Re: [TomAiello] Towers made for parachuting
I rode on it several times (what New York city kid didn't) in the 1960s including in it's last year of operation which I think was 1968. The area around Coney Island was getting pretty rough in those days and for a 15 year old just getting there was the most worrisome thing.
But it was a scary ride in that the seat was very small and the restraints comical compared to how you get strapped into rides today. The ride up was thrilling, and you got a little jolt at the top (like a soft opening shock) before the "trap door" effect until the parachute fully inflated. It was really a mechanical Tard for non-jumpers.
In more recent times I wrote them some years ago, when they started renovating it, to suggest some real jumps for the re-opening. But I never heard back from them. However, I'm sure some modern BASE jumper already has it in their logbook . . .
Tom, I've never seen Carl Boenish write, or heard him talk, about it so if you have something, I'd sure like to hear about it.
NickD
BASE 194