I’ve been wanting to do a story like this on Mouth to Source for ages… I was thinking swinging ropes over mountain streams in Zimbabwe. Popular Mechanics scoops us good and proper with these industrial tube rides.
‘Leap of Faith’, drops you into a shark infested pool or perhaps ‘The Wedgie’ in Australia. I’m informed it’s appropriately named too.
PM takes us down Walt Disney World’s ‘Summit Plummet’ in Orlando Florida. A high-speed water slide with an alarming 12-story drop. It is both the world’s tallest and fastest free-fall body slide.
Try that with an ice cream in your hand.
PM continues, after the initial shock-drop, the 360-foot-long Summit Plummet flume accelerates riders to an average speed of 50 to 60 mph. Just like coming to an unexpected stop at a red light, making the transition from a near-vertical drop to a horizontal finish can be startling—and difficult to engineer, according to ProSlide Technology’s founder and president, Rick Hunter. In order to ensure safety without sacrificing speed, engineers need to calculate the right radius curves for a smooth landing.
Who was first, I wonder?
Check ‘um out here… Magic!
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