Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Mondial Tornado, spectacular version of a modern carnival and fun fair standard

Hello; The manufacturers of amusement rides like to give them names that strike fear into the hearts of riders. For this reason there have been several rides called the tornado including the one I'm writing about today. Tornado-01.jpg
This ride is the only one of its kind and was built by the people at Mondial in 1989. As you can see it looks quite similar to the Kamikaze or Rangeer, but this one takes their idea a little farther. First, this one is much bigger than either of those measuring 19 m, or about 65 ft in length, by 9 m, or about 30 ft, in width by 25 m, which is almost 85 ft in height. Tornado-02.jpg
Also, this ride is the only one of its kind where the arms can be operated independently. They can be spun in opposite directions. You could operate just one arm during slow periods. Or you could even operate it as two split rides which would probably boost the capacity since you wouldn't be waiting for both sides to fill or be balanced like with the Ranger or Kamikazi. Being an old hand at this, I would still recommend what is called balancing the load, but this ride doesn't require it. Tornado-03.jpg
The ride also is literally covered in lights and can handle 40 full-sized adults 20 in each of the two gondolas. The only drawback to the ride is its weight. This ride is so heavy that it had to be mounted on two full-size semi trailers. The combined weight is right at 50 tons. You can see more photos of this ride at Tornado Photos If you would like to see this bad boy inaction, you are in luck. I have two excellent videos of it. YOu can click click here to see a short video or you can click here to watch a full-length movie This gorgeous thrill ride would be a fine addition to just about any carnival, fun fair, or amusement park. If you have any questions, feel free to call me at 979-215-1770 or send an email to Mr. Midway