The Entertainment Developer Ejection Seat, The Technical Park Slingshot and the Funtime Spring Shot

“What Goes Up Must Come Down.”

          This ride was located at Planet Bungee along the Florida Coast in Panama City Beach (two streets away from Miracle Strip Park).  Unlike the Technical Park version this ride was permanent and taller.  Connoisseurs of extreme rides note that this is the only version that utilizes five-point restraints while other companies use coaster-like O.T.S.R.'s that have retractable poles holding them in place.  The simple harness version works best because there is lots of rider freedom and no chance of headbanging.  In addition, the cage is more open so riders can look around at the area below them.  In the case of this ride the view from the top offered gorgeous glimpses of the beach and gulf coast for miles.  

            On my first ride I boarded a little nervous and we were hooked in using the five-point harness.  The two operators backed away and one pressed a button that started tightening the cables.  When they were half-taut the car rocked back a bit and I could feel it straining against the lock.  Without warning the cables stopped moving and the operator pulled back on the lever.  The car rolled forward a foot then took off skyward.  I was amazed how smooth the ascent was and at the top it was silent as I looked into the horizon.  My moments of calm were shattered as the car snapped back towards earth and started rotating.  Each time the rig reached the top or bottom of the cable's length it spun more violently around itself and side-to-side.  As the bungee cords lost momentum we were lowered to the ground and hooked up for the second shot.  The most ingenious thing about this style of ride was a modification that was made at the beginning of the 2001 season on some Ejection Seats.  Entertainment Developer came up with a new launch system that allows the car to be shot two different ways- straight up and at an angle.  Our second launch began with a backwards ascent on a ten foot-long track that ended rather abruptly.  We were again shot up, but the difference this time was that the car came over the top at angle and we did the drop face down, coming seemingly feet away from a snack shack. 

          The Technical Park Slingshot is not found in the U.S. because someone else (Gravity Works, I believe) has a patent on the ride.  It is similar to the Slingshot/Ejector Seats found at many American parks & carnivals.  The towers stood around 100-feet high and the vehicle was shot around 150-feet high.  I really enjoyed this ride because the launch was good and there was a lot of side-to-side tilting and roll-overs.  The restraints were similar to Funtime's and, although a bit bulky, did a good job keep riders in place.  It is too bad there are no Technical Park versions in the United States because I think they could give the current dealers a run for their money.  I hope that they continue to be successful throughout the rest of the world.

The Spring Shot: Funtime (http://www.funtime.com.au)
First Ride:  November 16, 2001  Most Recent Ride: November, 2003

          Since I never saw a sign that had this ride’s official name, I will simply call it by the manufacturer’s generic one.  As I said, the Spring Shot represented only a small "butterflies in the stomach" sensation because this ride really does not do a whole lot.  I simply assumed this was, in essence, a larger version of the ride I enjoyed last spring.  We walked up shortly after riding the skycoaster, one of the people running it said they were shut down and I saw that the car was hung in the air for the night.  He said to come back tomorrow, so we walked off to the coaster a little disconcerted.  Later, as we were approached our car we saw the ride in action once again and were a little pissed off.  So, hurrying over to the booth we waited in short line (it was open to IAAPA attendees, only) and were again told by the same guy that was closed.  Luckily one of the men from the Austrian office was kind enough to say we could ride, so Mark and I stepped in.  One thing I disliked immediately was the O.T.S.R. that also had a large pole coming out in front of it ( 5-point harness is just as safe and light years ahead in comfort).  After being strapped in we waited as the springs compressed and the rig faced straight up- a very nice touch.  After a little while the cables were taut and we were shot up.  The launch was not that intense, just a little faster than a good space shot.  The only unnerving part was when we past the tops of the towers and just kept going, as if our acceleration would never stop.  The cable’s apex was neat as it was dead silent at 350 feet; all I could hear was a little wind whispering in and around my ears.  Overall it was very cool to be so high above the ground and it was so quiet it felt like we were attached to nothing.  After a few more bounces we were held at the (roughly) 200-foot level for a few minutes before the rig was lowered.  I re-rode this ride in February of 2002 and found that it was running a bit better.  The launch was faster and during these rides the ride was accelerating amazingly fast and floored me when we were speeding up as the rig passed the 250-foot tall towers. 

Comparison:

          I found that the versions by Entertainment Developer and Technical Park were more intense than the Funtime one, if only because height is the only factor that seems to play into the Florida version's equation.  I really enjoy the ones which have violent motions both forward & backward and side-to-side.  I have talked to a few people who felt the bungee versions were unsafe, but I never felt in danger while riding them and feel that the bungee-powered rides are not as predictable as Funtime's steel spring-powered versions.  However, there is enough difference in the sensations of the bungee and spring that I would recommend riding both.  Even though the Florida version is not intense, the view from the top is worth the trip on its own.

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