The Sky Diver, a retro thrill ride refurbished and updated with a Las Vegas-style light system, is the can't-miss ride at this year's N.C. State Fair.
Charlie Belknap of Powers Great American Midways describes the Sky Diver as a big Ferris wheel, but with cages that spin like a barrel roll. There's a wheel inside so riders can control spin speed.
Located on the lower Midway, the Sky Diver is exciting, but not "too extreme," and it is always popular, Belknap said.
"You're definitely gonna get a thrill on it," Belknap said.
How big is the thrill?
"I've never been on one, and I wouldn't go on it," he said. "... I don't do well on rides."
The 90-foot-tall ride is a 1967 model that had only been used about 40 times before sitting in a barn in New England for years, Belknap said. Sky Divers were built by Chance Rides out of Kansas from 1965 to 1987.
Powers' technicians checked out the motors and safety equipment, then stripped all the paint from the ride and repainted it blue to match other Powers rides. The 16 tubs were pristine, so they were left in their original condition.
Then the Powers crew added lights.
The original fluorescent tube lights were removed and replaced with an estimated 100,000 energy efficient LED lights. The crowning touch is a computerized light program that runs three different 15-minute pattern sequences without ever repeating.
"It's like a Las Vegas light show," Belknap said. "People bring cameras and set up tripods to photograph this thing. They bring lawn chairs and just sit and look at the lights. At night, this ride just shines."
Powers is also bringing more family-friendly rides, one where parents can ride with their tykes to share the fun.
One of the best, he said, is called Crazy Chopper. It looks like a helicopter and goes up into the air and spins (slowly!) like it's going to crash.
A crashing helicopter may sound traumatic, but Belknap says it's a slow, tilting ride that gives you a nice panoramic view of your surroundings.
"I've never seen anybody cry or get sick getting off it."
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Photo Gallery
N.C. State Fair opening day | 10.13.11 (17 images)
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State Fair | 10.12.11 (16 images)
2011 N.C. State Fair starts on Thursday, Oct. 13
Cyclone Tunnel: Vertigo-inducing. Ride before eating.
Alien Abduction: A newer version of the popular Starship 2000.
Looney Lagoon: A family friendly pirate coaster.
Magic Maze Glass House: For kids, a two-story house of glass with a slide.
All rides and games are by Powers Great American Midways, based in Corfu, N.Y. The company uses B20 soybean-based biodiesel to power all of their generators.
Free parking is available on fairgrounds, Carter-Finley Football Stadium and RBC Center properties. Take Wade Avenue to the Edwards Mill Extension to park in these lots.
Handicapped parking is available at Gate 10, between Trinity and Blue Ridge roads.
Wade Avenue, Edwards Mill Road and Youth Center Road are now designated as tow-away zones.
Hop a ride on Amtrak's The Carolinian in Charlotte and at stops along the way. Make reservations at www.bytrain.org.
Catch a bus in downtown Durham at the West Pettigrew Street station or in Raleigh at the blue signs along Morgan, Edenton and Hillsborough streets.
Park and ride from six locations: The ITB Holdings Building, corner of Wake Forest and Six Forks roads in Raleigh; the WakeMed Soccer Park off East Chatham Street in Cary; Heritage Square Shopping Center on Lakewood Avenue in Durham; University Mall on South Estes Drive (weekends only) in Chapel Hill; Triangle Transit Regional Transit Center on Slater Road in Research Triangle Park; the McLaurin lot at the corner of South Wilmington Street and Chapanoke Road in Garner.
The N.C. State fair officially opens today, and runs until midnight Oct. 23.
The fairgrounds are open from 8 a.m. to midnight, but admission tickets must be purchased before 10 p.m.
Rides run from 10 a.m. to midnight (weather permitting); booths for purchasing ride tickets are open from 9:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Exhibit halls are open from 9 .am. to 9:45 p.m. daily
Amy Dunn, The N&O's Centsible Saver blogger, will be teaching free, 30-minute coupon classes starting at 11 a.m. today, Saturday and Sunday at the "Coupon Queen" tent, across from Dorton Arena. The class will repeat throughout the day.
