The Loop-O-Plane is an
amusement park
An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, and events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central theme, often fea ...
ride that originated in America. It was invented by
Lee Eyerly and manufactured by the
Eyerly Aircraft Company
Eyerly Aircraft Company was an amusement ride manufacturing company in Salem, Oregon, founded by Lee Eyerly in 1930. The company originally intended to design flight simulators for the aircraft industry but shifted to amusement rides after an earl ...
of
Salem, Oregon
Salem ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County, Oregon, Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, w ...
, in 1933. The ride was immediately popular with customers and became a staple of amusement parks.
The ride was imported into Europe, where it was first used in the UK in 1937.
The ride has two 16-foot-long arms, each with an enclosed car at one end and a counterweight at the other. Each car holds four riders seated in pairs facing opposite directions making the maximum occupancy eight riders. Propelled by an electric motor, the arms swing in directions opposite to each other until they 'loop' taking the riders upside down. The minimum rider height requirement is 46 inches tall.

An updated version of this ride exists known as the
Roll-O-Plane
The Roll-O-Plane, also known as the Bullet is an amusement park ride that originated in America. It was invented by the Eyerly Aircraft Company of Salem, Oregon, as an updated and more exciting version of the Loop-O-Plane. The ride is commonly nic ...
. Some of the surviving machines were also converted into a variation named
Rock-O-Plane.
Ride locations
A partial list containing both open and closed rides and their locations follows.
* Green Machine (Eylerly Loop-O-Plane) -
Hydro Free Fair-
Hydro, Oklahoma
* Loop-O-Plane -
Keansburg Amusement Park,
Keansburg, New Jersey
Keansburg ( )Felzenberg, Alvin''Governor Tom Kean: From the New Jersey Statehouse to the 9-11 Commission'' p. 5. Rutgers University Press, 2006. . Accessed July 25, 2012. "In 1884, after congressman and future U.S. senator John Kean, Tom Kean's ...
* Loop-O-Plane -
Idora Park -
Youngstown
Youngstown is a city in Mahoning County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Ohio, 11th-most populous city in Ohio with a population of 60,068 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Mahoning ...
,
Ohio
Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...
* Loop-O-Plane -
Kennywood -
West Mifflin, Pennsylvania
West Mifflin is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, located southeast of downtown Pittsburgh. The population was 19,589 at the 2020 census. It is named after Thomas Mifflin, 1st Governor of Pennsylvania, signer of the U ...
* Loop-O-Plane -
Lagoon
A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') an ...
-
Farmington, Utah
Farmington is a city in, and county seat of, Davis County, Utah, United States. The population was 24,531 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. The Lagoon Amusement Park and Station Park (Farmington, Utah), Station Park transit-oriented ...
* Loop-O-Plane -
Lakeside Amusement Park -
Lakeside, Colorado
* Loop-O-Plane -
Waldameer & Water World -
Erie, Pennsylvania
Erie is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, fifth-most populous city in Pennsylvania and the most populous in Northwestern Pen ...
* Bullet -
Miracle Strip Amusement Park -
Panama City Beach, Florida
Panama City Beach is a resort town in the Florida Panhandle, and principal city of the Panama City Metropolitan Area. It is a popular vacation destination, especially among people in the Southern United States, and is located in the "Emerald C ...
References
External links
The Flat Joint Loop-O-Plane page with photos{{Amusement rides
Amusement rides