Flying theater
{{Short description|Theme park technology}}
A flying theater is a themed entertainment technology and adjacent show style. It is a type of simulator ride which consists of one or several motion systems and a large screen. This type of attraction is also known as a panoramic flying theater. The illusion of flight is created through motion that is synchronized with a film. Sound and special effects are combined with the film to create realistic flying experiences.
There are two different forms: the suspended flying theater, in which rigging similar to a fly system lifts seats into the projection of a film to create the illusion of flight. The other version uses a motion system-based platform with a dome-projection or a large curved screen.[http://www.inparkmagazine.com/ride-systems-of-flying-theaters-issue-62/ InPark Magazine - "Ride Systems of Flying Theaters"][https://blooloop.com/flying-theaters-theme-parks/ blooloop - "Flying theaters: a soaring demand (and it's not just theme parks)"][https://www.kraftwerk.at/products/media-based-attractions/flying-theater/ Kraftwerk Living Technologies: Flying Theater]
Platform-based flying theaters allow 2 different forms of experience: either a traditional seated version and a version where guests are standing on the platform, leaning forward into body supports to create a feeling of flying.
History
The concept of panoramic flying theaters as it is understood today was introduced by The Walt Disney Company in 2001 in their Disney's California Adventure theme park as Soarin' Over California. The success of Soarin' Over California initiated a worldwide trend which led to more than 50 panoramic flying theaters built since 2013.
While the steel construction of suspended flying theaters, which is necessary to lift the seats with guests into the projection has to be quite large and massive, platform-based flying theaters can be operated in a more compact space, thus making both the seated as well as the standing version suitable not only for large installations like "Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon" (Universal Studios Florida) but also for smaller venues like museums (e.g.: Washington Revelations (Museum of The Bible, Washington D.C., shopping malls and family entertainment centers.
List of flying theater attractions
{{expand list|date=July 2021}}
| class="wikitable sortable" | ||||||
| Name | Park | Location | Manufacturer | Opened | Status | class="unsortable" | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soarin' Over California | Disney California Adventure | United States | Dynamic Structures | February 8, 2001 | {{no|Closed}} | |
| Soarin' | Epcot | United States | Dynamic Structures | May 5, 2005 | {{yes|Operating}} | |
| Taiwan Formosa
|Taiwan | {{ill|Brogent Technologies|zh|智崴資訊}} |2010 | {{yes|Operating}}
| | |||||
| Viaggio in Italia | Ferrari World | UAE | HUSS Park Attractions | 2011 | {{yes|Operating}} | |
| FlyOver Canada | Canada Place | Canada | Brogent Technologies | June 29, 2013 | {{yes|Operating}} | |
| Fuji Airlines | Fuji-Q Highland | Japan | Brogent Technologies | July 2014 | {{yes|Operating}} | |
| Batman Dark Flight
|Macau |Kraftwerk Living Technologies GmbH |2015 | {{no|Closed}}
| | |||||
| FlyOver America | Mall of America | United States | Brogent Technologies | April 19, 2016 | {{yes|Operating}} | |
| Soaring Over The Horizon | Shanghai Disneyland Park | China | Dynamic Structures | June 16, 2016 | {{yes|Operating}} | |
| Soarin' Around the World | Disney California Adventure | United States | Dynamic Structures | June 17, 2016 | {{yes|Operating}} | |
| Wings Over Washington | Pier 57 Seattle | United States | Dynamic Structures | December 11, 2016 | {{yes|Operating}} | [https://www.wingsoverwa.com Wings Over Washington official website] |
| Agila: The EKsperience | Enchanted Kingdom | Philippines | SimEx-Iwerks | December 11, 2016 | {{yes|Operating}} | [https://www.enchantedkingdom.ph/agila-the-eksperience/ Enchanted Kingdom official website - Agila the EKsperience] |
| L'Extraordinaire Voyage
|France |December 2016 |{{yes|Operating}} | | ||||||
| Fly Over China
|Taiwan |Brogent Technologies |2016 | {{yes|Operating}}
| | |||||
| Krrish: Hero's Flight | Bollywood Park Dubai | UAE | {{N/A|Unknown}} | 2016 | {{yes|Operating}} | |
| Voletarium | Europa-Park | Germany | Brogent Technologies | June 3, 2017 | {{yes|Operating}} | |
| Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon
|Universal Studios Florida |United States |Dynamic Motion Rides |Apr 6, 2017 | {{yes|Operating}}
| | |||||
| Flying Dreams
|Ferrari Land |Spain |Brogent Technologies |April 2017 |{{yes|Operating}} | ||||||
| This is Holland | This is Holland | Netherlands | Vekoma & Brogent Technologies | October 2017 | {{yes|Operating}} | |
| [https://www.museumofthebible.org/washington-revelations Washington Revelations]
|Museum of The Bible, Washington D.C. |United States |Dynamic Motion Rides |Nov 17, 2017 | {{yes|Operating}}
| | |||||
| i-Ride Kaohsiung
|{{ill|Kaohsiung Software Technology Park|zh|高雄軟體科技園區}} |Taiwan |Brogent Technologies |2017 | {{yes|Operating}}
| | |||||
| Fly Over China
|Beijing Shijingshan Amusement Park |China |Brogent Technologies |Sep 2018 | {{yes|Operating}}
| | |||||
| Beautiful Hunan
|Tongguan Kiln International Cultural & Tourism Center |China |Cavu Designworks |Oct 2018 | {{yes|Operating}}
| | |||||
| i-Ride Taipei
|Breeze Nanshan Shopping Center | Taiwan |Brogent Technologies |2018 | {{yes|Operating}}
| | |||||
| The Flyer - San Francisco | Pier 39 | United States | Triotech | Jan 2019 | {{yes|Operating}} | |
| Godzilla the Ride: Giant Monsters Ultimate Battle | Seibu-en | Japan | Brogent Technologies | May 19, 2021 | {{yes|Operating}} | |
| SkyFly: Soar America | The Island in Pigeon Forge | United States | Dynamic Attractions | July 8, 2021 | {{yes|Operating}} | {{cite web |title=SkyFly opens as main attraction at The Island in Pigeon Forge |url=https://www.inparkmagazine.com/skyfly-soar-america/ |access-date=7 March 2024}} |
| Soaring: Fantastic Flight | Tokyo DisneySea | Japan | Dynamic Structures | July 23, 2019 | {{yes|Operating}} | |
| Sky Voyager | Dreamworld | Australia | Brogent Technologies | August 23, 2019 | {{yes|Operating}} | {{cite web |title=Sky Voyager |url=https://www.dreamworld.com.au/rides-experiences/family-rides/sky-voyager/ |publisher=Dreamworld |access-date=27 July 2021}} |
| FlyOver Iceland | Reykjavík | Iceland | Brogent Technologies | September 2019 | {{yes|Operating}} | |
| Flying Over Indonesia
|Trans Studio Bali, Denpasar |Indonesia |Dynamic Attractions |Dec 12, 2019 | {{yes|Operating}}
| | |||||
| Jiangsu in the Air
|Wuxi Sunac Land |China |Simtec Systems |2019 | {{yes|Operating}}
| | |||||
| Masters of Flight
|United States |Brogent Technologies |2019 | {{yes|Operating}}
| | |||||
| Volarium
|Cinecittà, Rome |Italy |Simtec Systems |2019 | {{yes|Operating}}
| | |||||
| Chongqing in the Air
|Chongqing Sunac Land |China |Simtec Systems |2020 | {{yes|Operating}}
| | |||||
| Flight of the Sky Lion | Legoland Windsor Resort | England | Brogent Technologies | May 2021 | {{yes|Operating}} | |
| FlyOver Las Vegas
|United States |Brogent Technologies |September 2021 | {{yes|Operating}}
| | |||||
| [https://www.riseny.co/ RiseNY]
|United States |Brogent Technologies |December 2021 | {{yes|Operating}}
| | |||||
| Flyover Chicago
|United States |Brogent Technologies |2024 | {{yes|Operating}}
| | |||||
| Global Journey
|China |Yuanwang |{{N/A|Unknown}} |{{yes|Operating}} | ||||||
| Timeless Flight Hong Kong
|Hong Kong |Brogent Technologies |2024 | {{no|Under Construction}}
| | |||||
| Odyssey Malta
|Malta |Simtec Systems |2024 | {{yes|Operating}} | |||||
| Flying Over Uzbekistan
|Uzbekistan |DOF Robotic |2019 |{{yes|Operating}} | |
External links
- [https://www.dofrobotics.com DOF Robotics]
- [https://www.simtec.de/en/entertainment/flying-theater-supplier-hexaflite Simtec Systems]