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:828 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.
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.
Cool. I've been told the GMC big-block required to run such a contraption emits both sounds and odors pleasing to the neighbors.
" Junk is the ideal product... the ultimate merchandise. No sales talk necessary. The client will crawl through a sewer and beg to buy." - William S Burroughs
Ha my family rode one of these things in a small town in Mexico several years ago. The carnival was put in a really too small of a town square (it was a small town I can't even remember its name)and the swing was set up on one of the corners of the square.
Small towns in Mexico have no buried electrical service. So when we all got in the swings and the damn thing started, up we went round and round, higher and higher. All was well till it looked to me we were all going to get flung into a mass of high voltage unshielded electrical wires and the frikking pole mounted transformer was wizzing about two feet from out shoes. Sitting in a metal electrical chair that I had bot tickets for me and my family.
And then I started thinking about all the Mexican horror stories and carnival horror stories. Swirling around watch the memenceing wires fly by WAY TOO close to us. And think all this machine has to do is slip a board on its footing and we are all going to look like large Popeye's Fried Chicken.
and - I was soo frigging glad when the happy time magic swing ride with the 13,000 volt transformer additional attraction at no additional cost was over.
This one is electric powered, so you would have to buy a large generator to discomfort the neighbors enough to make them unhappy. I know the power costs are second only to the insurance cost of running these things.
The cost of labor is relatively low in comparison to even the maintanance upkeep costs.
Thesis: Official 9/11 story is an unproven conspiracy theory. http://911truth.org http://Justicefor911.org http://summeroftruth.org Probable-cause standards have been met for an unlimited investigation of unsolved crimes relating to the events of Sept. 11, including allegations of criminal negligence, cover-up, complicity or commission of the attacks by US officials and assets of intel services.
The cost of labor is relatively low in comparison to even the maintanance upkeep costs.
Sure. Rule #1: keep it oiled! :)
" Junk is the ideal product... the ultimate merchandise. No sales talk necessary. The client will crawl through a sewer and beg to buy." - William S Burroughs
I like doing the safety check in the morning. It is fun to climb the mast into the bucket above the swings. You have privacy and can see quite a long way out of the opening at the top.
I have ridden in it -- the bucket -- when we were trying to locate the source of a troublesome sound. Believe it or not, it is scary compared to sitting below in the swings.
One thing too about these things, they leak a great deal of oil and they are pretty greasy too. You use large long paper 'kotex' stuffed in areas around the mast to try to sop up some of the mess before it drips on you, the operator sitting below.
The scariest thing I had happen was a boy unhooking the belt from the seat to the lap bar and sliding out. His Dad caught the action and yanked on a seat chain to get close and grabbed the kid by the shirt and hung on as I lowered and halted the ride.
That could of ended really badly. I sweated like a French whore the rest of the night. I did nothing wrong, but one thing you learn about the overhead personnel at a company that works a midway, they are capible of scapegoating anyone at anytime for anything.
It was a relief when they told me at the end of the day not to worry about the incident.
Thesis: Official 9/11 story is an unproven conspiracy theory. http://911truth.org http://Justicefor911.org http://summeroftruth.org Probable-cause standards have been met for an unlimited investigation of unsolved crimes relating to the events of Sept. 11, including allegations of criminal negligence, cover-up, complicity or commission of the attacks by US officials and assets of intel services.
Rule number two, if you have a 'screamer;' that is a pretty lady shrieking and squealing in delight at the thrill of the ride, make that ride a long one.
I don't know exactly the sociology behind it, but that sure attracts the 'marks' to your line to climb abord to spend 3.50 to ride the Wave Swinger for the two and a half minute ride cycle.
It is well worth the trouble to get as much milage on that sort of rider as possible.
Thesis: Official 9/11 story is an unproven conspiracy theory. http://911truth.org http://Justicefor911.org http://summeroftruth.org Probable-cause standards have been met for an unlimited investigation of unsolved crimes relating to the events of Sept. 11, including allegations of criminal negligence, cover-up, complicity or commission of the attacks by US officials and assets of intel services.
Zipper was best ride ever, taught me everything I need to know about gravity and inertia. Tilt-a-Whirl comes in pale second.
" Junk is the ideal product... the ultimate merchandise. No sales talk necessary. The client will crawl through a sewer and beg to buy." - William S Burroughs
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.
Thesis: Official 9/11 story is an unproven conspiracy theory. http://911truth.org http://Justicefor911.org http://summeroftruth.org Probable-cause standards have been met for an unlimited investigation of unsolved crimes relating to the events of Sept. 11, including allegations of criminal negligence, cover-up, complicity or commission of the attacks by US officials and assets of intel services.
Heehee, quite the coincidence. Great minds think alike. The Zipper is awesome.
Nothing else comes close for creating fear and terror that is quite addicting when riding. I love the Zipper.
The only bad thing though is to get on board as a carny. Your fellow carnys will make sure yor ride in particular is long and made up of every trick and operation nuance possible.
I am hard to scare. But my friend who runs the Zipper for Funtastic has succeeded in terrifying me on his ride. My hat's off to him, he is a master at running that beastie.
Thesis: Official 9/11 story is an unproven conspiracy theory. http://911truth.org http://Justicefor911.org http://summeroftruth.org Probable-cause standards have been met for an unlimited investigation of unsolved crimes relating to the events of Sept. 11, including allegations of criminal negligence, cover-up, complicity or commission of the attacks by US officials and assets of intel services.
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.
If you toss your weight around just right the cage will spin like five or six times as it goes over one of the two large pulleys.
pre 70's version of interactive gaming I guess.
" Junk is the ideal product... the ultimate merchandise. No sales talk necessary. The client will crawl through a sewer and beg to buy." - William S Burroughs
"OMG I would never ride that .. and esp after eating"
At the Lane County Fair my friend who is the Zipper ride foreman had a sweet young thing get on with an open shoulder bag.
He told her, "Sweet heart, put the bag down here by the platform. Nobody will touch it (and he is right, nobody bothers the mark's stuff when they board, it is a core ethic of ride operation) otherwise everything in it will be all over the ground outside the ride by the time the ride cycle is over."
She insisted that it would be OK. He then asked her, "Honey, have you ridden this thing?"
She answered, "No."
He replied, "then how do you know more about what will happen then me who had has run this thing for over a decade?"
Needless to say, everything came out and she had togather up her belongings at the end of the ride. Though she was too embarrassed to gather up her tampons and a battery powered item of a personal nature that also laid out on the midway for the whole world to see. They remained there after her red faced retreat. ;-D
Thesis: Official 9/11 story is an unproven conspiracy theory. http://911truth.org http://Justicefor911.org http://summeroftruth.org Probable-cause standards have been met for an unlimited investigation of unsolved crimes relating to the events of Sept. 11, including allegations of criminal negligence, cover-up, complicity or commission of the attacks by US officials and assets of intel services.
" Junk is the ideal product... the ultimate merchandise. No sales talk necessary. The client will crawl through a sewer and beg to buy." - William S Burroughs