Vintage flying scooters soar into Riverside amusement center

Castle Park amusement center in Riverside plans to add a 1930s-era centrifugal force flying scooter ride not found anywhere else in Southern California.

The medieval-themed Dragon Flyers debuts Memorial Day weekend. (Watch the world’s smallest video.)

The eight cable-suspended flying scooter carriages swing outward and upward at speeds reaching 35 mph. Riders control the side-to-side movement of the vehicle via a vertical wing. (Hat tip to Coaster Buzz.)

Flyer Addicts Anonymous, a flying-scooter enthusiast website, counts more than 20 amusement parks in the United States with the vintage ride. California’s Great America in Santa Clara added the Flying Eagles in 2003. (Hat tip to Screamscape.)

Unfortunately, more than 75 flying scooters have been removed or rendered inoperable since the ride’s heyday in the 1940s and ’50s, according to the Flyer Addicts group.

In 2003, Larson International bought the rights and a working model from originator Bisch-Rocco Amusement Co. in an effort to spark a flying-scooter renaissance.

Find the latest amusement and theme park news at the Los Angeles Times Funland blog: www.latimes.com/funland.

— Brady MacDonald, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

[Image: Castle Park]

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 23, 2008 at 6:45 pm by Brady MacDonald and is filed under California’s Great America, Family & Kids, Los Angeles, Palm Springs, Theme Parks. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.