The Looping Starship is an amusement ride manufactured by Intamin of Switzerland. The ride is a swinging ship that can spin a complete 360-degree revolution. The ride has been modified with custom theming to resemble a number of different vehicles, including a Space Shuttle, a fighter jet, an Egyptian cargo ship, and a Looney Tunes ACME Rocket.

Looping Starship
Phoenix at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, a custom Looping Starship ride
StatusIn production
First manufactured1982
No. of installations14
ManufacturerIntamin
Height14.6 m (48 ft)
Capacity650 riders per hour
Durationapproximately 3 minutes and 33 seconds ride time

The Looping Starship is manufactured either as a traveling model or a park model. Most parks require riders to be at least 48 inches (1.2 m) tall.

Locations

edit

Existing Looping Starships

edit
Name Park Year Opened Notes
Berserker Kings Dominion[1] 1984 (Themed after a Viking ship)
Looping Starship Yomiuriland 1992 (Themed after a space shuttle)
Pirate's Revenge Sunway Lagoon 2005 This ride was the former Bounty's Revenge at Wonderland Sydney,[1] which operated from 1985 to 2004.
Space Shuttle Nagashima Spa Land 1992 (Themed after a space shuttle)

Removed

edit
Name Park Year Opened Year Closed Notes
Power Dive Six Flags Great America[1] 1987 2001 (Themed after a fighter jet. Removed due to maintenance issues)
Looping Starship Six Flags Over Georgia[1] 1989 2005 (Removed to make way for Goliath)
Z-Force Six Flags Magic Mountain 1987 1993 (Removed to make way for Batman: The Ride)
Space Shuttle Six Flags AstroWorld 1986 2005 (Removed due to park's closure, and relocated to Six Flags Over Texas)
Space Shuttle Six Flags Great Adventure[1] 1985 2007 (Removed as a result of cost-cutting, and currently[as of?] in storage)
Aerovarvet Liseberg 1989 2002 (Was rebuilt in the winter between 2001-2002 to a swinging ship ride)
Perilous Pendulum Galaxyland[1] 1985 2003 (The first indoor Looping Starship, but removed for replacement by the Solar Flare ride)
Jet Scream Canada's Wonderland 1990 2010 Removed for WindSeeker. As of August 2011, put up for sale[2]
Bounty Walibi Belgium 1992 2002 (The former "Bateau Ivre" at fr:Zygofolis in France,[1] which operated from 1987 to 1991)
ACME Rock n' Rocket Six Flags Over Texas 2006 2014 (Most of the ride's parts are from the Six Flags Astroworld Looping Starship, which operated from 1986 to 2005. An entirely new chassis was built for its installation, and themed after a Looney Tunes ACME rocket for Justice League: Battle for Metropolis.)
Looping Starship Tokyo Summerland[1] 1986 2007 (Themed as a Space Shuttle)
Looping Starship Seibuen Yuenchi 1988 2011 (Themed as a Space Shuttle)
Looping

Starship

Expo 86, Vancouver BC[1] 1986 1986 (It was themed as a Space Shuttle, in place during the summer run of the world's fair in 1986, and presumably[why?] sold when the fair closed.)
H.M.B. Endeavor California's Great America 1987 2017 (Themed after a pirate ship, formerly called The Revolution, and removed mid-off-season[vague] due to maintenance issues, low ridership and South Bay Shores.)[citation needed]
Looping Starship Takarazuka Family Land 1991 2003
Looping Starship Parque Grano de Oro 2012 2017 (Themed as a Space Shuttle, formerly Jet Scream at Canada's Wonderland -- which operated from 1990 to 2010)
Phoenix Busch Gardens Tampa Bay[1] 1984 2018 (Themed after an Egyptian[vague] cargo vessel) Demolished in December 2022.
Looping Starship Valleyfair[1] 1985 2019 (Themed after a pirate ship.)
Southern Star Carowinds[1] 1986 2022 (Themed after a viking ship, formerly called Frenzoid)

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Intamin". Retrieved February 27, 2018.
  2. ^ Looping Starship for Sale, Amusement Trader, August 11, 2011. Retrieved September 7, 2011.
edit