science

Skycoaster

Skycoaster is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Skycoaster rather than just read about it. In short: Skycoaster is the name of a free-fall and flight-simulating amusement park attraction produced and managed by Skycoaster Company, LLC.. On the Skycoaster, riders in groups of 1 to 3 are harnessed in specialized hang gliding suits referred to as "Flight Suits" (in a face-down, prone position), and are winched to the top of a launch tower; the riders then pull a ripcord to engage their “flight”, upon which they swing…

Key takeaways

Skycoaster belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Skycoaster to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Skycoaster from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Skycoaster is the name of a free-fall and flight-simulating amusement park attraction produced and managed by Skycoaster Company, LLC.. On the Skycoaster, riders in groups of 1 to 3 are harnessed in specialized hang gliding suits referred to as "Flight Suits" (in a face-down, prone position), and are winched to the top of a launch tower; the riders then pull a ripcord to engage their “flight”, upon which they swing several times from a cable tether, back and forth, until finally brought to a rest. The attraction is often compared to a combination of skydiving, bungee jumping, and hang gliding. There are currently over 80 Skycoasters in operation all around the world, ranging in heights from 30–91 metres (100–300 ft). The ride can be found on every continent but Antarctica. Most locations operate as upcharge attractions with an additional fare charged to riders who have already paid general admission to the park. Many installations use a variation of the "Skycoaster" model name, whereas others use a custom name like Dare Devil Dive or Xtreme Skyflyer (both found at several Six Flags parks).

History William Kitchen, founder of Sky Fun 1 Inc., and Ken Bird originally came up with the idea of the Skycoaster in 1992. They wanted to find a way to let others experience the thrill of jumping out of a plane or the thrills of bungee jumping, but with the safety factor of a merry-go-round. By January 1994, there were four portable models of the ride and 16 permanent fixtures in the United States. In 1998, Kitchen sold his patents for Skycoaster and most of the Sky Fun 1 Inc. company to ThrillTime Entertainment International Inc. for $12 million. Skycoaster, Inc. was then sold to the Ride Entertainment Group in 2005. Ride Entertainment introduced Sky Sled in 2017, a new method of riding a Skycoaster. The Sky Sled replaces the prone flying position with a sitting one. It was first introduced in 2018 at Fun Spot America in Kissimmee, Florida. Ride Entertainment has partnered with KCL Engineering to offer lighting systems for the Skycoasters and Kool Replay to offer automated video systems.

Production The company is based in Stevensville, Maryland. Parts are manufactured throughout the United States, with the attractions assembled on site. The two most common types of Skycoasters are lattice and monopole. Lattice Skycoasters were manufactured in a variety of sizes, but the 53-meter (173 ft) dual arch and 31-meter (100 foot) single arch were the most common. Monopole Skycoasters were manufactured in a variety of sizes, 31-meter (100-foot) single or dual, 56-meter (180-foot) single or dual, and one 91-meter (300-foot) unit. Earlier Skycoasters have some unique tower structures that do not fall within these categories. Flight cables are made of 8 millimetres (5⁄16 in) galvanized steel, which supports 4,445 kilograms (9,800 lb), or stainless steel, which supports 4,082 kilograms (9,000 lb). However, the maximum weight for a flight is 386 kilograms (850 lb), mainly due to the winch. The 3-ring release system used on the Skycoaster is the same kind used on parachutes. The flight suits worn are similar to hang gliding suits, and are made by a parachute company to support weight of up to 4,535 kilograms (10,000 lb). There are two types of Skycoaster loading systems:

Rolling boarding platform: A cart is rolled out to and from the loading area in order to help the flyers on and off the ride. Scissors lift: An elevator-like platform is raised up and down to allow flyers on and off the ride.

Skycoaster installations

References

External links

Official website The Ride Entertainment Group YouTube video of the Skycoaster experience

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Skycoaster

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Skycoaster claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Skycoaster before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Skycoaster ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Skycoaster

In research: Skycoaster appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Skycoaster in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Skycoaster is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Amusement rides, Swing rides, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Skycoaster outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Skycoaster in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Skycoaster means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Skycoaster out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Skycoaster in simple terms?

Why does Skycoaster matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Skycoaster?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Skycoaster.