Texas Chute Out facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Texas Chute Out |
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| Manufacturer | Intamin | ||||||||||||
| Model | Parachute Drop | ||||||||||||
| Height | 200 ft (61 m) | ||||||||||||
| Capacity | 1500 riders per hour | ||||||||||||
| Vehicle type | Parachute | ||||||||||||
| Vehicles | Parachutes | ||||||||||||
Texas Chute Out was a super tall "parachute drop" ride at Six Flags Over Texas. It stood about 200 feet high, which is like a 20-story building! This exciting ride was made by a company called Intamin. It closed down on September 3, 2012.
Contents
The Story of Texas Chute Out
How the Ride Began
Texas Chute Out first opened in 1976. It was a really new and cool ride for its time. It looked very impressive at the park's entrance. The idea for this ride came from the famous Parachute Jump ride at Coney Island in New York.
Engineers from Intamin designed the ride. Then, Six Flags bought three of these "Parachute Drop" rides. Two of them were built at Six Flags Over Georgia and Six Flags Over Mid-America (now called Six Flags St. Louis). Texas Chute Out was known as the world's first "modern" parachute drop ride when it opened.
Holiday Fun
During the special event called Holiday in the Park, Texas Chute Out would get a festive makeover. It was decorated to look like a giant Christmas tree!
The Ride's Last Days
On August 2, 2012, Six Flags Over Texas announced that Texas Chute Out would close soon. Its last day of operation was September 3, 2012. Another nearby ride, Flashback, also closed at the same time.
Texas Chute Out was replaced by a new ride called Texas SkyScreamer. This new ride is a giant swing ride that is 400 feet tall! To make room for the Texas SkyScreamer, Texas Chute Out was taken down on October 10, 2012.
What the Ride Was Like
Texas Chute Out was located in an area of the park called Goodtimes Square. Riders would sit on a bench, usually one to three people at a time. They would strap themselves in with a seat belt and a safety bar.
The ride would then slowly lift riders all the way to the very top, 200 feet in the air! Once at the top, the ride would pause for a few seconds. This gave riders an amazing Bird's-eye view of the whole park and the surrounding Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex.
After the short pause, the parachute would release from the top. Riders would then gently float back down to the ground. It was like a controlled freefall!
Each seat could hold two riders. Strong cables kept each parachute steady and in the right place as it went up and down. Another cable actually pulled the seat up and let it down. Inside the tall tower, there was a heavy counterweight for each parachute. This helped the ride move smoothly. For some years, riders were allowed to stand up during the ride, but this rule changed later on.
