The Future of S&S Power

by Lance Hart

It doesnít matter if you are just a thrill ride fan or the General Manager of a major theme park, the name S&S Power is now solidly imbedded into the industry lingo along with the likes of Arrow Dynamics, B&M, Vekoma and Intamin. With over 110 S&S Tower rides across the planet, they have become the standard to which all others are now compared. The S&S brand name sticks out as an innovative force to be reckoned with... a force that seems to know no limits.

Over the last couple of years S&S have expanded their catalog of adrenaline machines to include new rides like the Thrust Air coaster, Fun-G and Snow Shot. Rumors had been circulating that S&S was preparing a whole new batch of attractions to be introduced at this yearís IAAPA show in November, but nothing prepared me for the e-mail I received the other day.

S&S had invited me to come out to Logan, Utah for a couple of days to experience for myself all of Stan Checkettsí new inventions. I was flabbergasted... I was honored... and there was no way in hell that I was going to turn down an opportunity like that. Having the chance to chat with Stan face to face is something Iíve wanted to do for years. Meeting Stan is kind of like a flashback to the first time you sat on the lap of Santa Claus as a child. Stan and Santa have got that same sparkle in their eyes, but lets face it... Stan has much better toys.


Sky Swatter

This is the first true Flat Ride from S&S, and after riding the prototype in Utah I can say first hand that it delivers. Like many of the best flat rides in the biz, it looks slower while watching it from the ground than it does when youíve been strapped into the middle of this chaos blender.

The Sky Swatter can hold up to 48 riders at a time on its two 24 seat arms. Loading both sides at once, S&S uses their air technology to lift the entire ride platform up into the air before the whole thing starts to spin you head over heals. The Sky Swatter will spin you around twice in each direction before coming to a halt and lowering itself back to the ground. Unlike other inverting flat rides, this one never stops to hold you upside down, and features an all new restraint system that is extremely comfortable and open while still holding you firmly in your seat at all times.

While this is being pushed as an S&S Family Flat Ride, it stills packs incredible unique thrills. Given the current state of the industry where many parks are looking to add more cheap family flat rides, I think the world will quickly become familiar with the Sky Swatter.


Sky Sling

Many of you may see the Sky Sling as just a new name for the old Insane ride, but it has been redesigned in all the right areas. The prototype Sky Sling stood 210 feet tall and now uses the same new restraint system that you will find on the Screaming Squirrel and Sky Swatter instead of the minimalist harness system used on previous versions. Thinking that the old saddle style seats were still a bit much for the average thrill seeker, the new seats were used to give the riderís a more secure feeling. Sky Sling has been improved in other areas such as increasing the air power to give riders a double launch of nearly 50 mph at 2.5 Gs. The seats also feature four different ride modes to control how and when the seats will tip completely forward.

After trying out all four modes, my favorite was when the seats tilted forward on the first launch, locked into the upright position at the top, dropped down upright and back up again only to tilt forward once again at the peak of the second launch and to drop you while looking straight at the ground.

The Sky Sling has all the makings of a major hit attraction and Iíll guarantee that this is the next big thing parkís have been looking for since the Skycoaster. With a capacity of 6 riders per launch and a rapid reload cycle time it allows for a cheaper ticket cost while still being able to pull in more profits than your typical Skycoaster. Plus once youíve done a Skycoaster, youíve done them all, meanwhile there are four very different ways to ride the Sky Sling.



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