SlingShot ride from Funtime of Austria.

Skyscreamer

The ride consists of two telescopic gantry towers mounted on a platform, feeding two elastic ropes down to a two-person passenger car constructed from an open sphere of tubular steel. The passenger car is secured to the platform with an electro-magnetic latch as the elastic ropes are stretched. When the electromagnet is turned off, the passenger car is catapulted vertically with a g-force of 3–5, reaching an altitude of between 50 metres (164 ft) and 80 metres (262 ft).

The passenger sphere is free to rotate between the two ropes, giving the riders a chaotic and disorienting ride. After several bounces, the ropes are relaxed and the passengers are lowered back to the launch position.

Slingshot

The Slingshot manufactured by Funtime uses steel cables and a patented spring propulsion device rather than elastic ropes. It can use up to 720 specially designed springs, enabling the ride to propel passengers up to 150 metres (492 ft) high at speeds up to 160 km per hour.[2]

Reverse Bungee Installations
Name Park Country Manufacturer Opened Closed Details
SlingShot Canada's Wonderland Canada Funtime 2015 Open Reaches heights of nearly 300 feet (91.4 m).[3][4]
Slingshot Carowinds United States Funtime 2015 Open Reaches heights of up to 300 feet (91.4 m).[4][5]
SlingShot Cedar Point United States Funtime Open Reaches heights of 360 feet (109.7 m). Located in Gemini Midway section of park.[6]
Slingshot Daytona Beach United States Funtime 2017 Located on top of Boardwalk arcade. Removed after larger Sling Shot was added nearby.[7]
Slingshot Daytona Beach Screamer's Park United States Funtime 2017 Open Replaced smaller Sling Shot located on nearby rooftop. Uploads all on-ride videos to the park's YouTube channel.[8]
Slingshot Jolly Roger Amusement Park United States Funtime Open Monolithic structure towers.[9]
Slingshot Kings Island United States Funtime 2002 Open Reaches heights of 275 feet (83.8 m).[10]
Catapult Lagoon United States Funtime 2002 Open Reaches heights over 200 feet (61.0 m)[11][12]
Sling Shot Magical Midway United States Funtime Open Allegedly reaches heights over 390 feet (118.9 m).[13]
Slingshot Old Town United States Funtime Open [14]
Slingshot Six Flags Darien Lake United States Funtime Open Reaches heights of 300 feet (91.4 m).[15]
Texas Gunslinger Six Flags Fiesta Texas United States Funtime Open Monolithic structure towers. Also referred to as Slingshot.[16]
Slingshot Six Flags Great Adventure United States Funtime Open Reaches heights of 220 feet (67.1 m).[17]
Nightwing Six Flags New England United States Funtime Open Reaches heights of 240 feet (73.2 m).[18]


Safety and possible injury

In August 1998, Jérôme Charron died in a reverse bungee ride accident at the Ottawa Exhibition in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada when he was hurled 40 m into the air before plummeting to his death as his harness had detached. In February 2000, the firm responsible for the ride, Anderson Ventures, was fined $145,000 for this incident.

Ordinarily, the bungee cord is changed to adjust the body weight of different riders. The operator in Ottawa instead used a lead between the carabiner and the bungee cord for this purpose. Using a lead is faster than changing the cord, so more rides can be offered; however, using a lead is less safe than switching bungee cords. The problem occurs when the lead cord wraps around the carabiner, tightens and through friction undoes the twisting safety mechanism that keeps the carabiner locked. In this case, the operator was using dual carabiners. On the bounce back up, the lead cord tightened, causing both carabiners to open. This fact was discovered by the Ottawa Police who investigated the death.[19] A video of the incident depicts it.

Provincial inspectors had inspected the ride just 4 days before the incident and approved it, but did not see the lead because it was in a nearby box.

References
  1. Skyscreamer website
  2. "Slingshot Introduction". Retrieved 20 January 2012.
  3. "SlingShot | Canada's Wonderland". www.canadaswonderland.com. Retrieved 2020-01-31.
  4. "Ride Entertainment Launches Slingshot Rides at Cedar Fair Parks Blooloop". Blooloop. Retrieved 2020-01-31.
  5. "SlingShot Amusement Ride | Carowinds". www.carowinds.com. Retrieved 2020-01-29.
  6. "SlingShot | Cedar Point". www.cedarpoint.com. Retrieved 2020-01-29.
  7. Report, Staff. "Daytona Boardwalk's iconic Slingshot ride comes down". Daytona Beach News-Journal Online. Retrieved 2020-01-29.
  8. "Screamer's Park Daytona Beach". YouTube. Retrieved 2020-01-29.
  9. "Slingshot". Jolly Roger Pier Amusements Ocean City MD. Retrieved 2020-01-31.
  10. "The Slingshot Ride | Catapult Rides | Kings Island". www.visitkingsisland.com. Retrieved 2020-01-29.
  11. News, Deseret (2002-04-12). "Lagoon ready to unveil new ride: Catapult". Deseret News. Retrieved 2020-01-31.
  12. "Catapult | Lagoon". www.lagoonpark.com. Retrieved 2020-01-31.
  13. "Sling Shot". www.magicalmidway.com. Retrieved 2020-01-29.
  14. "Old Town Slingshot & Vomatron". Experience Kissimmee. 2017-03-23. Retrieved 2020-01-30.
  15. "Slingshot". Six Flags Darien Lake. Retrieved 2020-01-29.
  16. "Slingshot". Six Flags Fiesta Texas. Retrieved 2020-01-31.
  17. "Slingshot". Six Flags Great Adventure & Safari. Retrieved 2020-01-29.
  18. "NIGHTWING™". Six Flags New England. Retrieved 2020-01-30.
  19. Ride owner admits to alterations, CBC News, 25 May 2000
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