The Roll-O-Plane, also known as the Bullet 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 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 ...
, as an updated and more exciting version of the
Loop-O-Plane. The ride is commonly nicknamed the "Salt and Pepper Shakers".
The ride consists of a rotating arm mounted to a pivoting hinge on a central support column. The arm has two enclosed cars (one at the top and bottom). Each car holds four riders seated in pairs facing opposite directions making the maximum capacity eight riders.
When in motion, the arm swings until it makes a complete loop, though the riders never become inverted. This is because the ride has two "twists" that the older version did not. First, the arm pivots while the ride is in motion. Second, the cars are free to rotate horizontally or "roll" while the ride is in motion, always keeping the riders right-side-up. It is based on an
Immelmann turn
The term Immelmann turn, named after German Empire, German World War I Eindecker fighter ace Leutnant Max Immelmann, refers to two different aircraft maneuvers. In World War I aerial combat, an Immelmann turn was a maneuver used after an attack ...
.
This once common ride can now only be found in a handful of parks including:
*Arnolds Park Amusement Park in
Arnolds Park, Iowa as the Roll-O-Plane
*
Knoebels Amusement Resort in
Elysburg, Pennsylvania as the Satellite
*
Lakeside Amusement Park in
Lakeside, Colorado as the Roll-O-Plane
*
Little Amerricka in
Marshall, Wisconsin as Test Pilot
*Sylvan Beach Amusement Park in
Sylvan Beach, New York as the Bomber
See also
*
Rock-O-Plane
*
Loop-O-Plane
References
External links
The Flat Joint Roll-O-Plane page with photosRoll-O-Plane — Lagoon History Project
{{Amusement rides, state=expanded
Amusement rides