A UFO at approximately half lift.

The UFO is an amusement park ride designed by HUSS Maschinenfabrik in the 1970s, based on the company's Enterprise and Skylab amusement rides. Theme park is the generic term for a collection of rides and other Entertainment attractions assembled for the purpose of entertaining a large group HUSS Park Attractions is a company specialising in the development and manufacture of Amusement rides, and is based in Bremen, Germany. The Enterprise is an Amusement ride, manufactured primarily by HUSS Maschinenfabrik in 1972

Design and operation

The UFO consists of twelve, four-person gondolas, mounted in a circle around a central drive hub. This hub is in turn connected to a hydraulic arm. The ride is rotated to produce a centrifugal force sufficient enough to stick the riders to the wall of the gondala furthest from the centre. Once this is achieved, the hydraulic arm is used to move the entire ride from the horizontal position to near-vertical. The time between the ride beginning to spin and the ride reaching near-vertical is approximately sixty seconds. The ride must be lowered back to the horizontal before the rotation can cease. Though it may look terrifying, the actual ride is quite smooth. Some people may experience nausea or motion sickness, as with all thrill rides.

There are no safety restraints on the UFO; the centrifugal force is strong enough to prevent riders from experiencing any major movement while the ride is not at horizontal, and in the event of a rotational or power failure, the size and spacing of the bars that make up the gondala 'cage' (along with enforced height and safety restrictions), prevents riders from falling out. Nevertheless, minimum rider height requirement is usually 54 inches or taller, as much as some extreme roller coasters.

Appearances

There are believed to be less than 25 UFOs operating worldwide.

• Australia - One UFO is in operation; Flying Saucer at Luna Park Sydney. Luna Park Sydney (originally Luna Park Milsons Point is a historical amusement park in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
• Canada - At least one UFO is in operation; Night Mares at Canada's Wonderland. Canada's Wonderland is a theme park located in Vaughan, Ontario, Canada, 30 kilometres north of downtown Toronto.
• United States - One UFO is in operation; UFO at Darien Lake Theme Park Resort

References

• Marshall, Sam (2005). Darien Lake is a theme park resort located between Buffalo and Rochester in Darien New York, United States, south of the Luna Park - Just for fun, 2nd edition, Sydney, Australia: Luna Park Sydney Pty Ltd. ISBN 0-646-44807-2.  
• Amusement Ride Extravaganza - UFO