Skyway
Last Updated: November 13, 2024
Guests travel high above the park on a trip between Fantasyland and Tomorrowland. Skyway passes through the Matterhorn for a view of the caverns and ice grottos. The Skyway also provides a breath-taking view of the Submarine Fleet.
ID:
TMS-511
Dates Open:
Replaced By:
NOTHING
Land:
Photos:
Construction: 5
Onstage: 60
Backstage: 4
Articles:
Ride Layout:
Deaths & Injuries:
Deaths: 0
Injuries: 1
Audio Clips:
1
Videos:
11
Video Excerpt:
Rumble Link:
Movie Tie-In:
Google Maps:
Not Available
Wikipedia:
Not Available
Patents:
None
Specifications:
Available
Skyway Multimedia
Construction Photos
Onstage Photos
Backstage Photos
Videos
Skyway Deaths and Injuries:
Randle Charles Falls 20 Feet Into Tree
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Accident Date: 4/17/1994
Accident Type: Injury
April 17,1994:--A 30-year-old man named Randle Charles fell approximately 20 feet from one of the Skyway cabins and landed in a tree near the ''Alice in Wonderland'' attraction. He was helped out of the tree by paramedics and taken to nearby
The first ride of this kind to be built in the United States.
The cable was 2,400 feet long with 44 gondolas.
The Skyway stations were equipped with a large digital meter to gauge wind speed. It usually fluctuate between zero and three knots. If the meter hit twelve knots employees shut the ride down.
For dangerous situations, in the mid-1970s Disneyland installed speakers on the Skyway towers and microphones in the stations. By depressing the "All Ride" switch, operators could give announcements or warnings "from on high." Hosts were to use the device for emergencies only, since upon hearing a deep voice suddenly resounding from the sky, guests typically froze in terror. As such, the device became known as "the God Switch."
The buckets reached a height of 60 feet.
The drive mechanism was in the Fantasyland side with a 35 thousand pound ballast on the Tomorrowland side to keep the cable tight.
Skyway was built by Von Roll Iron Works of Bern Switzerland.
The first gondolas had fiberglass patio chairs bolted in them.
Required a "B" ticket in 1956-1957
Required a "D" ticket in 1959
Required a "D" ticket in 1964-1965
July 1964 Skyway shutdown for 5 days for the cable to be replaced.
From WED Disneyland Dictionary 1968
is the first of its kind installed in the United States. It carries streamlined gondolas aloft on a moving cable for an unobstructed view of the "Magic Kingdom" 60 feet above ground level. From a modern station in Tomorrow-land, the four-passenger view-cars rise above the monorail station and submarine lagoon, drift through Matterhorn Mountain caverns with views of racing Bobsleds and emerge high above Alice in Wonderland's Adventure, the Pirate Ship and other features of Fantasyland. The 1,200-foot journey ends in a quaint Swiss Chalet. There are 44 streamlined gondolas.
Required a "D" ticket in 1970's
From Steve Birnbaum brings you the best of Disneyland 1982:
Walt Disney well understood the joys of people-watching, and this attraction offers one of the best examples of how Disney put that knowledge into practice. Traveling to Tomorrowland through the friendly skies of Disneyland, 60 feet up, allows a peek at the people below riding in the Teacups, eating ice cream, and otherwise going about the business of having a terrific time. You are also able to see the submarines gliding through the aquamarine waters of the la- goon, and as you pass through the center of the Matterhorn you'll see the bobsleds hurtling down- hill past a growling Abominable Snowman. The touchdown in Tomorrowland, so sleek and futuristic in its way, always comes as a bit of culture shock after Fantasyland's enchanted environment. The Skyway was the first of its kind installed in the United States. There are 44 gondolas, each large enough to accommodate four passengers, and the cable that carries them is 2,400 feet long. Note that the Fantasyland end of the Skyway is almost invariably less crowded than the Tomorrowland terminus.? The trip is pleasant enough: four-passenger cars suspended from a 2,400-foot-long moving cable ride 60 feet above the ground across the Submarine Lagoon and through a tunnel in the Matterhorn, where you get an idea of the thrills available there. But the Tomorrowland end of the Skyway is always the busiest, and unless you're just looking for transportation, it's best to board in the chalet-like Fantasyland station.
During construction of the New Fantasyland in 1983 the Skyway ran round-trip only.
Why Did They Close The Skyway?
That is kinda complicated. The reason that Disney gave was it was not very popular and expensive to maintain. A couple of things may or may not have lead to it closing: In April 1994 a guy jumped out and landed in a bush with minor injuries, sued Disney and lost. The Skyway was a popular place for teen boys to spit on guests below. ADA was pushing to make the Skyway wheelchair accessible.
THEORETICAL CAPACITY
This figure is what the attraction should yield under ideal conditions utilizing all units in the system with no loss in efficiency at any position. This figure should be seldom or never attained. It is an ideal against which to measure.
Theoretical Capacity:
2500 per hour
DISPATCH INTERVAL
The time interval between the dispatching of units.
Dispatch Interval:
INSTANTANOUS CAPACITY
Number of guests that can be handled when ride opens
Instantanous Capacity:
152
Trips:
312 per hour:
Audience Control Capacity:
306
DISTANCE
Distance Traveled
Distance:
1155 feet
CAPACITY PER UNIT
Capacity for each vehicle or show
Capacity Per Unit:
4
SPEED
Average speed vehicles travel
Speed:
3.80
CYCLE TIME
From the time a unit passes any given point in the cycle until it returns to that same point.
Cycle Time:
8:02
QUEUE FACTOR
Average wait time; the number of minutes from the time a guest steps into a line until he actually sets foot on an attraction. 1965
Queue Factor:
20-30 min
LOAD TIME
From the time the guest(s) begins to enter the unit until the guest(s) is seated and the unit is safe to dispatch.
Load Time:
0:09
TRIP TIME
From dispatch to unload.
Trip Time:
3:30
ATTENDANCE FACTOR
(Total Guests Carried/Total Main Gate Attendance) * 100 (1964)
Attendance Factor:
40.9
UTILIZATION FACTOR
Capacity Percentage * Attendance Percentage (1964)
Utilization Factor:
34.0
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