Sky Swat

The Sky Swat was a thrill ride which was built by S&S Power of Logan, Utah. It was developed and put onto the market in 2003. Only two Sky Swats have been manufactured since 2003. The first-ever installation of a Sky Swat was at Six Flags AstroWorld in Houston, Texas in 2003.[1] As of March 2013, only one Sky Swat was in operation until Slammer at Thorpe Park closed permanently in May 2017.

Sky Swat
Slammer at Thorpe Park
Status	Discontinued
First manufactured	2003
No. of installations	2
Manufacturer	S&S Power
Height	105 ft (32 m)
Speed	48 km/h (30 mph)
G force	4
Capacity	500 riders per hour
Vehicles	2
Riders per vehicle	24
Rows	8
Riders per row	6
Duration	2-3 mins

History

In 2003, S&S Worldwide (then S&S Power) introduced the Sky Swat at Six Flags AstroWorld as SWAT.[1] On 26 March 2005, Thorpe Park, near London, England introduced a Sky Swat as Slammer which became the second Sky Swat to be manufactured. Towards the end of the 2005 season, Six Flags AstroWorld closed on October 30, 2005.[2] SWAT and other rides at the past AstroWorld were relocated to other Six Flags parks from 2006 to 2010. In 2006, SWAT was relocated to Six Flags New England and opened as Catapult along with another AstroWorld ride, Splash Water Falls.=[3]

In 2010, S&S Worldwide discontinued the Sky Swat. Due to the discontinuing of the attraction, Catapult at Six Flags New England was removed in March 2013 before the start of the new season, leaving Slammer at Thorpe Park the only Sky Swat operating in the world.[4] In 2017, after major downtime, Slammer finally closed on 4th May to make way for other attractions.

Installations

Name	Park	Location	Opened	Status
Slammer	Thorpe Park	United Kingdom	2005	SBNO
Catapult Formerly SWAT	Six Flags New England Six Flags AstroWorld	United States	2006 2003 to 2005	Removed

Design and ride experience

The Sky Swat featured a long arm which sat between two towers, on either end of the arm were four rows of six seats. The restraints consisted of a side-lowering lap bar and partially over-the-shoulder restraints, a restraint system also found on other S&S's attractions, Screamin' Swing and Sky Sling rides. The floor was ventilated, allowing air and small objects to escape through it.

When the Sky Swat began operation, the arm was lifted to the top of the towers, where it then began to spin. As the arm spun between the two towers, riders orbited either up or down around the center. After a few flips, the ride reversed and flipped in the opposite direction.

Slammer

Between 2012 and 2014, Slammer at Thorpe Park went through major downtime. All signage for the ride was removed at the end of 2012 which gave the impression that Thorpe Park were not planning to open the ride anytime soon. For Fright Nights in 2013, the ride was completely removed from the actual park map which suggested the ride was going to close. However, at the start of the 2014 season, the ride could be seen testing with sand-filled dummies which suggested the ride would open again.

As of May 2015, Slammer was currently operational, opening later than the rest of the park and closing when the park closed. The ride was also closed at 3 pm for a 15-minute inspection. Even though the ride was operational, Slammer ceased operation in the park occasionally due to technical or mechanical errors.

Slammer remained closed for the duration of that year's Fright Nights but could be seen operating occasionally.

Slammer had a successful 2016 season, with the ride being one of the more reliable rides in the park for that year. On Wednesday, October 26, Slammer gave its final rides of the season.

As of April 2017, Slammer was closed for the 2017 season, likely due to continued technical issues.

On May 4, 2017, it was announced that after 12 years service at the resort, Slammer would no longer be operating and instead be removed to make way for future attractions.

In 2021, ‘Black Mirror Labyrinth’ is set to utilise the rides queue and the abandoned ride system has been left as scenery.

References

1. "Six Flags AstroWorld SWAT Artwork". Blog. 7 February 2003. Retrieved March 11, 2013.
2. "Houston's AstroWorld theme park to close". 12 September 2005.
3. "Doubling the Fun AGAIN in 2006 With TWO New Rides!". Press Release. 2005. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
4. "Catapult to be removed from Six Flags New England". Blog. 5 March 2013. Retrieved March 11, 2013.

External links

• Slammer at Thorpe Park Resort