Six Flags Over Texas takes new attraction too far

It seems to me that the owners of the Six Flags amusement parks were not satisfied with their 300 foot drop, the Superman. They wanted to take one more step into obscene. The newest addition to the Six Flags Over Texas, the Texas Sky Screamer, is officially open.

Many of us have been on those chain linked swing rides that nearly every fair and carnival has, but would you go on it if it was spinning you in a 124-foot wide circle while being connected to a buddy? How about if as it was spinning you it was lifting you up 400 feet off the ground and reaching speeds of 35 miles per hour? I sure as daylights wouldn’t want to. The Sky Screamer allows passengers to view not only the entire theme park, but also downtown Dallas, downtown Fort Worth, the Dallas Cowboys and Texas Rangers Stadium.

Riders, 48″ and taller, are seated in one of 24 swings, connected to the ride by a few chains. Next, they are fastened into their chair by a small metal bar across their waist and between their legs, then they begin to spin. At first the rotations are slow, and semi-close to the ground, but not for long. The machine begins to spin them faster and lifts them to the full height of the terrifying ride.

Now, if the chairs were connected with more than a few seemingly scrawny chains, and I wasn’t terrified of falling from 40-stories to a face full of concrete, then I might ride it, then again, probably not.