The Condor is an amusement ride produced by HUSS Park Attractions of Bremen, Germany. It was debuted at the 1984 New Orleans World's Fair, under the name "Cyclo Tower".
Design The Condor has 28 steel-framed gondolas, each with a fiberglass shell, frequently painted to resemble a bird. The seats hold one to two people, one sitting behind the other if they ride double. It can accommodate approximately 1,700 riders per hour. The automatic doors on the ride are operated by pneumatic air pressure and are manually opened and closed. The ride uses a cable and counterweight system within the tower to assist with the raising and lowering of the rotating assembly.
An AC induction motor located at the end of each arm rotates the gondolas; three more on the middle lifting structure rotate the entire assembly and move the tower. To start the ride, most Condors require three buttons be hit at the same time to start the cycle. The operator in the booth uses their thumbs on the two buttons located on the panel, while an attendant in a location around the perimeter must be holding that one as well.
Operators of the ride have options to operate the ride at different speeds and rotation configurations (forward and reverse), with the possibility of unique computerized programs on each ride, which can also be controlled manually. Most Condor installations are park models. An exception is one of the few remaining travelling models, Blume & Wollenschlaeger's "Ikarus-Der-Mythos". Ikarus was one of the fastest Condors still in operation, and featured different and unique manually operated ride cycles, usually with reverse rotation. Ikarus was taken off the funfair circuit and put into storage in 2007.
In 2007, Huss discontinued manufacturing new installations of the ride. In 2013, Huss re-introduced the Condor as Condor 2-G (2nd Generation).
In 2016, the first Condor 2GH (second generation hybrid) opened in Tivoli Gardens, Denmark. Called "Fatamorgana", it features both standard Condor gondolas and a "thrill version." In this variation, riders are seated in a ring, facing away from the center, and are spun around at high speed.
Installations
There are several Huss Condor locations throughout the world, including
Name Park Location Model Opened Status Condor Pleasure Island Family Theme Park United Kingdom Condor Hökfärden Liseberg Sweden Condor 1985 Condor Bobbejaanland Belgium Condor 1986 Condor Phantasialand Germany Condor 1986 Taifun Tykkimäki Finland Condor 1986 Condor Morey's Piers United States Condor 1988 Condor Six Flags Magic Mountain United States Condor 1988 Condor Six Flags St. Louis United States Condor 1988 Ikarus Gardaland Italy Condor 1989 Rotor Parque de Atracciones de Madrid Spain Condor 1989 Sky Hawk Marineland Canada Condor 1989 The Condor Great Escape United States Condor 1989 Condor La Ronde Canada Condor 1990 Condor Six Flags AstroWorld United States Condor 1991 Condor Six Flags Great AmericaSix Flags Great Adventure United States Condor 19911988 to 1990 Bounty Tower Holiday Park Germany Condor 1994 Ikarus Freizeit-Land Geiselwind Germany Condor 1994 Condor Dream Park Egypt Condor 1995 Senga Serengeti Park Germany Condor 1995 The Eagle Attractiepark Slagharen Netherlands Condor 1998 Ikarus Vidámpark Hungary Condor 1999 Drachenflug Abenteuer Park Oberhausen Germany Condor 2000 Lossepladsen BonBon-Land Denmark Condor 2000 Drachenflug Belantis Germany Condor 2004 Le Condor Luna Park Fréjus France Condor 2007 Condor Europark Idroscola Italy Condor 2009 Sky TwisterFormerly Condor Skyline ParkHeide Park Germany Condor 20091990-2008 Ikarus Fantasilandia Chile Condor 2011 Condor Miragica Italy Condor 2012 Condor Happy Valley Beijing China Condor 2G 2014 Atlantis Wunderland Kalkar Germany Condor 2015 Giant Condor M&D's Scotland's Theme Park United Kingdom Condor 2015 Fatamorgana Tivoli Gardens Denmark Condor 2GH 2016 Falcon's FlightFormerly Ikarus Worlds of FunVidámpark United States Condor 20171999-2013 Condor Sun Tzu Cultural Park China Condor 2G 2018 The Eagle Ocean Park Hong Kong Condor 1994 Formerly Flying Falcon Niagara Amusement Park and Splash WorldHersheypark United States Condor 1990-2016 Formerly Cóndor Indiana BeachLa Feria de Chapultepec United States Condor 2002-2019
References
External video An on-ride video of Morey's Piers' Condor in Wildwood, New Jersey Blume & Wollenschlaeger's 'Ikarus-Der-Mythos' at a fair in Tilburg, Germany A combination of on-ride and external shots of Morey's Piers' Condor