Playland at the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) in Vancouver, British Colombia, has introduced Atmosfear. The $2 million (€1.4m), 24-seater Star Flyer stands 218ft-tall (66.5m) and is one of only two rides of its kind in Canada.
Hitting top speeds of 70km/h, riders are whirled 360 degrees in the air for two minutes at a time, providing the park with capacity for 500 riders an hour.
The ride system works much like an elevator, with a winch motor at the base of the tower, attached through two steel ropes to the counterweight and through four steel ropes (redirected through pulley blocks in the tower’s head) to the inner frame. It has a safety disc brake and a service drum brake.
During Playland’s typical summer operating hours, the park closes at 8pm, however four flood lamps have been added to illuminate the ride during the 17-day annual fair, due to held at the PNE grounds from August 20 onwards.
Atmosfear is the first new ride at Playland for four years. Funtime is represented in North America by the Ride Entertainment Group.
