How does a Freefall ride work?

Great video. All the mechanicals make a lot more sense now. When I worked at Cedar Point in ‘87 we still had Demon Drop. I used to look at the operation of the ride all the time and try to figure it out. Never figured out the lift shaft and the top transfer to the horizontal. The Slope was a lot more visible so it was easier to figure out. We were told by the mechanics that in the runout, if the cab ran through all the brakes, the tracks actually narrowed at the far end so there would be no way for the cab to fly out the end, it would just wedge into the narrowed tracks. We also would run a neat physics experiment by putting a quarter on our knee before the drop. During the drop the quarter would rise up and hover about 18 inches above the knee, then in the curved track it would fly back between the seats.

Demon Drop was cool because it was the closest feeling to randomly jumping into some sort of continuous industrial process.

The Edge (Accident one) end up going to Geauga Lake as Mr. Hyde’s Nasty Fall. Did not last long as it left a few yrs after it came in. Parts went to Cedar Point for Demon Drop.

These were way better than the newer drop towers. I remember riding Stunt Man's Freefall at Great Adventure as a kid. I really need to get to Dorney for Demon's Drop. My kid won't go on drop towers, but I've convinced him that this IS in fact a rollercoaster, so he has to do it if he wants the credit.

Great job!!!! I just rode Demond Drop on Saturday. It's been exactly 40 years since I first experienced it. Loved this video.

Watching this video has been a joyful blast to the past :) Still miss Freefall at SFMM to this day.

Another great video Ryan. The animation must have taken ages, but really helps with the explanation. These things look so complicated compared to the modern drop tower! Keep up the great work.

The Edge!!!! Nice video man! I was to young to ride the one at Marriotts Great America between Milwaukee and Chicago, but I clearly remember watching it as a young lad and hearing the screams. :)

OMG I always wondered how this thing worked. Great job. Keep up the adventures.

Fantastic video Ryan! The Rocky Point Freefall is The Edge from Great America in Illinois. It was sold to Rocky Point a couple of years after the accident. When Rocky Point closed, it then went to Geauga Lake. When the ride was at Great America, the cab didn't drop from the freefall position as quickly as it does in the Rocky Point video. That had to be a programming change after the ride went to Rocky Point. Also - when the ride opened at Great America, the cab at the bottom of the elevator started it's ascent as soon as the previous cab started it's freefall. I remember being in the cab going up the tower and seeing the previous cab flying down the track in front of me. After the accident, the programming must have been changed so the cab in the shaft didn't start its ascent until the previous car was in the runout. Maybe part of the blocking change you mentioned or maybe just a change done for safety. It's amazing how complex these rides were for their time. Too bad there are so few left.

Great video! The story at the end had me laughing so much 😂

My sisters and I rode Demon Drop at Cedar Point in '03 and we loved it, it was better than Power Tower IMO and I still miss it there (along with Wicked Twister). At least they sent it to Dorney Park where it still operates to this day. It'd be nice if Intamin bring these style drop towers back and modernize them so they wouldn't be overly complicated.

I never had the chance to ride one (I either got to parks that had them after they were removed or to parks that got them after I was there). And despite me not being a fan of the "Giant Drop" type freefall rides, (I like the launched ones like what S&S builds) I would totally ride one of these contraptions. They are so clunky and seem overcomplicated for what they do, I just have to. Thanks for the great explanation, Ryan!

Jerry Barber invented this! If you would like to contact him, let me know. He’s a friend of mine!

Hi thanks for making this much love ❤😊

Thanks Ryan and Rich.

Wow great video. Awesome work with the research and custom-shot footage and hand-drawn diagrams. This is your best and most advanced video yet. Love the level of detail you go into. Thanks for the informative videos! Especially after 2 other vids this week. You're the man Ryan!

Probleem!!! 😝 Nice and interesting video! So much interesting mechanics on this type of ride. Another fun fact, after about 2 mins being stuck up there, my friend is asking me if we're stuck. 😂

Remarkable video, excellent explanation on a highly complex ride. Thank you and everyone who shared video and their experiences. Great ending story, Thanks for your outstanding work.

AstroWorld's Sky Screamer ('83 one of the last built) was supposedly Giovanola's improved model with the fast lift. Until that accident a year later, I remember it was programmed so that as soon as one cab was 1/2 way up the lift, the next cab would back almost completely into the tower and then wait. Thus, one cab was under the other one. As soon as the cab up top was transferring, the next cab finished backing onto the lift and began ascent. You did see two cabs up top from time to time during an e-stop. After the reprogram the next cab waited outside the tower until the other one had dropped. The line moved really slow after the change. You also realized how slow the other models were at going up if you ever rode a fast lift model.