Amusement ride

Abstract

An amusement ride comprises a wheeled, multiple-seat cart or vehicle that is adapted to descend an inclined track having an upwardly curved launching portion, in a manner to launch the vehicle temporarily airborne in a trajectory similar to that of a ski jumper. The descent angle and upwardly curved launching portion of the track are very similar to a ski jump track. The vehicle is rollingly tethered to a pair of guy wires positioned on either side of the track and at a level relative to the track launch area to permit the vehicle to be launched temporarily airborne and fall freely without interference or restriction by the tethers. As gravity causes the vehicle to free fall, the tethers become taut with the guy wires, catch the vehicle in free-fall, and glide the vehicle along a pre-determined descent down the guy wires toward twin laterally spaced poles or towers at the end of the ride, each pole or tower connected to a respective guy wire. The bottom towers are laterally spaced upon either side of the line of descent and trajectory of the wheeled vehicle a distance that is considerably greater than the width of the launching tower. As the rolling tethers approach the laterally spaced lower towers along respective tether support cables, separation of the tethers at their points of contact with the guy wires tend to raise the vehicle against its own gravity weight, thereby causing its own gravity weight to brake the vehicle in its descent down the guy wires.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.