Soarin’ Over a park near you?

Those looking for a multimedia flying ride experience were spoiled for choice at November’s IAAPA Attractions Expo in Orlando.

Soarin’ Over California creator Dynamic Attractions was talking to potential customers about a variety of products including the Flying Theatre (pictured above), Immersive Transporter, Trackless Ride Vehicle and SFX Coaster. The company has just opened a double Flying Theatre at Wuhan, two months after another Chinese project, an Immersive Transporter at Chimelong Paradise in Guangzhou.

“We focus on making the rider feel like they are in the middle of an adventure movie,” explains Dynamic Attractions president Peter Schnabel, who has since left the company. “All of our new attractions rely heavily on advanced media.”

In partnership with Falcon’s Treehouse, Oceaneering was offering the Suspended Theater (pictured above) featuring a motion base attached to a pulley system rather than a rigid arm. But perhaps the most interesting thing about the patented ride system from the two Orlando companies is the fact the 108 seats are hidden from the domed screen behind a wall when riders enter the building.

“It just seems like a normal movie theatre at first,” explains Oceaneering’s Matt Kent, “but then there is this big reveal.”

Meanwhile Dynamic Motion Rides (DyMoRides) has adapted its Flyboard system to run in tandem with a domed screen (as seen above), and is currently working on a prototype at its production facilities in South Wales, UK. See article here for more details.

Other companies offering similar flying ride systems include Huss Park Attractions, Vekoma/Brogent Technologies and Mondial/Simworx.