
A drop tower is a type of
amusement park ride incorporating a central tower structure with one or more
gondola
The gondola (, ; , ) is a traditional, flat-bottomed Venetian rowing boat, well suited to the conditions of the Venetian lagoon. It is typically propelled by a gondolier, who uses a rowing oar, which is not fastened to the hull, in a scul ...
s attached. In a typical modern configuration, each gondola carrying riders is lifted to the top of the tower and then released to
free fall
In classical mechanics, free fall is any motion of a physical object, body where gravity is the only force acting upon it.
A freely falling object may not necessarily be falling down in the vertical direction. If the common definition of the word ...
back down to ground level. This produces a feeling of
weightlessness
Weightlessness is the complete or near-complete absence of the sensation of weight, i.e., zero apparent weight. It is also termed zero g-force, or zero-g (named after the g-force) or, incorrectly, zero gravity.
Weight is a measurement of the fo ...
followed by rapid deceleration. A magnetic braking system, or a variation that relies on pistons and air pressure, is used to safely bring the gondola to a complete stop.
One of the earliest drop towers configured as an amusement ride was a parachute ride that debuted at the
1939 New York World's Fair
The 1939 New York World's Fair (also known as the 1939–1940 New York World's Fair) was an world's fair, international exposition at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City, New York, United States. The fair included exhibitio ...
, which was inspired by paratrooper training devices used by the
Soviet Union
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
in the 1920s.
Swiss manufacturer
Intamin
Intamin Amusement Rides is a design and manufacturing company in Schaan, Liechtenstein, best-known for designing and constructing Amusement ride, thrill rides and roller coasters at dozens of international theme parks, amusement parks and other e ...
renewed interest decades later when it pioneered the modern drop tower with an early iteration released in the 1980s, which was later refined to use magnetic braking systems in the 1990s. This led to larger models, such as the Giant Drop and Gyro Drop.
S&S Sansei modified the concept and released their own variation that employs
pneumatics
Pneumatics (from Greek 'wind, breath') is the use of gas or pressurized air in mechanical systems.
Pneumatic systems used in industry are commonly powered by compressed air or compressed inert gases. A centrally located and electrically- ...
, which involves pistons, air pressure, and steel cables to control the speed of the gondola at all times. This variation can move the gondola at speeds faster than free fall and can alternatively be configured to accelerate gondolas in the opposite direction, moving at fast speeds up the tower as well as down.
Drop towers can vary in height and capacity, and some models are either mass-produced or custom. Newer features include gondolas that rotate along the vertical plane, tilting riders so they are facing the ground prior to the gondola's release.
Falcon's Fury at
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, for example, is a tower that rotates riders to face the ground, and then returns riders to an upright position as the gondola nears the end of the drop.
Drop tower designs
Mass-produced tower rides include:
*
Double shot (air-powered blast up twice)
*
Space shot (air-powered blast up)
*
Super shot
A mini-basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball ...
(drop down ride slowed by magnetic or air-power)
*
Turbo drop (drop down ride slowed by air-power)
Tallest drop towers
Other notable examples
* ''
Big Shot'' on the top of
The Strat
The Strat (formerly the Stratosphere) is a hotel and casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. It includes a observation tower, List of tallest towers in the world, the tallest in the United States. It is also the second-tallest observation t ...
reaching was the highest situated drop tower ride in the world, with a drop of to a base above ground level
* ''
Space Probe
Uncrewed spacecraft or robotic spacecraft are spacecraft without people on board. Uncrewed spacecraft may have varying levels of autonomy from human input, such as remote control, or remote guidance. They may also be autonomous, in which th ...
'' located at
Wonderland Sydney in Australia
* ''
Apocalypse
Apocalypse () is a literary genre originating in Judaism in the centuries following the Babylonian exile (597–587 BCE) but persisting in Christianity and Islam. In apocalypse, a supernatural being reveals cosmic mysteries or the future to a ...
'' at
Drayton Manor
* ''
Detonator
A detonator is a device used to make an explosive or explosive device explode. Detonators come in a variety of types, depending on how they are initiated (chemically, mechanically, or electrically) and details of their inner working, which of ...
'' at
Thorpe Park
Thorpe Park, formerly also known as Thorpe Park Resort, is a theme park located in the village of Thorpe between the towns of Chertsey and Staines-upon-Thames in Surrey, England, southwest of Central London. It is operated by Merlin Entertai ...
* ''
Launch Pad
A launch pad is an above-ground facility from which a rocket-powered missile or space vehicle is vertically launched. The term ''launch pad'' can be used to describe just the central launch platform (mobile launcher platform), or the entire c ...
'' at
Pleasure Beach Blackpool
Pleasure Beach Resort, best known by its former name Blackpool Pleasure Beach, is an amusement park situated on Blackpool, Blackpool's South Shore, Blackpool, South Shore, in the county of Lancashire, North West England. The park was founded i ...
* ''
AtmosFEAR'' at
Morey's Piers,
Wildwood, New Jersey
* ''
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
''The Twilight Zone'' Tower of Terror, or simply Tower of Terror, is a series of similar accelerated drop tower dark rides located at Disney's Hollywood Studios, Tokyo DisneySea, Walt Disney Studios Park, and formerly located at Disney Californ ...
'' at multiple
Disney parks
Disney Experiences, commonly known as Disney Parks, is one of the three major divisions of the Walt Disney Company. It was founded on April 1, 1971, exactly six months before the opening of the Walt Disney World, Walt Disney World Resort.
Led ...
worldwide.
* ''
Acrophobia
Acrophobia, also known as hypsophobia, is an extreme or irrational fear or phobia of heights, especially when one is not particularly high up. It belongs to a category of specific phobias, called space and motion discomfort, that share similar ...
'' at
Six Flags Over Georgia
*
''Guardians of the Galaxy'' - Mission: Breakout! at
Disney California Adventure Park
*
''Giant Drop'' at
Six Flags Great America
Six Flags Great America is a amusement park, theme park located in Gurnee, Illinois, within the northern Chicago metropolitan area. The theme park originally opened as Marriott's Great America on May 29, 1976, as one of two theme parks built ...
Injuries and accidents
* On August 22, 1999, 12-year-old Joshua Smurphat fell to his death on
Drop Zone: Stunt Tower (Drop Tower) at
Paramount's Great America (California's Great America) after slipping from the ride's restraints, which were still locked at the end of the ride.
* On June 21, 2007 (park operating as Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom), a 13-year-old girl from
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...
had both feet cut off above the ankle when one of the ride's cables snapped during operation. Following the
incident, all Intamin towers were temporarily closed and the
Carowinds
Carowinds is a amusement park primarily located in Charlotte, North Carolina. The park is owned and operated by Six Flags. Carowinds straddles the state line between North and South Carolina, adjacent to Interstate 77, with a portion of the park ...
model was found to have stretched cables.
* On February 24, 2012, 14-year-old Gabriella Yukari Nichimura died in an accident at
Hopi Hari
Hopi Hari is a Brazilian theme park located at Km 72 of Rodovia dos Bandeirantes, Bandeirantes Highway, Vinhedo, in the state of São Paulo (state), São Paulo. It is located 30 km away from Campinas and 72 km away from São Paulo. Co ...
, Vinhedo, São Paulo State, Brazil. She fell from the drop tower ride "
La Tour Eiffel" suffering cranial trauma and died on the way to the hospital. Initial investigations suggested the possibility of mechanical failure in the restraint latch.
* On the evening of January 3, 2018, 8 persons (five females and three males aged 12 to 18, including Danica Villas) were injured suffering "cervical
spasms" after Fun Drop Tower Ride at the amusement park Circle of Fun in
Quezon Memorial Circle suddenly dropped.
* On the evening of September 5, 2021, 6-year-old Wongel Estifanos died on the Haunted Mine Drop ride after being separated from her seat and falling to her death. It has been determined that the girl was actually sitting on top of her seatbelt rather than the seatbelt being tight on her lap. A
forensic pathologist
Forensic pathology is pathology that focuses on determining the cause of death by examining a corpse. A post mortem examination is performed by a medical examiner or forensic pathologist, usually during the investigation of criminal law cases an ...
identified the cause of death as
blunt-force trauma. The official report by the Colorado Division of Oil and Public Safety blamed a lack of procedures and inadequate training of two ride operators to ensure that Estifanos was properly buckled in.
Before the accident, the ride had had four annual safety inspections per Colorado Amusement Rides and Devices Regulations (7 CCR 1101-12) and was certified to have corrected any issues.
Following the incident the park temporarily closed. Colorado Senate Bill 03-253 allows parents to release their minor’s rights to sue for negligence.
* On the evening of March 24, 2022, 14-year-old Tyre Sampson from Missouri fell to his death from the world's tallest drop tower ride, the Orlando FreeFall drop tower at
ICON Park in Florida. The brand new attraction had been open for only three months at the time of the accident. On April 18, 2022, it was discovered that the safety sensors of two seats had been intentionally modified to allow for larger gaps between harness and seat, almost double the normal range, presumably to accommodate larger riders, a condition that ultimately led to Tyre's death, since he slipped through that gap and fell toward the end of the drop when the ride slowed down. On October 6, 2022, it was announced that the Orlando Free Fall tower would be dismantled. The owner plans to have the demolition finished by the anniversary of the victim’s death.
* On September 5, 2022, a drop tower in India failed to slow down then crashed to ground, injuring 16.
See also
*
*
Freefall
In classical mechanics, free fall is any motion of a body where gravity is the only force acting upon it.
A freely falling object may not necessarily be falling down in the vertical direction. If the common definition of the word "fall" is used, ...
References
{{Amusement rides
Towers