Hurricane (ride)

The Hurricane (also known as the Saturn 6) is an amusement ride created by Frank Hrubretz & Co. The Hurricane was first created in 1972, and is directly based on the older Saturn 6, which first operated in 1948. Frank Hrubetz & Co was the sole distributor of the ride until 1991, when construction was taken over by Dartron Industries. Hurricanes have been licensed for production in countries other than the United States, although the number of non-U.S. constructed rides is limited.

The Hurricane is nowadays almost exclusively a travelling ride; few if any examples are present in amusement parks as standing attractions. However, several parks have operated the ride in the past.

Design and operation

Six 35 foot long arms are attached to a 40 foot tall central tower. At the base of each arm is a car carrying four people, in pairs sitting side-by-side. Riders are restrained by a locked lap bar, with no divided between the side-by-side riders. Most operators of the Hurricane require riders to be 42 inches tall or more, with smaller riders usually required to be seated on the inner seat of the cars.

The ride starts off at a slow spin, propelling the arms upward due to both centrifugal force and a series of pneumatic pumps housed in the centre shaft. The speed is increased until the cars are almost in line with the top of the tower. The operator will then begin to "bounce" the cars by releasing the compressed air contained in the six pumps, resulting in the cars dropping until both centrifugal force and pneumatic pressure restore the cars to their height. This is repeated multiple times, before the ride begins to slow down.

The ride racks onto a single 48 foot trailer, and can be assembled by 2 people in just over 2 hours.

Variants

Down Draft

Dartron Industries has developed a floorless version of the Hurricane. Known as the Down Draft, the ride uses shoulder restraints to hold riders, and increases the passenger capacity to six per arm, sitting in two rows of three.

Examples

* Australia - Between 8 and 12 Hurricanes; all travelling models.
* United States of America - At least two Hurricanes; travelling models owned by Murphy Brothers, and Spectacular Midways. At least two Down Drafts; a traveling model owned by All Star Amusements and a park model owned by Knoebels.
* New Zealand - 3 traveling models

External links

* [http://www.dartronrides.com/dd.html Dartron Rides page for Down Draft]
* [http://www.ride-extravaganza.com/rides/hurricane/ Amusement Ride Extravaganza page for Hurricane]