The X-Flight ride is part of Geauga Lake Family
Amusement Park in Aurora, Ohio.
twists, drops and turns, engineers at Geauga Lake rely
on Rockwell Automation’s Allen-Bradley Pico™
pro-
grammable
controller to monitor key safety operations
so that each thrilling ride can be a safe one.
“Passengers load into the ride standing up, and are
automatically secured by high-tech harnesses consisting
of a T-bar lap restraint, two shoulder straps and shin
guards,” said Chuck Hamilton, engineer, Geauga Lake.
“When the harness is locked into place, the ride reclines
passengers 90 degrees, so riders are actually laying
down, looking up at the sky. The train then exits the station
and ascends the lift hill.”
“The whole idea behind the first drop is to give riders
the feeling that they’re flying,” Hamilton said. “When
you’re diving toward the ground, locked in the ride’s
horizontal position, it really feels like you’re defying
gravity.”
Before the ride ever leaves the station, the Allen-
Bradley Pico controllers check to ensure that all
passen-
gers
are securely and safely held in place. “X-Flight is
an extremely automated ride,” Hamilton said. “Once
passengers have entered, our two operators lock the Tbar
restraints and shoulder straps, and recline each car
on the train. On the side of each car, 40 different proximity
sensors check that the lap-bar locking pins have
been engaged, the T-bar locking pins are in place, and
the cars are secured in their reclined position.”
In a control box mounted at the rear of each individ- |
