The Sky Swatter (sometimes Sky Swat) was a thrill ride which was built by S&S Power of Logan, Utah. It was marketed from 2003 to 2010; only two Sky Swatters were manufactured. The first installation of a Sky Swatter was as SWAT at Six Flags AstroWorld in Houston, Texas, which operated from 2003 until the park permanently closed at the end of the 2005 season.[1] The ride then was moved to Six Flags New England and operated from 2006 through 2012 as Catapult. The other Sky Swatter operated as Slammer at Thorpe Park from 2005 until the ride closed permanently in May 2017.
History
S&S Worldwide (then S&S Power) introduced the Sky Swatter at its Logan factory on October 3, 2002,[2][3] as the company's first true flat ride.[4] The ride made its debut at Six Flags AstroWorld as SWAT for the 2003 season.[1] On 28 March 2005, Thorpe Park, near London, England, introduced a Sky Swatter as Slammer,[5] which was the second and final Sky Swatter to be manufactured.[6][7][8]
At the end of its operating season, Six Flags AstroWorld closed permanently on October 30, 2005.[9] Several AstroWorld rides were relocated to other Six Flags parks between 2006 and 2010. Six Flags New England received two, both of which began operation for the 2006 season: SWAT (renamed to Catapult) and Diablo Falls (a spinning river rapids ride, renamed to Splash Water Falls).[10]
In 2010, Larsen MacColl acquired a majority share of the company from Stan Checketts[11] and S&S Worldwide discontinued the Sky Swatter. Following the loss of support, Catapult at Six Flags New England was removed in March 2013, prior to its 2013 operating season, leaving Slammer at Thorpe Park as the only operating Sky Swatter.[12] In 2017, after major downtime, Slammer finally closed on 4 May.[13] It was demolished whilst the park was closed between the 2023 and 2024 seasons.[14]
Design and ride experience
One row of seats on Slammer, showing restraints and grid flooring (2010)
The concept for the Sky Swatter was developed by S&S CEO Stan Checketts starting in 1993; the restraints took an entire year to design, while the structure and ride only took five months.[3] The Sky Swatter featured a long arm which sat between two towers, on either end of the arm were four rows of six seats; total throughput was estimated at 800 to 900 riders per hour.[15] The restraints consisted of a side-lowering lap bar and partially over-the-shoulder restraints, a restraint system also found on other S&S's attractions, Screamin' Swing and Sky Sling rides. The floor was ventilated, allowing air and small objects to escape through it.
When the Sky Swatter began operation, the arm was lifted to the top of the towers, where it then began to spin. As the arm spun between the two towers, riders orbited either up or down around the center. After a few flips, the ride reversed and flipped in the opposite direction. Riders reached speeds greater than 30 mph (48 km/h).[5]
Slammer was the second and final S&S Power Sky Swatter to be built, and the only in Europe. It debuted on 28 March 2005 at Thorpe Park.[5][6]
Slammer was plagued with reliability issues starting from its opening in 2005;[16] the ride would get stuck with the arm locked at the top of the tower.[17] The opening of the ride was delayed from the start of season by two days, and shut for more than two weeks following a fault on its second day of operation.[5][18] On March 18 2006, the levelling mechanism failed, leaving riders trapped at a 45-degree angle.[19][20] In 2010, Slammer closed before the end of the season[21] and experienced faults preventing the full lift of the arm at the start of 2011.[22]
Between 2012 and 2014, Slammer suffered prolonged downtime. For 2012, Slammer did not open until October.[23] All signage for the ride was removed at the end of 2012, giving the impression that Thorpe Park was not planning to open the ride anytime soon. For Fright Nights in 2013, the ride was removed from the actual park map.[17] However, at the start of the 2014 season, the ride could be seen testing again.[24]
Slammer reopened for the 2015 season from May, operating for most the season. The ride would be closed at 3 pm daily for a 15-minute inspection. It then remained closed for part of that year's Fright Nights Halloween event.[25] It then had a successful 2016 season.
It April 2017, after a brief period of operation, Thorpe Park announced Slammer would remain closed for the rest the season.[26][27] On May 4, after 12 years service at the resort,[13] Thorpe Park stated Slammer had closed permanently and would be removed to make way for future attractions.[28][29] However, the ride stayed in situ unoperational for many years.
From 2021 to 2023, the Black Mirror Labyrinth utilized Slammer's old queue.[30]
SWAT was one of two new rides added to Six Flags AstroWorld for the 2003 season; a press release from February touted the unique installation.[1]
SWAT was moved to Six Flags New England from AstroWorld after that park closed on October 30, 2005; at New England, the ride was renamed Catapult, and opened for the 2006 season. It operated sporadically through 2006 and 2007 due to maintenance issues, and the park announced it would not return for the 2008 season; however, the restraint system was rehabilitated and it operated with greater reliability from 2008 until it was removed in March 2013, prior to the 2013 season.[12]
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