User:Dom497/US Thrill Rides

US Thrill Rides is an amusement park attraction design company founded by Bill Kitchen.

History

In 1992, William Kitchen and Ken Bird invented the SkyCoaster. Kitchen founded Sky Fun I Inc. that same year to sell the product to amusement parks. The product was utimately a hit, with more than 90 worldwide installations in just six years. As each operator of a SkyCoaster pays a royalty of 5% of their gross revenue, the company was making $1.75 million annually in royalties along by 1998. Canadian firm ThrillTime Entertainment International took notice and purchased the company for $12 million in mid-1998, renaming it SkyCoaster Inc. All 12 employees kept their jobs, with Kitchen remaining linked to the company as a consultant.^[1]

Kitchen's next invention was that of the SkyVenture, sold under SkyVenture, LLC. The first installation opened across from Wet 'n Wild Orlando on International Drive in July 1998. Within a year, the attraction's popularity grew, making a profit for the firm and even getting a visit by former President of the United States George H. W. Bush.^[2]

Kitchen next founded US Thrill Rides, a central firm for all future design concepts.^[3] US Thrill Rides has since developed the UniCoaster flat rides (which are sold and manufactured by Chance Rides),^[4] SkyView observation wheels,^[3] and SkyQuest transport rides,^[5] as well as the SkySpire and Polercoaster (both in collaboration with (S&S Worldwide).^[6]

References

^ Waddell, Ray (August 3, 1998). "ThrillTime Entertainment purchases Sky Fun 1; to be named SkyCoaster". Amusement Business. 110 (31): 19.
^ O'Brien, Tim (April 12, 1999). "Former President Bush takes a 'fall' at Orlando's Sky Venture". Amusement Business. 111 (15): 18.
^ ^a ^b "Reinventing the wheel". Park World Magazine. November 27, 2009. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
^ "Chance finishes first Unicoaster". Park World Magazine. November 27, 2009. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
^ "US Thrill Rides launches SkyQuest". Park World Magazine. December 29, 2010. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
^ "Polercoaster". Park World Magazine. November 2012. Retrieved November 21, 2013.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)

[ThrillTime_Entertainment_purchases_Sky_Fun_1;_to_be_named_SkyCoaster-1] Waddell, Ray (August 3, 1998). "ThrillTime Entertainment purchases Sky Fun 1; to be named SkyCoaster". Amusement Business. 110 (31): 19.

[Former_President_Bush_takes_a_'fall'_at_Orlando's_Sky_Venture-2] O'Brien, Tim (April 12, 1999). "Former President Bush takes a 'fall' at Orlando's Sky Venture". Amusement Business. 111 (15): 18.

[Reinventing_the_wheel-3] "Reinventing the wheel". Park World Magazine. November 27, 2009. Retrieved November 21, 2013.

[Chance_finishes_first_Unicoaster-4] "Chance finishes first Unicoaster". Park World Magazine. November 27, 2009. Retrieved November 21, 2013.

[US_Thrill_Rides_launches_SkyQuest-5] "US Thrill Rides launches SkyQuest". Park World Magazine. December 29, 2010. Retrieved November 21, 2013.

[PW_Polercoaster-6] "Polercoaster". Park World Magazine. November 2012. Retrieved November 21, 2013.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)

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