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The Whirlpool Aero Car or Spanish Aero Car is a cable car located in
Niagara Falls, Ontario Niagara Falls is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is on the western bank of the Niagara River in the Golden Horseshoe region of Southern Ontario, with a population of 88,071 at the 2016 census. It is part of the St. Catharines - Niagara Census M ...
that transports passengers over a section of the Niagara River referred to as the
Niagara Whirlpool The Niagara Whirlpool is a natural whirlpool within the Niagara River located along the Canada–U.S. border between New York and Ontario. The whirlpool is in the Niagara Gorge, downstream from Niagara Falls. The whirlpool's greatest depth i ...
. The system was designed by Spanish engineer Leonardo Torres Quevedo and has been upgraded several times since 1916 (in 1961, 1967 and 1984). The system uses one car that carries 35 standing passengers over a one-kilometre trip.


Technical specifications

The Aero Car is suspended on six interlocking steel cables, each of which is in diameter. The car is powered by an electric motor and travels at approximately . In the event of a power failure, a diesel engine drives a hydraulic pump to pull the carrier back to the loading/unloading terminal. It also has a rescue car which holds four passengers and one operator. The rescue car has so far only been used for training purposes. The Aero Car is suspended between two Canadian points, though it crosses the Canadian and American borders four times on a full trip. The car crosses the border about from the starting point and runs through United States territory for about , but riders need no immigration clearance. At each end of the crossing, it is high, and in the centre, it averages above the river depending on the level of the water below. Its span is . The rapids entering the whirlpool below the Aero Car move at an estimated , and the flow of the water coming through the river is about 2,800 cubic meters per second (623,000 imperial gallons per second) in the summer months, and 1,400 m³/s (300,000 imp gal/s) in the winter months. From the Aero Car, sightseers can see
Whirlpool State Park Whirlpool State Park is a state park located in Niagara County, New York, north of the city of Niagara Falls. The park overlooks the Niagara Whirlpool on the Niagara River and the lower Niagara Gorge. Description Whirlpool State Park is a day- ...
in Niagara Falls, New York, as well as the Robert Moses Niagara Hydroelectric Power Station in
Lewiston, New York Lewiston is a town in Niagara County, New York, United States. The population was 15,944 at the 2020 census. The town and its contained village are named after Morgan Lewis, a governor of New York. The Town of Lewiston is on the western bord ...
. From the side or centre of the car, one can view the violent motion of the whirlpool below. Riders may also see hikers on nature trails and fishermen on both sides of the river. The car was originally open, but a roof has been added to all later designs. A four-person rescue car is available (a smaller silver car stored at the opposite end in an indoor area), but not used in regular service.Rescue car
/ref> The car operates from 10am to 5pm from the second week of March to the first week of November. Despite the similarities between the Aero Car and ski lifts, it has not been operated in winter since 2004.


Gallery

File:Whirlpool Aero Car, c. 1960.jpg, Sightseers at Niagara Gorge, with Aero Car in distance, c. 1960 File:ON Niagara tango7174.jpg, Whirlpool and Aero Car File:Niagara Falls Whirlpool Aero Car.jpg, View of New York State behind Aero Car File:Whirlpool rapids3.JPG, Whirlpool Rapids viewed from the Aero Car File:Cable car crossing the Niagara Whirlpool (I0005642).tif, Cable car crossing the Niagara Whirlpool, 1959


See also

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Incline railways at Niagara Falls There have been several different incline railways built at the Niagara Falls, on the border between Canada and the United States. These lines include: * The Prospect Park Incline Railway was built in 1845 on the United States side of the falls ...
*
Niagara Parks Commission People Mover The Niagara Parks Commission People Mover was a tourist-oriented, public transport bus service in the city of Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. It was operated by the Niagara Parks Commission from 1985 to 2012. It linked various tourist sights a ...
*
Niagara Whirlpool The Niagara Whirlpool is a natural whirlpool within the Niagara River located along the Canada–U.S. border between New York and Ontario. The whirlpool is in the Niagara Gorge, downstream from Niagara Falls. The whirlpool's greatest depth i ...


References


Niagara Falls - Spanish Aerocar

Ride The Air - Whirlpool Aero Car

Plaque at the entrance


External links

{{Commons category, Whirlpool Aero Car


Location of the whirlpool with photos and web sites related to the areaImages from the Historic Niagara Digital Collections



Ride The Air - Whirlpool Aero Car

Plaque at the entrance
Transport in Niagara Falls, Ontario Spanish inventions Tourist attractions in Niagara Falls, Ontario Aerial tramways in Canada Crossings of the Niagara River Niagara Parks Commission 1916 establishments in Ontario Transport infrastructure completed in 1916