Jumbo Jet was a prefabricated steel roller coaster located within the Fun Fair section of Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey. Erected in 1975, the attraction was an example of the Jet Star 3 / Jumbo Jet model line designed by Werner Stengel and manufactured by Anton Schwarzkopf.[1]
| Jumbo Jet | |
|---|---|
 Jumbo Jet, closed, 1975 | |
| Six Flags Great Adventure | |
| Location | Six Flags Great Adventure |
| Coordinates | 40°8′15.71″N 74°26′25.65″W / 40.1376972°N 74.4404583°W |
| Status | Removed |
| Replaced by | Super Cat Alpen Blitz |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel |
| Manufacturer | Anton Schwarzkopf |
| Designer | Werner Stengel |
| Model | Jet Star 3 / Jumbo Jet |
| Lift/launch system | Electric spiral lift |
| Height | 56 ft (17 m) |
| Inversions | 0 |
| Jumbo Jet at RCDB | |
Layout
editThe ride was the first Jet Star 3 / Jumbo Jet model coaster to be built in the state of New Jersey.[2] Unlike typical chain lifted or launched roller coasters, this model reached the first drop by way of small wheel motors that drove it up the incline of a helix.[3] Electric spiral lift coasters, which became very common in the 1970s, differed from later steel roller coaster designs in track gauge.[4]
History
editContemporary press accounts quote Great Adventure Vice President of Operations Robert Minick as saying that Jumbo Jet was "the largest ready-made roller coaster that [could] be bought".[5] The coaster was leased from Willy Miller's Continental Park Attractions, along with several other rides in the Fun Fair section.[6]
Assembled in the spring of 1975, the ride stood idle for weeks, never to be operated or opened to the public, before being dismantled one month later.[7]
The ultimate fate of the ride remains unknown.[6] Although Roller Coaster DataBase once proposed that it might be the Jumbo Jet at Morey's Piers,[8][9] evidence exists that the latter attraction was in fact purchased in Germany.[10][11] RCDB later listed the Canadian National Exhibition as another possible site at which the ride may have operated.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b Marden, Duane. "Jumbo Jet (Six Flags Great Adventure)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
- ^ RCDB.com search results for Jet Star 3 / Jumbo Jet model line
- ^ Rutherford, Scott (2004). The American Roller Coaster. MBI Publishing. p. 156. ISBN 0760319294.
- ^ Cartmell, Robert (1987). The Incredible Scream Machine: A History of the Roller Coaster. Popular Press. p. 156. ISBN 0-87972-342-4.
- ^ Trollinger, Gary (24 June 1975). "Huge throngs main foe of Great Adventure". Reading Eagle. p. 5. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
- ^ a b "Jumbo Jet at Six Flags Great Adventure". greatadventurehistory.com. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
- ^ Applegate, Harry; Benton, Thomas (26 August 2009). Six Flags Great Adventure. Images of America (illustrated ed.). Charleston, SC: Arcadia. p. 128. ISBN 0738565695.
- ^ Marden, Duane (January 2, 2010). "Jumbo Jet (Six Flags Great Adventure)". Roller Coaster DataBase (archived). Archived from the original on January 2, 2010.
- ^ greatadventurehistory.com forums
- ^ Lilliefors, James (2006). America's Boardwalks: From Coney Island to California (illustrated ed.). New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press. ISBN 081353805X.
- ^ Futrell, Jim (2004). Amusement Parks of New Jersey. Amusement Parks Series (illustrated ed.). Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books. ISBN 0811729737.