WhiteWater celebrates 100 manufactured AquaLaunches
By amusementtoday | January 28, 2015
RICHMOND, British Columbia, Canada — WhiteWater has recently celebrated its 100th AquaLaunch built. The innovative launch capsule dials up the thrill factor in numerous WhiteWater water slides. AquaLaunch sends riders into jaw-dropping waterslides such as the AquaDrop, the Flatline Loop and the ever popular AquaLoop with installations in over 70 countries worldwide.
WhiteWater first started manufacturing AquaLaunches in 2009 and the current launch has evolved substantially over the past 5 years. “We have worked hard over the years upgrading the quality and durability of the launch parts,” comments Mike Genovese, Operations Manager of Electrical and Mechanical Assembly. The aesthetic design has also been updated to be more visually appealing and provide a streamlined design.
Major innovations have included updating the fiberglass trapdoor to a clear Lexan1 trapdoor that is free swinging to reduce noise and eliminates the need for expensive shock absorbers. The AquaLaunch has become more automated with the addition of a push button operated door replacing the old, manually operated one. All of the changes and updates over the years have only improved the heart-pounding ride experience; “The goal is to provide a quality water slide to our customer that is reliable and inexpensive to operate and maintain,” comments Mike.
Due to the complexity and the specialized nature of the AquaLaunch, all manufacturing is kept local in British Columbia, Canada to allow for close monitoring and quick response from engineers and managers in the event that issues arise during the production process.
2015 will be a busy year for the AquaLaunch team as the orders have been pouring in for projects all over the world. One project to note is set to be China’s largest water park: Zhengzhou Yinji Kaifeng Water park in Henan. With 7 AquaLaunches in total, guests will have the chance to brave two AquaDrops, three AquaLoops and two Fusion AquaLoop + Flatline Loops where riders are sent through an inverted loop before traversing a horizontal loop-de-loop, shooting down into the shutdown lane. Other projects that will feature multiple AquaLaunches include Lotte World in Korea, Sunway Lagoon in Malaysia and Yalta Water park in the Ukraine.
Wet N Wild Gold Coast Australia
Courtesy of WhiteWater West
