Title: Wave Swinger, sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride Source:
Mike McCarthy URL Source:http://www.funtasticshows.com/market_frames.html Published:Aug 21, 2007 Author:Ferret Mike Post Date:2007-08-21 20:38:23 by Ferret Mike Keywords:None Views:281 Comments:19
One year before I fell from the tree in 1998, I travelled with Funtastic and operated their Wave Swinger. (Picture of the very machine in header URL)
I ran into several people I knew from Funtastic and got talked into running the ride at the local county fair as the ride foreman was gone with family stuff to deal with.
Flinging 48 people around in a circle on a ride that is a shear delight to ride and that I know well was tiring a way to spend 12 hours a day from Tuesday to Sunday, but I enjoyed it.
We got high marks as a crew which made me happy, as Funtastic Rides has a much higher standard for courtesy, cleanliness and maintanance then any other company I have worked with on and off over the years.
This ride and the giant Ferris Wheel is the keystone rides of Mr. Ron Burback.
If I could afford it and if my back yard was big enough, I'd get me one of these things. They are a gas.
They are very safe; as long as the company uses the right nuts, keys, pins and other hardware to set-up the ride, and do the slough (carny slang for tear- down) properly not damaging or disorganizing the various pieces.
For example, Playland Shows, the first company I worked for often used bent ten penny nailes instead of pins to set-up rides. Funtastic is a company that uses new hardware that is the proper pieces to set-up their rides.
They do careful inspections, and those doing the inspections at set-up are professionals who have no vested interest in trying to shave time or get the process out of the way.
One of the scariest and most dangerous rides o the midway is the Zipper. It is a turbulant and violent ride that empties your pockets, and the door worker often has ringing ears at the end of the day from the screaming of the marks riding the ride.
I would never, ever ride Playland's Zipper, but Funtastic's I would not have any problem climbing into and riding.
They are all well engineered and quite safe if maintained and with competent carnys in charge of them. There is no reason to fear these things if you trust the company who owns these rides.