NEWS: Indianapolis Zoo to receive new attraction

[angryemobeaver]

http://www.insideindianabusiness.com/newsitem.asp?ID=44762

 

Quote

November 17, 2010

 

News Release

 

ORLANDO, FL – (November 16, 2010) – Master attraction ride inventor, Bill Kitchen has done it again! He unveiled his new ride, SkyQuest, during the 2010 conference and expo of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA). Kitchen, who is no stranger to the attraction industry, has delivered over 200 rides in the past 20 years. His first invention was SkyCoaster, a large high-thrill swing, which became the world’s best-selling ride and was installed at Six Flags, Paramount, Cedar Fair Parks, MGM Grand and at independent operations world-wide. His next invention was SkyVenture, an indoor skydiving attraction, which became profitable within the first year of business and sold world-wide.

 

Scheduled to break ground sometime next year and be completed in 2012 at the Indianapolis Zoo, the two-acre SkyQuest people mover will crown the new, innovative Orangutan exhibit and will give each rider a chance to be “up close and personal” with these beautiful animals and to also get a bird’s eye view with ride heights ranging from 10 to 40ft. up in the air. Guests will embark and disembark the 15 to 20-minute ride through a covered loading platform. Up to four riders can ride in the gondolas, (similar to hot-air balloon baskets), moving at a pace of 1mph.

 

The two-million dollar ride can hold 1,000 riders per hour and is expected to be a highlight of the zoo.

 

“We are thrilled to bring a quality ride to the Indianapolis community,” states Bill Kitchen, CEO of US Thrill Rides LLC. “We pride ourselves in offering the best entertainment and SkyQuest will deliver fun for all ages.”

 

About US ThrillRides LLC

US Thrill Rides LLC, based in Orlando, FL, is conceived and owned by entrepreneur and visionary Bill Kitchen who is a master at inventing amusement park rides. His list of inventions include: SkyCoaster, SkyVenture vertical wind tunnel (also called iFly), UniCoaster, SkyQuest, and SkyView. They currently have rides located world-wide and are on the fast track for major expansion. For additional information, please call 407.909.8899 or visit www.usthrillrides.com.

[MayTheGForceBeWithYou]

Sounds sort of like the Lotte World balloons, SkyCoaster style...

[COASTER FREAK 11]

There is actually picture of the ride in Robb's IAAPA updates here.

Edited November 19, 2010 by COASTER FREAK 11

[beatle11]

Sounds really neat. Very good idea for a zoo.

[iheartHW]

Sorry to dredge up this old post, but I was wondering if anyone has heard about all the trouble the Indianapolis Zoo is having with their Skyline Ride. It is the same ride as described in the article in the first post, except it was not opened until 2014 and was made by Chance Rides.

 

Since opening in 2014 the ride and has malfunctioned at least 3 times requiring people to be rescued from the ride and is currently shut down. The first time it broke down was in October 2014. They finally reopened it in June 2015, but not long after it reopened it broke down two more times and has been shut down ever since. I have just been kind of curious about what is wrong with the ride, but can't find much information about it.

[Snovi]

Last I heard is the ride is shut down until next year so they can hopefully sort out all the mechanical gremlins that continue to plague the attraction. They had two similar mechanical malfunctions with the drive system in July within a span of two weeks. The ride uses a unique drive system where each gondola has its own drive motor to move it along the track, so rather than having a single drive motor pulling multiple gondolas attached to a single cable like a normal skyride, you have additional complexity by having multiple motors driving each gondola independently. IIRC this system was developed by US Thrill Rides and licensed to Chance for manufacture.

[jedimaster1227]

The Indianapolis Zoo has announced that it will be removing the Skyline and the Kōmbo family roller coaster in 2026 to make way for new animal experiences. Skyline was a unique, 8-minute long aerial ride that interacted with the park's orangutan habitat while placing riders in gondolas suspending beneath a powered track. 

https://www.indystar.com/story/news/2025/11/19/indianapolis-zoo-to-remove-roller-coaster-sky-tram-next-year/87346262007/# 

(Photos courtesy of the Indianapolis Zoo.)

Two Indianapolis Zoo rides will be removed to make room for new exhibits next year.

The zoo will dismantle the Kōmbo Family Coaster and the Skyline overhead tram in the first quarter of 2026 to clear the way for new attractions, the Indianapolis Business Journal first reported. This plan will free up more than an acre of space for animal exhibits.

The Kōmbo coaster, which reaches speeds of 21 miles an hour on a 600-foot-long track, was constructed in 2000. The skyline, a gondola-style tram that offers aerial tours of animal exhibits, opened in 2014.The Skyline has experienced its share of mechanical issues over its years of operation. In 2014, two cars stopped mid-ride and suspended 18 passengers until the Indianapolis Fire Department could evacuate them, leading to the Skyline's closure for the rest of the year. Two incidents in 2015 and one in 2017 also led to calls to the fire department to evacuate passengers, according to past IndyStar reporting.

The zoo’s Board of Trustees agreed that the attractions were outdated and voted to remove them next year.

“With unanimous Board approval, the Indianapolis Zoo will remove both the skyline and the rollercoaster, opening significant space for new or expanded animal exhibits,” the zoo said in a statement. “Work is planned to begin in Q1 2026 to remove the rides, which no longer align with the mission of the Zoo or the long-term plans for our campus.”

The Indianapolis Zoo does not receive government funding and instead relies on donations, ticket sales, membership fees and other revenue streams to drive its operations. Its most recent new exhibit is the Chimpanzee Complex that opened in May 2024, which includes three habitat spaces connected by an overhead trail for the chimpanzees to use.

It’s unclear what projects will take the place of the coaster and the skyline, though the zoo’s statement references expanded animal exhibits. The zoo did not mention any plans that would change its Endangered Species Carousel or the White River Junction Train.

[bert425]

not gonna mourn the loss of a junior/kiddie. . but that "Skyline" was amazing.