Golden Zephyr is an attraction at Paradise Pier in Disney California Adventure Park. Themed to the Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon style rocket ships, it takes park guests on a relaxing trip. Unlike its cousins Dumbo and the Astro Orbitor next door in Disneyland Park, the Golden Zephyr rockets are controlled by centripetal motion over Paradise Bay and can not be automatically controlled to go up and down.
The Golden Zephyr's design comes from the Harry Traver Circle Swing rides of the early 20th century, specifically the Aerostat / Strat-O-Stat ride that operated at Riverview Park in Chicago. In designing the ride, Disney engineers visited Pleasure Beach in Blackpool, England to examine the Captive Flying Machines, a similar (but much larger) ride designed by Sir Hiram Maxim, and which has operated there since 1904.
Unfortunately, the ride cannot operate at constant wind speeds over 10 miles per hour (16 km/h), or gusts over 15 miles per hour (24 km/h). Neither this attraction nor Jumpin' Jellyfish will be removed or changed as part of the ongoing billion-dollar expansion.
Famous quotes containing the word golden:
“With sweet May dews my wings were wet,
And Phoebus fir’d my vocal rage;
He caught me in his silken net,
And shut me in his golden cage.
He loves to sit and hear me sing,
Then, laughing, sports and plays with me;
Then stretches out my golden wing,
And mocks my loss of liberty.”
—William Blake (1757–1827)