Australian Amusement Fanatics

Anyone know much about the closure of the giant drop?
I think it is a good idea that they're closing it, but hopefully its not closed for tooooo long.

But yeah, does anyone know how long it will be closed... Or what they're doing with it?

Here is some more info on the topic:

[quote=news.com.au]


DREAMWORLD has defended its decision to keep operating the Giant Drop despite US theme parks shutting similar rides after a teenager's feet were sliced off.

Staff at the Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom theme park reportedly collected the girl's feet from near the Superman Tower of Power after the accident and sent them with her to hospital.

Doctors have not discussed details of the surgery.

The Giant Drop, Tower of Terror and The Claw at Dreamworld and Movieworld's Superman Escape were made by Intamin AG, the same Swiss company that made the US ride.

Dreamworld management said they were waiting for results of investigations at the US theme park however were confident "this type of incident could not occur at Dreamworld".

"Dreamworld's rides and attractions undergo rigorous testing and inspection every morning before the park opens to guests," Dreamworld chief operating officer Kevin Bradley said.

According to the Six Flags website, passengers on the Superman Tower of Power are hoisted aloft, suspended momentarily and then pulled down.

Passengers' arms and legs dangle free as they drop 50m at 87km/h, stopping "just 20 terrifying feet above the pavement".

A spokesman for the Kentucky Office of Consumer and Environmental Protection said investigators were trying to determine why a cable broke free while the girl was on the ride.

"We know what caused the injury but we don't know the reason it happened," an investigator said.

A Dreamworld spokeswoman said the Giant Drop's cables underwent daily as well as separate monthly checks.

She said the park had just undergone an independent audit by JAK, an internationally recognised organisation, which concluded that "Dreamworld's safety standards are world class and second to none".

Six Flags, the world's largest chain of amusement parks, and Cedar Fair, which operates 12 North American theme parks, have shut down rides similar to the Superman Tower of Power in at least eight theme parks.

An Intamin AG spokesman told the Associated Press it made the US ride but did not supply all the parts.[/quote]

So the Giant Drop isn't closed like we thought, but I presume Dreamworld will do a in depth check before the park opens for the next little while...

One could probably surmise that Dreamworld's decision to keep operating the Giant Drop has something to do with this line: "An Intamin AG spokesman told the Associated Press it made the US ride but did not supply all the parts"

It turns out Intamin did not supply cables for the ride at any point during its 13years of operation. (which may or may not have contributed to the incident). For DW to be this confident, I'd say they are sourcing their replacement parts directly from Switzerland, at a guess.