Ride Profile
Red Arrows Sky Force Flying high at Blackpool Pleasure Beach
Described by the British park’s deputy managing director Nick Thompson “as a perfect fit”, Blackpool Pleasure Beach has teamed up with the Royal Air Force’s Red Arrows acrobatic display team to launch the UK’s first Sky Fly attraction from Gerstlauer
T
he new rid looks perfectly at home in the shadow of the Big One, the Pleasure Beach’s signature rollercoaster, finished in a similar red and blue colour
scheme in keeping with the Red Arrows’ livery. The 72ft (22m) ride was officially launched on May 25 after almost a month of soft opening, with a display and flypast from the Red Arrows themselves. Featuring theming by Meticulous, Red Arrows Skyforce comes complete with its own control tower in which novice pilots are prepared for take-off with a video instructing them how to operate the wings either side of their seat to make the “plane” flip from side to side and – hopefully – perform multiple barrel rolls. During Park World’s visit to the park in mid-May, it was clear certain members of the Pleasure Beach team had had a lot of practice! Nick Thompson, who tested out the similar Air Meeting ride at Nigloland in France before signing up with the German manufacturer, loves the interactive element offered by Sky Fly, which he says makes Red Arrows Skyforce suitable for all ages (subject to height restrictions). If they want to, passengers can simply let go of the wings, and have their plane stay stable as the main arm whisks it through the sky. Those going for all-out thrills, however, can expect to experience G-forces of 3+ as they spin and dive through the sky. In total the ride, which comes complete with its own gift shop selling Red Arrows and Pleasure Beach merchandise, model plane kits etc, represents a £2 million ($3m/€2.7m) investment. As well as the theming and basic ground works, money had to be spent on anti-corrosion proofing due to the park’s coastal location. The QPQ salt bath treatment is believed to be preferable to regular galvanisation and, depending on its effectiveness, may be extended to other attractions at the park over time. “There’s a lot of exposed components on this ride,”
Pleasure Beach technical director Alex Payne tells us, “so we were a little apprehensive before buying it and will probably do a thorough strip down over winter. Overall though, the whole installation process went very smoothly
JUNE 2015
Pleasure Beach deputy managing director Nick Thompson with children Matilda and Morgan
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and I have to say that after nearly 21 years at Pleasure Beach, dealing with Gertslauer has been one of the most pleasurable working relationships I’ve had. They couldn’t do enough for us.” “We’d been looking at something for the former Bling site
for some time,” concludes Thompson, referring to the Zierer Star Shape that departed Blackpool in the winter of 2011/12. “After doing Nickelodeon Land and Wallace & Gromit Thrill-O-Matic for families, we decided it was time to focus again on the white-knuckle end of the market. Red Arrows Sky Force is just the first of several thrilling new rides you can expect over the coming years.”
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