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One of the park's original rides, the Skyride offered what was considered a thrilling ride at the time it opened.  It still offers spectacular views of the park and surrounding land, as well as a means to cross the park and escape the heat of the summer days. Original plans for the park featured multiple skyrides that were supposed to connect the different areas along with trains, boats and monorails.   One plan involved a skyride that would have linked Over The Rainbow (which would have been out past the Arena and Log Flume) to the Enchanted Forest (which was planned for the area beyond Nitro), which would have been more than twice as long as the current Skyride.

	Originally built for the 1964-65 New York World's Fair in Flushing Queens, the Skyride was designed to handle large crowds and during its 2-year run at the Fair offered a thrilling ride and panoramic view of the attractions in Flushing Meadows.   Millions of Fairgoers rode the Swiss Skyride between the Switzerland and Korean pavilions. The ride was built by the Von Roll Corporation of Berne Switzerland, and the colorful cars bore the companies logo on the doors.   The rounded aluminum cars were equipped with battery powered, roof mounted lights which gave them a space age look. The ride structure and cars were put into storage for several years, until they were purchased for Great Adventure.   Assembly of the ride began in spring of 1974, with the pouring of the large concrete footings at the stations which bear the load of the cables.   The steel station structures were secured to the station moorings, and at the Fort end a large pit was constructed to house the giant counterweights which provide constant tension to the cables, no matter what the number of cars or the load. The original six towers that support the cables were modified from the original design used at the World's Fair, with angled cross arms replacing the straight arms.   In addition the original towers used at the World's Fair featured open bases which ran half way up the height of the tower, which were replaced with more substantial solid towers at Great Adventure.   The towers were given a rich green paint color to make them blend in with the surrounding trees of the Enchanted Forest.   The original cars from the World's Fair were given fresh coats of paint in vibrant red, yellow, and green to make them stand out against the trees and sky as they passed overhead.
	With the Six Flags acquisition of the park in 1977 came corporate sponsorship, and one of the first of those sponsorships was Delta Airlines who sponsored the Skyrides at several Six Flags parks.   The cars were painted white with red and blue roofs and the Delta logo was placed on the doors of the cars.   In addition the bottoms of the cars were fitted with Delta's advertising slogan "Delta is ready when you are" and advertised some of the airline's destination cities that it flew to from the New York and Philadelphia area airports.   This overhead advertising was very effective and eye catching.
	The Dream Street station of the Skyride is the end of the line that supplies the ride's power, with large electric motors that turn the giant pulleys, known as bull wheels.   In addition, each line was fitted with a backup gasoline engine that could be used to power the ride for evacuation in the event of a power outage. The gas motors were originally Volkswagen engines, chosen for their reliability and simplicity.   The main advantage they offered was they were air-cooled so they required no radiators.   More recently the engines were replaced with larger diesel engines as parts for old Volkswagen engines became more scarce.
	The Skyride's signage has changed over the years with the changes in park management and ownership.   The ride plaques created by Six Flags have even been updated with newer logos as the company's logo has been changed. Besides the sponsorship of Delta Airlines, the Skyride has also been sponsored by Naturally Fresh Salad Dressings, and Ore Ida frozen foods (makers of Tater Tots!)
	Technical Information         Manufacturer: Von Roll, Switzerland   Ride Model: Double Circuit Skyride   Original Location: 1964/65 New York Worlds Fair         Opening Date: July 4, 1974         Number of Cables: 2   Cable Length: 4500 feet each   Cable Width: 1 inch   Cable Speed: 9 feet per second         Drive Station: Dream Street Cables   Tension Station: Western Cables         "A" Side Cable: Side of Big Wheel   "B" Side Cable: Side of Lake         Number of Towers: 6 Towers on the A (Big Wheel) Side     7 Towers on the B (Lake) Side   Highest Point: 104 feet         Main Power: 2 German Make Motors   Auxiliary Power: 2 Volkswagen Engines (updated in 2007)         Number of Cars (in 1974): 112 (formerly at the NY Worlds Fair)   Number of Cars (current): 56 (formerly at Six Flags Great America, IL)         Car Capacity: 4 people   Seat Capacity: 224   Weight Capacity: 680 lbs (308 kg)         Riding Time: 8 minutes    Loading Time: 30 seconds   Unloading Time: 15 seconds   Cycle Time: 10 minutes   Hourly Capacity: 1440 Guests               Height Restriction: 42" unless accompanied by an adult Source:  Six Flags Great Adventure Skyride Fact Sheet  and Historical Attraction Plaque
	The Fort station features one of the main ride components which is rarely seen by many employees, let alone guests.   Under the station are two large shafts which hold the two huge counterweights responsible for keeping proper tension on the cables no matter how many cars or guests are on the lines.   The bull wheels at this end of the line have a range of movement back and forth within the structure, and are attached with steel cables to the counterweights below the floor.   As weight is added to the lines with additional cars or more guests in the cars, the giant concrete weights rise.   When there is less weight on the lines, the weights lower and the line is pulled tight.  The two lines run in opposite directions (one clockwise, one counter-clockwise) to facilitate the single set of stairs into the Fort station that serves as the entrance to both sides.
Watch Video Of The Skyride In Action:
	The ride towers feature banks of rollers that guide the cable and the cars.   While outward appearance is that these wheels are all attached to a single armature, they are actually grouped in sets of four, two and four, with each set pivoting on a central point as cars travel over them, as well as the entire wheel assembly pivoting from its center point as the weight is transferred from side to side as the cars cross. The flexing of the wheel assemblies is critical to the safe operation of the ride, and is why they must be inspected for proper function on a regular basis. The "B" side of the Skyride features one additional tower which was added after the ride was opened.   This small tower located just outside the Fort station gives the cable extra lift where the cars pass over the Runaway Mine Train as it makes its final turn into the station brake run.   Apparently the clearance between the two rides was much narrower than initially anticipated and the additional support was added for safety. The Skyride towers being some of the highest points in the park also serve other purposes for the park, with emergency lights that come on automatically in the event of a power outage attached about three quarters of the way up the towers.   At the base of several towers are emergency generators which power those lights. Atop one tower is a weather vane and anemometer which monitor the wind conditions for the ride.   Any time the wind gusts above acceptable limits, the anemometer sounds a buzzer in the Dream Street station, alerting operators to close the ride.   In the event of really large gusts, the ride will automatically shut down. Another one of the rides towers has an antenna which acts as a repeater for the park's walkie-talkie system, used to communicate between employees and the various offices.
	The Skyride is frequently closed due to weather conditions.   Its very nature makes it more susceptible to wind than any other ride in the park, and the length of time required to evacuate the ride and its elevation mean that even with only a threat of thunderstorm activity in the area, it must be closed for safety. When the Skyride is running, it offers a relaxing escape above it all, and with both sides running it can deliver the highest guest per hour capacity of any ride in the park.
	The Skyride cars currently running were brought to the park from Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois when they removed their two skyrides.   These newer skyride cars were lighter which allowed the addition of safety bars which help keep guests from jumping or falling out. The ride cars came to Great Adventure still bearing their Great America logos, and were given the Great Adventure rainbow logo when the went into service.   Those logos have since been replaced with the current Six Flags logo. The ride originally had 112 of the rounded cars from the World's Fair built for Von Roll by Gangloff AG.  The 56 replacement cars from Great America were built by Von Roll.
	An Explanation Of How The Skyride Works Mechanically:
	The Dream Street Station features six sidings for holding the cars when they're not in service, three for each line.   These sidings are accessed by a series of switches that re-direct the guide wheels on the tracks.   The switches are operated manually with cables, and are balanced with counterweights that hold them up in the open position normally. When a car (or cars) need to be removed from the circuit, a lever is pulled which lifts the counterweight and drops the switch track into place on the rails.   The cars are then manually pushed backwards over the switch and onto one of the sidings. The storage tracks are equipped with overhead catwalks used by the parks Maintenance team to inspect and repair the cars' wheel assemblies and cable clamps easily. The Fort station also has a single siding for each cable.   These sidings are primarily used in the event a car needs to be removed from service during the day (for maintenance or cleaning) rather than for storage. The storage area at the Dream Street end of the line was designed with enough capacity to hold all of the cars when the ride was not in use. Each line also has one car used by the park's Maintenance team to inspect and repair the guide wheel assemblies.   Currently that car is one of the original retired Skyride cars which has had the roof removed.   Inside, a platform has been added above the seats allowing the workers to stand at eye level with the rollers.  The central post of the car has been fitted with attachment points for safety harnesses. At one point, a special red inspection platform car was on site (seen below). Inspections and maintenance are generally done very early in the morning, prior to the park's opening for the day, so it is a rare sight to see one of the maintenance cars in action.   Watching the brave workers so high in the air with (seemingly) so little to hold them in place is not for the faint of heart!
	Every few years the Skyride is completely re-cabled as part of regular maintenance.   This involves removal of the old cable, complete overhaul or replacement of the guide wheel assemblies, and the placement of a new steel cable. Over time, the steel cable stretches, and for safety it is replaced.   Replacements seem to happen about every 10 years, with the last two replacements occurring in 1990 and then in 1999.   These pictures from 1990 and 1999 show the Skyride in varying stages of the re-cabling process.   The towers without their signature wheel assemblies and cables look very stark. One of the trickiest parts of the re-cabling process is the joining of the two ends of the cable to form one continuous loop with no visible joints.   This is achieved by a careful weaving of the steel wires that form the cable together.   The actual joint stretches for several feet so all of the wire ends are spread out, creating a smooth and strong connection which lasts for years.

This original ride plaque and one of the original Skyride cars are both pieces of the GreatAdventureHistory.com website creators' collections. Click here to see more of the Skyride car currently being cleaned up and restored.

	Go To The Official Six Flags Great Adventure Website For Current Park Information