Funtime returns to Divo-Ostrov
The owners of Divo-Ostrov in St Petersburg, Russia, have made several bold statements since the park opened a few years ago and their latest came this summer when they added a world first by Funtime.
The Austrian manufacturer has already installed a Slingshot, Star Flyer and Vomatron (Booster) at the venue, and now comes the Rocket – a 45-metre high attraction that creates a massive impact on a minimum footprint.
The concept was conceived by Funtime owner Walter Pondorfer and is patent pending. A 10-seater rocket is suspended by cables from the end of a giant arm. Passengers board the rocket and ground level before the arm is lifted to a height of 60-metres and whisks them through a 102-metre diameter circle at up to 70km/h.
As the ride is in flight the passenger gondola also turns on its own axis at up to 15rpm and emits smoke and light as if it were jet-powered. “To the people the ground it looks like a real rocket,” notes Funtime’s Hannes Lackner.
The innovative Austrian company continues to work on a number of new ride concepts and may soon unveil another ride at the Prater in Vienna, as well as a new version of its Chaos Pendel (triple-arm Booster), destined for a customer in Australia. The next Star Flyer, meanwhile, will go to Tykkimäki in Kouvola, Finland, with a possible order pending in Japan.
