was looking through pictures and happened to come across the old "Skylab" ride.... just out of curiousity.... why exactly was it removed? I remember it being a pretty decent ride... not to mention entertaining to look at from the Eiffel Tower at night.

It was removed after it went haywire one evening and several park guests were "slightly" injured. And the rider totals weren't "up to par" anyway so they thougtht in their infinate wisdom that they would take it out and put some crappy sim rides there with some thing like an American Gladitor wannabe.

US ARMY!! BE ALL YOU CAN BE!

was looking through pictures and happened to come across the old "Skylab" ride.... just out of curiousity.... why exactly was it removed?  I remember it being a pretty decent ride... not to mention entertaining to look at from the Eiffel Tower at night.

Skylab was removed to do prolonged problems. Remember Skylab was completly removed at the end of the '91 season and I heard shipped over seas to be repaired. The area where Skylab was used in '92 for some old newpaper clipings for the 20th anniversary. The Skylab reopened in the summer of '93. Skylab then closed again during the '97 season and was SBNO for the remainder of the '97 season and was complety removed before the start of the '98 season. I believe most the probelms with the ride was with the arm that held the ride up while it rotated. I do know that the arm failed during the '91 season and the ride fall back towards the ground. I don't beleive anyone was seriously hurt. I think the same thing happened in the '97 season as well.

I don't remember it ever coming back after it was taken out. I remember that they used the area for a 20th Anniversary Celebration area then wasn't there automobiles placed there after that? But I dont remember it ever coming back.

Yeah it sure did come back. It re-opened in like June of 1993. I remember watching them putting it back together. The ride was removed for good after the 1997 season. I beleive they did have cars there as well during 1992 with the 20th anniversary stuff.

Cool, 2 posters on here who were last active today! 7 years later.

I don't remember it ever coming back after it was taken out. I remember that they used the area for a 20th Anniversary Celebration area then wasn't there automobiles placed there after that? But I dont remember it ever coming back.

For a picture (taken on August 14, 1992) of the cars and 20th anniversary signs, see this video:

The cars, the signs, and no skylab at 4:54. As mentioned above, Skylab would return after the 1992 season.

Every time I click this thread all I can think of is...

I was always told the same thing; maintenance nightmare and 3 major failures of the lifting arm. After the third, the ride was done.

Interestingly enough Skylab was not just a Huss Enterprise Wheel, but it was a Huss Giant Enterprise wheel, that was a maintenance nightmare, due in part to its excessive size. I think someone said something like: if you dont learn from the past, history will repeat itself. Yup.

The only Giant ones left are at Canada's Wonderland, one in Japan, and one in Israel.

http://en.wikipedia....terprise_(ride)

Interestingly enough Skylab was not just a Huss Enterprise Wheel, but it was a Huss Giant Enterprise wheel

Was that anything like TR:TR/Crypt's operating Huss?

KI is the only park in the world... tmk... that has ever owned/operated 3 Huss Giant rides.

-Skylab (Huss Giant Enterprise)

-Tomb Raider/Crypt (Huss Giant Top Spin)

-Delirium (Huss Giant Frisbee)

Of course only two operated at the park simultaniously... and all 3 have had a bevvy of mechanical downtime issues.

Shaggy

Another thread from long ago well worth a read...

Shame they couldn't keep it working.. I never see much of a line for the Huss Giant Enterprise nearest me, nor do I ride it often... I really do like the look of them though...

The regular sized Enterprise at Kentucky Kingdom pulls decent lines. It always seems to fill up

Enterprises are right up there with Drop Towers on my "nope" list.

Skylab was a bear to load and empty.

There was a sideways scuttle involved that made any invention by Suzann Summers redundant.

My all time favorite flat ride at Kings Island.

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