Hurricane (ride)

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The Hurricane is a classic traveling amusement ride that was first made in the 1940s by the Allan Herschell Company. It started as Saturn 6 and later became known as the Hurricane when Mulligan built it. Over the years, other companies such as Hrubetz, Man-Co, Killinski, Dartron Industries, and Battech have produced versions. The ride has even been built outside the United States, though not many non-US versions exist.

Today the Hurricane is almost always a traveling ride rather than a fixed park attraction. A newer model called Downdraft, which has higher capacity and stadium-style seating, has been adopted by some parks.

How it works: The ride has six arms about 35 feet long attached to a 40-foot-tall center tower. At the end of each arm is a car that carries four riders, sitting two by two. Riders are held in with a simple lap bar; there are no dividers between the two in a car. Older versions attached the cars directly to the arms, which offered less movement control. The Hurricane uses a pivoting saddle system with cables to keep the cars upright as the arms rotate, aided by air pressure to help lift and move the cars.

The ride starts slowly and spins upward. The speed increases until the cars reach the top, then pneumatic cylinders lift the arms to give a burst of height. The operator can trigger a “pop” that uses air pressure to lift the sweeps, followed by a controlled bounce as air is released. This sequence is repeated several times to reach the maximum height. After the final top-off, the ride slows and lands back on the tower.

The Hurricane can be disassembled for transport; it can be loaded onto a 48-foot trailer and set up by two people in a little over two hours.

Variant: The Down Draft is a floorless car version created by Dartron, now produced by Battech Enterprises. It uses a shoulder restraint system and carries five riders per arm (three in one row and two in the other). It also includes an emergency stop to cushion the ride. Dartron is no longer in business; Battech continues the Down Draft.