AUSTELL, Ga. — Six Flags Over Georgia will say goodbye to a classic thrill ride in 2012 as it makes room for the new-for-2013 SkyScreamer. Wheelie, a Schwarzkopf Enterprise ride that spins passengers as it raises to a vertical position, will be retired at the end of the 2012 season.

Wheelie was introduced at Six Flags Over Georgia in 1977 in the park’s U.S.A. section — close to where the mega-coaster Goliath now stands. In 1985, the ride was moved to its current location in the park’s Lickskillet section. Since its debut, Wheelie has thrilled millions of riders by spinning them horizontally and vertically through intense revolutions at high speeds.

Guests can pay their final respects by taking one last ride during the remaining weekends of Fright Fest. The ride will close to the public at the end of the season on October 28, 2012.

Schwarzkopf introduced the Enterprise in 1972 and built approximately 20 of these rides. Each of the original Six Flags Parks — Texas, Georgia and St. Louis — installed a Schwarzkopf Enterprise in the 1970s. Huss Maschinenfabrik introduced their version of an Enterprise in 1976 selling over 95 rides of various sizes all over the world. A third manufacturer, Heinz Fähtz, also manufactured Enterprise rides. Once common at amusement parks throughout the United States and Europe, removal over the years has caused Enterprise rides to become a rare attraction.

• «Previous Post
• Next Post »

---