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, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...
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 early ...
of
Salem, Oregon
Salem ( ) is the capital 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, which runs north through the city. The river ...
, as an updated and more exciting version of the
Loop-O-Plane
The Loop-O-Plane is an amusement park ride that originated in America. It was invented by Lee Eyerly and manufactured by the Eyerly Aircraft Company of Salem, Oregon, in 1933. The ride was immediately popular with customers and became a staple ...
. 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.
This once common ride can now only be found in a handful of parks including:
*Arnolds Park Amusement Park in
Arnolds Park, Iowa
Arnolds Park is a city in Dickinson County, Iowa, Dickinson County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,110 in the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, a decline from the 1,162 population in the 2000 United States Census, 2000 census.
Geo ...
as the Roll-O-Plane
*
Knoebels Amusement Resort
Knoebels Amusement Resort () is a family-owned and operated amusement park, picnic grove, and campground in Elysburg, Pennsylvania. Opened in 1926, it is America's largest free-admission park. The park has more than 60 rides including three wooden ...
in
Elysburg, Pennsylvania
Elysburg is a census-designated place (CDP) in Ralpho Township, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is seventy miles north of Harrisburg. The population was 2,194 at the 2010 census. The area's biggest attraction is Knoebels Am ...
as the Satellite
*
Joyland Amusement Park in
Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock ( )
is the 10th-most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of government of Lubbock County. With a population of 260,993 in 2021, the city is also the 85th-most populous in the United States. The city is in the northw ...
as the Roll-O-Plane
*
Lakeside Amusement Park
Lakeside Amusement Park is a family-owned amusement park in Lakeside, Colorado, adjacent to Denver. Originally named White City, it was opened in 1908 as a popular amusement resort adjacent to Lake Rhoda by the Denver Tramway, making it a troll ...
in
Lakeside, Colorado
The Town of Lakeside is a Statutory Town in Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 8 at the 2010 United States Census, making Lakeside the least populous municipality in the State of Colorado. Lakeside is immediat ...
as the Roll-O-Plane
*
Little Amerricka in
Marshall, Wisconsin as Test Pilot
*Sylvan Beach Amusement Park in
Sylvan Beach, New York
Sylvan Beach is a village in Oneida County, New York, United States; in the southeastern end of the Town of Vienna. It is twenty-two miles west of Rome. At the 2010 census, the population of Sylvan Beach was 897.
History
Before European explor ...
as the Bomber
See also
*
Rock-O-Plane
The Rock-O-Plane is an amusement park ride designed by Lee Eyerly in 1948 and manufactured by the Eyerly Aircraft Company of Salem, Oregon.
It is sometimes nicknamed "the cages" or "the eggs". Its shape is similar to that of a Ferris whee ...
*
Loop-O-Plane
The Loop-O-Plane is an amusement park ride that originated in America. It was invented by Lee Eyerly and manufactured by the Eyerly Aircraft Company of Salem, Oregon, in 1933. The ride was immediately popular with customers and became a staple ...
References
{{reflist
External links
The Flat Joint Roll-O-Plane page with photos
Amusement rides