Flying Saucers
The Flying Saucers ride is a type of "gentle" ride that is a modified version of Dodgems.
Construction
Air is kept under pressure beneath the floor, entering the flying saucer cars through valves in the floor. The cars then float on the cushion of air this creates.
Vehicles
-
Chinese Dragonhead Ride
(Wacky Worlds) -
Cyclops Ride
(Time Twister) -
Flower Power Ride
(Time Twister) -
Flying Saucers
-
Skidoo Dodgems
(Wacky Worlds)
Other Information
- The Flying Saucer ride is functionally equivalent to the Bumper Cars, but since it does not have a roof, guests will shun it during a rainstorm. Still, it makes a great novelty ride.
Notes
- The Flying Saucer ride can support up to 16 cars.
- In RollerCoaster Tycoon 3, the Flying Saucer ride is considered as a Sci-Fi ride.
- "Rock Style" is the ride's initial song once built, but is one of the few rides where the option to play music is initially checked, the others being Bumper Cars that initially plays "Dodgems Beat Style" and Merry-Go-Round that solely plays "Fairground Organ Style" with its own different types of melodies.
In Real Life
The Flying Saucer ride is based on the similarly named Flying Saucers ride that once existed in Disneyland [1]. Open for 5 short years from 1961 to 1966, this ride used an innovative air-powered system to effectively create a hovercraft-like version of the standard bumper car ride. Constant breakdowns and mechanical issues lead to its closing.
Years later, Disney's California Adventure opened Luigi's Flying Tires, a Cars themed attraction seen by many as a spiritual and technological successor to the classic Flying Saucers. It too, however suffered from design issues that lead to its early closing in 2015.