The Great Gasp was a
Intamin
Intamin Amusement Rides is a design and manufacturing company in Schaan, Liechtenstein. It is best known for creating thrill rides and roller coasters worldwide. The Intamin brand name is a syllabic abbreviation for "international amusement ins ...
Paratower, a "Parachute Drop" ride, that towered over
Six Flags Over Georgia
Six Flags Over Georgia is a theme park located in Mableton, Georgia. Opened in 1967, it is the second park in the Six Flags chain following the original Six Flags Over Texas, which opened in 1961.
Six Flags Over Georgia is one of three parks ...
for almost 30 years. It became a beacon for the park during this time. The ride was dismantled and removed from the park in 2005.
History
When the Great Gasp opened on April 9, 1976, the ride was a masterpiece of engineering.
The Great Gasp was derived from the
Parachute Jump
The Parachute Jump is a defunct amusement ride and a landmark in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, along the Riegelmann Boardwalk at Coney Island. Situated in Steeplechase Plaza near the B&B Carousell, the structure consists of a , open- ...
ride at the
Coney Island
Coney Island is a peninsular neighborhood and entertainment area in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Brighton Beach and Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn, Manhattan Beach to its east, L ...
in New York. Ride engineers from Intamin (also referred to as Ride Trade) developed the ride at their headquarters in
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
, and when the management from Six Flags Over Georgia visited, they knew the ride would be a great addition to their park. The ride was constructed for $1.5 million, a huge investment at the time. Similar Parachute Drop rides were also built at
Six Flags Over Texas
Six Flags Over Texas is a 212-acre (86 ha) amusement park, in Arlington, Texas, east of Fort Worth, Texas, Fort Worth and west of Dallas, Texas, Dallas. It is the first amusement park in the Six Flags chain, and features themed areas and attracti ...
and
Six Flags Over Mid-America
Six Flags St. Louis, originally known as Six Flags Over Mid-America, is an amusement park featuring characters and rides from many Warner Bros. films and tv shows such as, Looney Tunes, DC Comics, and formerly Scooby-Doo. It is located in Eureka, ...
.
The Great Gasp opened with 12 chutes; later the ride was modified to include four stations in which the passengers rode in the standing position. It featured a "chicken coop" for guests who were too scared to get on the ride.
Over the years, the stand-up chutes were removed, and as popularity dwindled, the number of chutes in use also fell.
As the popularity of the ride declined and spare parts became increasingly difficult to obtain, the era of the Great Gasp was doomed to end. On August 14, 2005, Six Flags Over Georgia announced that the Great Gasp would cease operation forever. On the final weekend, riders were given "Last Gasp" pins in commemoration of the legendary ride's last days. Within three weeks of "Last Gasp", the Great Gasp was dismantled and removed from the park.
Operational features
Gasp opened with 12 chutes, although as the ride control system was upgraded and popularity decreased, that number was reduced to 8 chutes.
Each seat held two riders, and was equipped with a seat belt and restraint bar. Stationary cables kept each chute stabilized and in the correct position. Another cable actually moved the seat vertically. Inside the tower was one counterweight for each chute.
The control system could detect empty seats as well as overloaded seats and would prevent cycling them. The control system hardware was located in the small ring housing at the base of the tower. An
anemometer
In meteorology, an anemometer () is a device that measures wind speed and direction. It is a common instrument used in weather stations. The earliest known description of an anemometer was by Italian architect and author Leon Battista Alberti ( ...
was mounted at the top of the ride, and was tied into the control system as to prevent operation when wind gusted above a preset limit.
A small elevator inside the tower allowed access to the winch and motor housing at the top. The tower also held antennas for in-park radio communications. The Gasp served as a focal point of New Year's Eve celebrations in 1990. A huge "1991" sign was mounted, and fireworks were actually launched from the top ring of the Gasp while a "Peach" was dropped, much like the one still dropped in
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
, during the Holiday in the Park New Year's Eve celebration on December 31, 1990.
It has been said that pieces of the Great Gasp were sent to
Six Flags Over Texas
Six Flags Over Texas is a 212-acre (86 ha) amusement park, in Arlington, Texas, east of Fort Worth, Texas, Fort Worth and west of Dallas, Texas, Dallas. It is the first amusement park in the Six Flags chain, and features themed areas and attracti ...
for spare parts on the
Texas Chute Out
Texas Chute Out was a Intamin "parachute drop" ride that operated at Six Flags Over Texas. It closed on September 3, 2012.
History
When Texas Chute Out opened on April 10, 1976, the ride was a major engineering innovation at the park dominatin ...
ensuring it could stay in operation for the next few years. The Texas Chute Out closed on September 3, 2012, and was demolished by Dallas Demolition on October 10, 2012.
It was replaced with the
Texas Sky Screamer
SkyScreamer is an amusement ride located at several Six Flags theme parks in North America. Designed by Funtime (manufacturer), Funtime, an Austrian ride manufacturer, the attraction is one of their "Star Flyer" models. Since 2011, Six Flags has ...
which is nearly twice as tall as the Texas Chute Out.
References
{{Six Flags Over Georgia rides
Towers in Georgia (U.S. state)
Six Flags Over Georgia
Amusement rides manufactured by Intamin
Six Flags attractions
Amusement rides introduced in 1976
Amusement rides that closed in 2005
Parachute towers
Towers completed in 1976