Wave Swinger Rides Information and history - Flat Ride Of The Week 16

I bet your homepark has one of these! They are so common, but what inspired their creation and who makes the most popular wave swinger model?
FROTW ep4 (taller swing rides): • Starflyers/Windseekers...
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Sources:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swing_ride
www.zierer.com/en/products/wa...
www.chancerides.com/yoyo/
www.zamperla.com/products/fly...
Credit (discord usernames)
Schwarzkopf Fanboy (alex)
Cstrs 101
Music used:(from youtube music database)
Royale
Workout

[@Coyotek4]

I would never have guessed that this ride evolved from a water-based attraction.

[@FeatheredWingz]

I love how relaxing Wave Swinger rides feel...You have the sensation of flying/gliding, but it's usually very smooth. A unique experience; almost ethereal, depending on the time of day & park you're at. Also, wave swingers get some of the best art & themeing art interpretations among flat rides, I swear.

[@seanmce8132]

They really are the ultimate vibe ride, they aren't even my favorite ride but it's the only ride that makes me feel like I'm turning into mist and melting into the wind

[@Bighappykitty]

This is one of the first "big kid" rides I, and now my sons, got to ride at BGW. So cool to learn a little about the history of this ride.

[@princessravendiamond4288]

That's interesting because it's with the kids rides at my state fair. I always enjoyed it until I decided that I was done going to the kids section.

[@thatoneofmany]

I have been on these incredibly often. My little hometown's fair had one of these types on grass. My Dad knew the owner so we were on there very often. It did not do any elevation, it would just sit there and rotate while the people from the ride would pull or push your little seat making you fly around in all kinds of ways.

[@viccmignonettedellacrema1312]

Sounds like the operators would have a good opportunity to cop a feel

[@quix9556]

Kennywood's transportable wave swinger still runs but they converted it to a permanent model when they relocated it to the Lost Kennywood area of the park. They still put it in storage every off season and rebuild it when the season's about to start.

[@kaydub0623]

Sadly I'm pretty sure it doesn't have the control booth in the middle anymore

[@quix9556]

Kennywood Fanboy yeah.

[@jameslitwin5635]

I wonder if it's setup rn lol

[@nick5422]

Oh fr I never knew that and I've been going to Kennywood all the time for years, you learn something new every day

[@camronrapp4146]

I'm too 30 pounds over the weight limit now 😩

[@R4ND0MCR4P123R4ND0MN3SS]

I'm honestly kind of scared of wave swingers. I'm sure they're incredibly safe, but I always have that fear in the back of my mind that my seat might break off and go flying.

[@heatherhent4445]

Agree. The ferris wheel does it to me too. I trust the scariest rollercoasters/thrill rides more😂

[@TheEpic22]

This series would be better if the other guy had a decent mic. iPhone mics are quite capable of producing good audio these days, there’s gotta be an easy way for him to fix it. It’s just unwatchable at times

[@icantthinkofaname2812]

I agree. How do you know it was an iPhone? Did he say that? Sorry I skipped through a bunch. there is android phones, apple macs, ipads, windows machines e.t.c.

[@dindog22]

all he needs to do is go sit inside a closet full of clothes and put his face close to the mic. the clothes will act as a makeshift soundproof booth and cut down on the echo

[@j_y06]

If you think about it, the other guy is probably talking virtually-

[@MushroomHedgehog]

If I’m gonna be honest, this is easily one of my favorite flat rides, solely because the smaller ride vehicles really help in giving an even better feeling that you’re flying through the air like Superman. That’s a major reason I love amusement parks, and while these swing sets are a simple design, they still work really well, even if they aren’t the tallest rides out there.

[@ssip7339]

My mom said that when she was young, she fell off one of these. She just got up and ran home because it was embarrassing! She wasn't severely hurt so that's good. She and I still go on them sometimes!

[@Aleera616]

The wave swingers look so beautiful. Could watch them for hours

[@definingimage]

I used to climb up in the top while my co-worker started the Zephyr....Not the smartest idea considering the panels are just thin fiberglass!

[@pk2508]

My local park, canobie lake, has one of these named davincis dream. It was the only ride I was not afraid of as little kid and most of the ride was sitting and watching the attendant walking around and checking the seat restraints.

[@sophiec1528]

DaVinci's Dream!! What a pretty ride. I love Canobie Lake

[@Irreve-rsible]

That means they're doing their job well, atleast.

[@cancercentral9997]

Where I come from, these are either just called 'Chairswings', or sometimes nicknamed 'Chair O' Planes'. Although I'm sure 'Chairswing' is a generic term for these rides, regardless of whether it tilts or stays flat in its rotation.

[@woodencoasterfan]

I think Chance built the Yo Yo earlier than the 90’s because I remember riding one at Hamel’s Amusement Park near Shreveport, LA in the 1980’s.

[@mowerdan8133]

It debuted in mid 1970s.

[@thehamelsduck1600]

The Yo Yo that was at Hamel's Park was built in 1974. It was removed in 1999 when the park closed and was sent to Celebration City In Branson.

[@brainsreptiles]

hey can you do the ride where the 4 people died at dreamworld goldcoast

[@OzJacob]

You mean the thunder river rapids

[@panda367]

I second this- it's not a roller coaster but still a major accident at a first-world park.

[@sophiec1528]

Not sure why but, of all the theme park accidents that have occurred, this one (Thunder River Rapids) freaks me out in a special sort of way.

[@6Six6Six6Bruh]

Drae Brain he covered it in a debunked a bit.

[@adde9506]

Wave swinger is the first amusement ride I can remember going on. I love them. It sounds like you had a more complicated time operating it than I've seen other operators have. Usually, the next batch of riders is counted and measured while the ride is running. I don't think I've ever been to any park where guests didn't just leave their loose items on the ground beneath their swing. There's a scramble to get your shoes back, because you don't land where you left them, but it's never seemed to slow the loading and unloading process. They also check restraints by pulling up on the crossbar, so they only wind up mucking about with a few seats each run. It seems like Cedar Point is just more by the book. A good thing, honestly.

[@MondoCoasters]

About the point you made about people grabbing onto other cars, in Italian fairgrounds not only is that completely normal, but actually encouraged. On these rides we call "calcinculo" (literally "asskickers") the operators have a flag which is hung up above riders as they swing, and you have to throw the person in front of you so they can try and grab it in midair. If you manage to catch it you get an extra ride for free. It's honestly what makes it so fun for people of all ages.

[@allykins1767]

I love this thing! I remember when I was a kid I rode one at Six Flags: Great America, and I pretended I was in that scene in Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius where they blasted off into space, but I pretended I was riding a giant toy dragon.

[@citcatpat1232]

I really love your operator stories

[@molestingfood]

I always loved swinging by waveswinger to say hi to Brennan!

[@ThrillsofColdplay]

I used to ride these when I was young I haven’t ridden one since. I love looking at these though

[@BassGuitarSlide]

I always enjoy these, they are a nice break between rollercoasters or other thrilling rides!

[@panda367]

My home park (Seabreeze in Rochester, NY) has a Bertazzon Wave Swinger which replaced our Chance Yo-Yo in 2014. I've only ridden the Bertazzon once but I found it pretty enjoyable, especially with the 2-seat option...the Chance Yo-Yo always looked pretty janky to me and was starting to show its age IMO. EDIT: Seabreeze also has a "mini yo-yo" ride called the Kiddie Swings, which is a kiddie ride that looks like a yo-yo but just goes in a circle without moving up or down. Not sure of the manufacturer.

[@MegKenobi]

Miranda Marchese I'm from Rochester as well. The Yo-Yo was one of my favorite rides at Seabreeze, but the Bertazzon is pretty fun too

[@londondafunion0790]

I love you channel so much!! your so educational and you're hilarious. Keep up the good work!

[@wobber.]

Really love your videos, especially the ones about crashes! Please make more!

[@coyote_bravo2723]

Love to see these flat ride videos! I see these things every time I go to an amusement park and it’s interesting to learn about them.

[@christianlewis6789]

Beautiful piece of ride engineering work and always a beautiful sight when the sun sets. Zephyr at Kings Island is just eye candy to watch from the Coney Mall midway (one year, the crown of the ride was completely down to let the seats touch the ground, I thought it was going to be scrapped😅)

[@carolin2544]

Oh man, I love those! A small park I visited a lot when I was a kid had one of them (it looked like a giant mushroom) close to the entrance, and it was always the first and the last ride I went on.

[@ridemaster]

Love this video! Happy I discovered it! I have some additional information that was not mentioned in this video, if interested. The Wave Swinger’s modern design was derived from two Schwarzkopf rides: Zeppelin and Helios. Inspired mostly by Helios, it was discovered the 24 pairs of swings could strike each other at high speed, so the ride was never physically built. Instead, a mast with lifting basket design like Zeppelin was adopted, and thus the contemporary Wave Swinger results. Additionally, the decoration of the Zierer Wave Swinger comes from Nymphenburg Palace, as Zierer’s factory is located in Bavaria. Panels are encrusted with rococo scrollwork and paintings of girls from the Gallery of Beauties by Josef Karl Stieler. Some variations of this portrait scheme include the Gallery of Beauties by Pierre Gobert, Hampton Court Beauties by Sir Godfrey Kneller, and individual works inspired by Francois Gerard, Titian, and other portraitists.

[@DisneyMarkUK]

I love these rides, I’ve never seen one go backwards but I’ve seen one crash. Great video as always, cheers

[@abbybeardsley7577]

I went on a smaller version of this ride when I was younger. I learned that I get extremely sick on rides. Haven’t been on one since. I love these videos though!

[@medea27]

I can't be the only one who wants to ride the original 'Sea Swing' at 0:36 ?!! Wave Swingers are the perfect example of how flat rides deserve *_way_* more respect than they get for delivering ageless, uncomplicated fun.... they've been ubiquitous with the idea of a fair, fete or amusement park all over the world for half a century, and there's just _something_ about the sensation of flying through the air that's universally adored by anyone who went on swings as a kid. Love these rides! 🎪

[@CoasterDave]

I was once waiting in line for yo-yo at my home park and a light bulb fell off, good thing it got a big renovation last year

[@jackkilman8726]

The Yo Yo has been around since at least the mid 1970s. SF Astroworld had one that was installed in 1975.

[@jjh2456]

Wave swingers are way better than Yo-Yos though.

[@keithsutton4350]

Geauga lake had a yoyo in the early 80s

[@Susurrio]

I love these so much, whenever I see one I’ve got to go on it ❤️

[@hattree]

I was on the Wave Swinger team at King's Dominion in the early 90's. Ours was an older one and parts were a problem because the Zierer parts warehouse had burned and they had trouble sourcing parts for units of an older vintage. Ours had a manual foot break back then. So far as I know, I was the only person to ever have it stop stuck in the air.

[@420memer3]

So cool learning more about my fave ride! :D Only ride I can tolerate lmao XD

[@angeldog15]

I LOVE wave swingers!! I find them to be relaxing! 😂

[@averyheaneytheshit]

Awesome video my friend!! My closest wave swinger is Crime Wave at Six Flags New England. It’s one of my home parks

[@Colaholiker]

Okay, now let's add something that the average American will either not believe or just be totally shocked to hear. On German fair grounds those Wave Swingers don't just have the operator sitting in the center, but often when there are no big crowds, the operator also sell the tokens you need for the ride. You heard that right, there is no barrier around the ride, you just walk up there and buy your tokens. Even when the ride is running. You can even wait up theree (preferably not straight in front of the operator of course) for the ride to end so you can get into a seat. It's also not uncommon to just make the ride spin slowly before starting the normal cycle to that the operator can visually inspect the restraints (which would be the entire restraint check btw.). And in case you wonder, it is much more common to slip/trip/fall when getting in and out of the seats than other accidents that your fantasy comes up with now. People still don't get struck by seats or fly out of the ride. They don't. Even if the rides are operated in a way that would be totally unheard of in the US.

[@stendijk8949]

in netherlands operaters will pull on the cables to make them fly up search 'opgooi zweemolen'

[@masdog5585]

Thanks for commenting on my video

[@blankahittl5424]

Great video😍🎠

[@3gyptiansn1per]

I operate one of those, they were very painful to operate alone (specifically Wave Swingers 40). because it has double-seats, our park has 2 different lines and we have to load up the double-swings first, before singles, and most of the time there would be at least 1 group that would move to a single swing. There was also the fact that people don't listen to the speakers when we say that we have 2 lines, there also other things like people kicking and grabbing other swings, as well as twisting and swinging back and forth. the things like the belts weren't super bothersome to me, however, the inside seat of the double-swing has a 3-point harness that goes about the child's shoulders, parents most of the time don't know how to put them on, not only that, but almost every day, a belt from the 3-point harness would come undone, from what we were trained, we were told to call mechanics instead of fixing it ourselves. it gets real painful. but at the same time I've only operated 4 different rides, all of them being smaller than the Wave Swinger

[@raineylights]

I sometimes operate a set of standard chair-o-planes at dreamland, and it really amuses me when people are disappointed when the rides is over as it doesn't do what a wave swinger does The whole thing is different as well and they don't realise I also totally understand your struggles with operating it as it's mostly the same, we don't care about phones though and bags get dumped in the centre of the ride

[@wolfspirit3687]

I always love going on this ride, it’s a lot of fun! And is that the one in Knoebela at 8:50?

[@riwolfy2729]

The Italian trapeze at knobels is my favorite of these. I love it

[@fjendifnrjdnfjfbfkdndkddkd8894]

It’s has to be sadly it’s now gone though

[@riwolfy2729]

@@fjendifnrjdnfjfbfkdndkddkd8894 it is??

[@wolfspirit3687]

Kaden Ayre I know, last year when I was there with my family it wasn’t working. Hopefully it’ll be replaced with another great ride

[@fjendifnrjdnfjfbfkdndkddkd8894]

riwolfy it’s gone

[@noahberlin3953]

These are really fun

[@LastExile1989]

Yay a new vid!

[@brainsreptiles]

your videos are really good

[@StormTheWolf96]

Omg I remember me and my friends would get on this and then twist our seats before the ride started and then we would spin 360s while the ride was going. I don't do it now anymore but I still remember doing it

[@kingdelbert]

When we did Winterfest at Kings Island, we rode the Wave Swinger there. The way the ride is combined with the winter wind chill, OHHH MAN......that was cold.

[@SoCalAdventurer19]

That was great video. The wave swinger is my favorite flat ride of all time and like it even better than that junky looking yo-yo Mae by chance. Knott's Berry Farm in buena park California and Dorney Park in Allentown PA have my favorite wave swingers.

[@gianfeliciano9816]

On of my all time favorite rides.

[@princesskristan]

This was the first big ride I got to go on as a kid! I still love them to this day and I loved the one at California Adventure when it was Orange Zinger

[@princesskristan]

@Bowie The Boston I still remember the smell!

[@princesskristan]

@Bowie The Boston I haven't yet but once all this is over, I'm gonna have to make the trip. I heard that they still play music but its not the same

[@MrMywildside]

You mean Orange Stinger?

[@societyofamusementparkhistory]

When I ride stopped Hersheypark's Schwarzkopf/Zierer Wave Swinger, it freaked out and wouldn't stop, the only thing keeping it from shooting off was my foot on the break, probably one of my craziest and most stressful moments as a ride op lol.

[@destiny035]

I so remember the two Apollos in Ponypark Slagharen! :D

[@pinkfreud62]

Gotta admit alot of those relic rides looked pretty fun. Like the old Steeplechase for one.

[@searchfield]

I live in the UK and every version of this ride I have been on has no tilt whatsoever, either fixed or rotating ): it just swings everyone out to the same height at the same time - your version looks MUCH more fun! Also, my italian friend told me about a ride from his childhood very similar to this but entirely powered by the children that ride it called "Kick in the Ass" (couche in culo?) where the "seats" were just loops of rope and the children spin around the central pole and try to hook themselves and their rope over the next rider and then the next rider does the same until all the riders in the circle are wrapped against each other at which point they all let go and fly out extremely fast making them all fly out sideways on their ropes. I can't find any video or mention of this online but he said it was great fun as a kid and I'm wondering if this homemade kids game/contraption is what inspired the original water versions of this ride. Do you know anything about it?

[@starlettdragon]

There's a proper wave swinger at Paultons Park.

[@searchfield]

@@starlettdragon Cool! Thanks, I'll have to check it out one day! I used to live near there but I was too ill to leave the house back then let alone go and have fun. I'm in a wheelchair now which is not great for travelling but I know one day it'll pay off as I will be able to queue for less time when I finally get to a theme park again :D Right now I am just watching lots of theme park history videos, abandoned theme park explorations and POVs.

[@sophiec1528]

Yes!! We have one at canobie lake called DaVinci's Dream. Not sure the manufacturer. If you havent already, maybe for a future flat ride episode you guys could do Wipeout (funtown in Saco calls it casino and that's the one I've been on). It is a very visually appealing ride in my opinion.

[@mowerdan8133]

The Yo-Yo came out in early to mid 1970s. It was on our amusement pier in Seaside Heights, NJ in 1976.

[@markvolpe2305]

I believe Carowinds is the only park that has a windseeker, a yoyo and a waveswinger.

[@jjh2456]

You are correct. They may be getting rid of their Yo-Yo though. Wave Swingers are used at CFs high capacity parks and Carowinds is definitely a high capacity park.

[@madonunezable]

Former Cast Member on the Silly Symphony Swings at Disney California Adventure Park, I can attest this is tedious to operate. Luckily at DCA we had Load 1 and Load 2 and grouper. We would E stop for the smallest stuff, I loved the crazy sound the machine would make when the E stop was engaged. Sounded like a crashing Plane.

[@humanfemaleunderswappapyru1622]

I love this ride

[@hhfireworks9294]

I recently watched a video from Coaster Studios where he wonderd about a waveswinger themed as a giant mushroom. These are very popular in european parks

[@sweetjojoba]

I think its funny that when you talk in your videos, you sound like the staff that work at the rides 😂😂

[@jakey_playzofficial]

This will be my favoret ride in fairs or theme parks in the UK its so fun

[@melissafleischmann3968]

Nice

[@Thundarr665]

I haven't gone on one of these rides in 20 years, since I saw one break apart when I was in Canada as a kid. We were about to go on it, but my Mom wanted to go on the Ferris wheel. As we were going up, we heard screaming and some of the riders had fallen out of the ride.

[@melhekhinhel]

This is the only ride I've ever hard passed on. It stresses me out to just watch for some reason.

[@danielmkubacki]

Cool!

[@bluehampar]

The daily checks for this one is quite a lot due to having to check all the restraints for cracks which were surprisingly common The monthly maintenence are was exciting though having to climb up into the crown and grease the tracks on the tower. On time I did it while they checked the fastening of the chairs which meant they span the crown by hand which was incredibly disorienting

[@Doommaster1994]

The one at 7:20 is at the Puyallup Fair. It's called the Wave Swinger and is entirely in English and German.

[@robertescher3082]

The YoYo dates WAY before the 90s... we used to have one at the Seattle Center back in the 70s... I'm not sure exactly when, but it ran for at least five years.

[@missshellybeach]

Australia has 5 or 6 travelling zierer wave swinger models and one permanent theme park model at Aussie world also one permanent zamperla flying carousel at Luna park sydney

[@MarkusAT]

Zamperla Wave Swinger is the centerpiece of my home town’s amusement park Tykkimäki (ä = a in apple)

[@avatara82]

Tykkimäen ketjukaruselli ❤️ best in Finland

[@snowlunawolfq8492]

I am so happy Lagoon is the thumbnail

[@pokemonfanwsbgalt8574]

Rode the one at hilli fun city was more thrilling than I expected

[@RiderLeangle2]

A couple ideas for future episodes of Flat Ride of the Week. Scramblers by Eli Bridge (and the derivatives like Wisdom's Sizzler). And also The Zipper by Chance.

[@davidfrischknecht8261]

The wave swinger at Knoebels Amusement Resort is actually a portable model. My home park, Six Flags Great Adventure, doesn't have one, but it does have a StarFlier.

[@ThrillsofColdplay]

David Frischknecht Six Flags Great Adventure used to have one

[@DawsonsMemes]

Always to scared to go on them. Not the fake videos but is that I was young

[@ValerieSparrowW]

Omg i remember those videos they really shocked me i hope he can make a debunking vid on them so i can finally rest in piece lol

[@mochiamori]

these type of swinging rides reminds me of going to Lake Compounce in Connecticut and riding the one they had there. for years when i went there was always this one guy there... he would ride the swinger over and over again, and if i remember correctly the way they loaded the ride they had 4 sections of seats but would only fill 2 of them, but they always put the guy in his own section. he would just rock back and forth in his seat and made these strange noises, cant really describe them. my mom actually found out from the staff there that this guy was mentally challenged. he loved the wave swinger ride so much that he had a season pass and would only go on the wave swinger, basically for most of the day. the ride operators would give him free drinks in between rides and let him stay on without going back in line. typing this out it sounds ridiculous so idk if this is a rumor but i went to that park for years and have seen him a few times, always on the ride. but last time i went in like 2016ish i didnt see him so idk where he is now. either way it was memorable ill tell ya that much

[@johnd5931]

Mainly I've been on the one at Darien Lake, and the Yo Yo at Seabreeze, which isn't there anymore (and a few various ones at other parks).

[@markvolpe2305]

Now you have to do Paratrooper rides and Swing-a-round style rides since they're somewhat similar to the waveswingers.

[@A320Aviations]

Here at casino pier, we still have some double swings!

[@arealassassin]

I used to build and operate a Zeirer 48 seat Wave Swinger here in Australia- one of the first 3 48 seaters they produced, and the first trailerised Swing in Aus. It was owned by March's Amusements, and would appear at shows ranging from the Brisbane Exhibition, all the way to the Perth Royal show, among many others. It was a beautiful machine, with all of it's original artwork when I was with it (1990's). It has since been redecorated, and possibly sold to a permanent home, I'm not sure, as I have lost touch with it. Would love to hear from any former or current operators or owners as I wish to construct a working model, and would love another opportunity to view the original blueprints which I only ever saw once, briefly.

[@avatara82]

Ketjukaruselli❤️ I loved it as a kid and now it is my sons fav. Ketjukaruselli is finnish name for that ride type and literal translation would be ketju=chain karuselli=carousel

[@pikariocraftf2802]

For some reason I used to love these as a kid, but now I'm terrified of these things lmao. I'd love to learn how to operate these if I could get a job at my home park, but due to Corona things it's closed.

[@CoasterCollege]

they are real simple as far as controls the operator gets, its basically just auto cycle start and Estop.

[@7Namjoon]

Not sure how safe it'd be nowadays but the water idea sounds fun

[@crashdagamer]

0:40 Polite correction: it is called an electric motor, not an electric engine

[@schagerbaantje]

The still remaining Apollo at Slagharen got a refurbishment a view years back btw so it will probably still have quite a lifetime ahead of it! Also it ain't on the spot shown on the picture anymore but got moved but more to the side of the park where it stands close to the Schwarzkopf enterprise mentioned earlier

[@CoasterCollege]

Glad to hear it!

[@stendijk8949]

in the netherlands it is normal practice for operators too stand in the middle and pull on the cable of riders so they will be swung forwards. most of the time they hire 2 people to do this. search 'opgooizweefmolen to find this. I have ridden this and if you are long (like me) you can put your feet on the ground and launch yourself

[@TheFanSR]

Actually the first transportable Zierer Wellenflug was built in 1972, this actual model can be found every year at the Gäubodenfest in Straubing and the Oktoberfest in Munich.

[@brainsreptiles]

i like your new logo to

[@casinatorzcraft]

Okay now you gotta do the pirate ship to complete the duo of "every park has this"

[@BuccaneerBruce]

I've ridden the one at Worlds Of Fun quite a bit.

[@Kiki.shannan]

This my favorite rides

[@garya71]

The Appollo 14 moon ended up at Lightwater Valley in the north UK.

[@SydTheShortOne]

I love the one at Kings island but it can make you a little sick lol Our operator would tell us jokes as it would go around lol I'd take my friends on it all the time and they would feel awful after and I'd wanna go again.

[@mrwelch6348]

chicago's navy pier has a wave swinger ride which is my favorite ride there

[@humanfemaleunderswappapyru1622]

I love the one in Kenny wood

[@pinkfreud62]

I rode the YoYo as a teen in the 70's.