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Aeronautica Landing
too much though, as it’s only a few inches off the ground. Three other midway games include Balloon Busters, Hydro Plane Rally and a re-themed classic basketball challenge, Air Shot. When discussing how Aeronautical Landing fits in with the park as a
whole, Gonzalez says research, listening to guests, and understanding how guests use and interact with the park, provided important information. “Carowinds has a large and loyal season pass population,” he said.
“They view the park as their park. They know our team, and they have high expectations. Investment in creating an incredible area like Aeronautica Landing is really important to them. We want our most passionate fans to continue to have reasons to visit multiple times with their family and friends.” “Geographically speaking, Carowinds is a hybrid theme park destination,”
Gonzalez continued. “50 years ago, we opened as a small, regional theme park. Looking ahead at our next 50 years, we are poised to become an East Coast destination park. We are only a couple hours away from Myrtle Beach, and two hours from the mountains. The population in South Carolina continues to grow, and given our history with the Charlotte community, we have a proud guest base that now spans a couple of generations of families.” Of course, new attractions and dining outlets also means new positions
are available at the park, and with that, comes a continued focus on evolving the hiring process. “For several years, we have been in a tight labour market,” said
Gonzalez. “And with that, employee expectations have changed. For example, prospective employees tell us when they want to work, we can’t just present them with our schedule. That means we must evolve, too. We are looking at
everything from adjusting shift times and lengths, cross-training employees for more than one attraction or location, and even relooking at how much we pay our employees on weekdays versus weekends, and more. Most importantly though, we create fun. And that includes creating fun for our employees. “We have the incredible opportunity, and responsibility, to develop young
minds. Many of our employees come to us for their first jobs and with that we help them develop their skills and their work ethic. They learn how to work with people, and maybe even, become inspired to consider our industry as their career.” While Carowinds is now open year-round, not all of Aernautica’s rides
have landed. Just like regular travel, Carowinds has experienced “flight delays” with its two final attractions, the Gyro Force and Windstar. Dubbed an attraction that tests the limits of an experimental aircraft
engine, the Gyro Force combines new lift and propulsion technologies into a rotating ride. A spinning disc ride, guests are seated in a circle around the edge of the ride and experience high speeds as it rotates. While the ride itself has been installed as of publication date, signs in front of the attraction queue say it has “not yet been cleared for takeoff.” The sixth and final ride in Aeronautical Landing will be the Windstar. The
hang glider style of the ride allows guests to control the aerodynamic motion of their colourful glider, as they fly through the air. Windstar will also open later this summer. Drawing from its location in the first state to experience flight, Carowinds has
soared forward for the past 50 years. Now, with the addition of Aeronautica Landing, the park is perfectly poised for its next 50 years - and beyond.
MAY 2023
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