Flying Turns

Flying Turns is the name of a specific model of bobsled roller coaster. John Norman Bartlett, a British aviator in World War I, came to North America after the war with an idea for a trackless wooden chute, full of twists like a bobsled course, with toboggan-like cars, based on a bobsled ride that operated in Europe. He had filed GB Patent 279109A for the idea in 1926.^[1] Bartlett met John Miller in 1928, and they commenced building the new ride. When the ride went into production, much of the idea was the same, but the cars looks more like monoplanes, which Bartlett designed. Miller worked on the loading station, supporting structure, braking system and incline.

Flying Turns roller coaster

Flying Turns roller coaster at Riverview Park, Chicago, 1968

Both the bobsled coaster and the flying turns coaster are buildable in the RollerCoaster Tycoon and Thrillville series of video games.

Flying Turns installations

Year	Location	Notes
1929-193?	Lakeside Park, Dayton, Ohio	prototype
1930-1969	Euclid Beach Park, Cleveland, Ohio	the tallest version built
1931-1938	Rocky Point Amusement Park, Warwick, Rhode Island
1933-1934	Century of Progress World's Fair, Chicago, Illinois	moved to Riverview Park in Chicago
1934-1963	Forest Park Highlands, St. Louis, Missouri	destroyed by fire July 19, 1963.
1934-1939	Steeplechase Park, Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York	destroyed by a fire in 1939
1935-1967	Riverview Park, Chicago, Illinois	relocated from the World's Fair
19??-late 1940s	Palisades Amusement Park, Palisades, New Jersey	new version named the Lake Placid Bobsled
1939-1940	New York World's Fair	last Bobsled ride built by Bartlett
1940-early 1970s	Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York
1935-early 1970s	Fyns Tivoli, Odense, Denmark	Moved and rebuilt more than any other Flying Turns. Brussels International Exposition (1935), Berlin Olympics (1936), Bakken in Klampenborg (late 1930s), Fyns Tivoli in Odense (1951)
4 October 2013	Knoebels Amusement Park & Resort, Elysburg, Pennsylvania	Was built from scratch by Knoebels' staff. Designed by John Fetterman from an original Miller and Bartlett design. Began construction in 2006 and was completed in 2008 but unable to properly operate until August 2013. Was finally open for a soft opening October 4, 2013 and officially the next day on the 5th. See also Flying Turns (Knoebels)

References

1. GB 279109A Google patents, Retrieved August 18, 2018