Condor (ride)

Summary

The Condor is the trade name of an amusement ride sold by HUSS of Bremen, Germany. It was debuted at the 1984 New Orleans World's Fair, under the name "Cyclo Tower".

Condor
The "Bounty Tower" at Holiday Park, Germany
StatusIn Production
ManufacturerHUSS Park Attractions
VariationsCondor 2GH

The Condor has 28 steel-framed gondolas, each with a fiberglass shell, frequently painted to resemble a bird. The seats hold one to two people, one sitting behind the other if they decide to ride double. It can accommodate approximately 1,700 riders per hour. The automatic doors on the ride are operated by pneumatic air pressure and are manually opened and closed. The ride uses a cable and counterweight system within the tower to assist with the raising and lowering of the rotating assembly.

An AC induction motor located at the end of each arm rotates the gondolas; three more on the middle lifting structure rotate the entire assembly and move the tower. To start the ride, most Condors require three buttons be hit at the same time to start the cycle. (The operator in the booth uses their thumbs on the two buttons located on the panel, while an attendant in a location around the perimeter must be holding that one as well.)

Operators of the ride have options to operate the ride at different speeds and rotation configurations (forward and reverse), with the potential for unique computerized programs on each ride. These unique motions can also be controlled manually. Most Condor installations are park models. An exception is one of the few traveling models left in the world, Blume & Wollenschlaeger's "Ikarus-Der-Mythos". Ikarus was one of the fastest Condors still in operation, and featured different and unique manually operated ride cycles, usually with reverse rotation. Ikarus was taken off the funfair circuit and put into storage in 2007.

In 2007, Huss discontinued manufacturing new installations of the ride. In 2013, Huss re-introduced the Condor as Condor 2-G (2nd Generation).

In 2016, the first Condor 2GH (second generation hybrid) opened in Tivoli Gardens, Denmark. Called "Fatamorgana", it features both standard Condor gondolas and a "thrill version." In this variation, riders are seated in a ring, facing away from the center, and are spun around at high speed.[1]

Installations edit

There are several Huss Condor locations throughout the world, including

Name Park Location Model Opened Status
Condor Pleasure Island Family Theme Park   United Kingdom Condor Unknown Removed
Hökfärden Liseberg   Sweden Condor 1985 Removed
Condor Bobbejaanland   Belgium Condor 1986 Removed
Condor Phantasialand   Germany Condor 1986 Removed
Taifun Tykkimäki   Finland Condor 1986 Removed
Condor Morey's Piers   United States Condor 1988 Removed
Condor Six Flags Magic Mountain   United States Condor 1988 Removed
Condor Six Flags St. Louis   United States Condor 1988 Removed
Ikarus Gardaland   Italy Condor 1989 Removed
Rotor Parque de Atracciones de Madrid   Spain Condor 1989 Operating
Sky Hawk Marineland   Canada Condor 1989 Operating
The Condor Six Flags Great Escape and Hurricane Harbor   United States Condor 1989 Operating
Condor La Ronde   Canada Condor 1990 Operating
Flying Falcon Hersheypark   United States Condor 1990 Removed
Condor Six Flags AstroWorld   United States Condor 1991 Removed
Condor Six Flags Great America
Six Flags Great Adventure
  United States Condor 1991
1988 to 1990
Operating
Bounty Tower Holiday Park   Germany Condor 1994 Removed
Ikarus Freizeit-Land Geiselwind   Germany Condor 1994 Operating
Condor Dream Park   Egypt Condor 1995 Operating
Senga Serengeti Park   Germany Condor 1995 Removed
The Eagle Attractiepark Slagharen   Netherlands Condor 1998 Operating
Ikarus Vidámpark   Hungary Condor 1999 Removed
Drachenflug Abenteuer Park Oberhausen   Germany Condor 2000 Removed
Lossepladsen BonBon-Land   Denmark Condor 2000 Removed
Drachenflug Belantis   Germany Condor 2004 Operating
Le Condor Luna Park Fréjus   France Condor 2007 Removed
Condor Europark Idroscola   Italy Condor 2009 Operating
Sky Twister
Formerly Condor
Skyline Park
Heide Park
  Germany Condor 2009
1990-2008
Operating
Ikarus Fantasilandia   Chile Condor 2011 Removed
Condor Miragica   Italy Condor 2012 Operating
Condor Happy Valley Beijing   China Condor 2G 2014 Operating
Atlantis Wunderland Kalkar   Germany Condor 2015 Operating
Giant Condor M&D's Scotland's Theme Park   United Kingdom Condor 2015 Operating
Fatamorgana Tivoli Gardens   Denmark Condor 2GH 2016 Operating
Falcon's Flight
Formerly Ikarus
Worlds of Fun
Vidámpark
  United States Condor 2017
1999-2013
Removed
Condor Sun Tzu Cultural Park   China Condor 2G 2018 Operating
The Eagle Ocean Park   Hong Kong Condor 1994 Removed
Unknown
Formerly Cóndor
Niagara Amusement Park and Splash World
La Feria de Chapultepec
  United States Condor Unknown
2002-2019
In Storage

References edit

  1. ^ "Condor 2G/2GH Huss Park Attractions".

External video edit

  • An on-ride video of Morey's Piers' Condor in Wildwood, New Jersey
  • Blume & Wollenschlaeger's 'Ikarus-Der-Mythos' at a fair in Tilburg, Germany
  • A combination of on-ride and external shots of Morey's Piers' Condor