Re: Is Maxair Open?
maXair is a pretty complicated ride just because of its size. and because of a design decision that, in my opinion was the right one.
The ring at the bottom of the ride is HUGE and it represents a very large mass. We're talking 9,000 pounds for the passenger load *alone*. The stability of the ride when it is parked suggests to me that it's probably a lot heavier than that, otherwise it would wobble more as people are loading and unloading. Now with all that mass at the end of a comparatively lightweight boom, the easiest way to move the thing would be to push it from the bottom. Just put a big sled on the bottom of the ring and drive it like a Pirat. Trouble is, Huss didn't do it that way. Instead they decided to drive it from the top, where there isn't a whole lot of space, and where the force requirements to get the thing moving are quite a lot higher. That means they are pushing the boom with a tremendous amount of force just to overcome the inertia of the ring on the bottom. To get enough torque to do that, they are using SIX electric motors, all synchronized with each other so that they all add to the force required to push the ride. That's a fairly complicated trick involving a fairly elaborate communication system between the motor controllers, and precise control over the motor coils.
About the only other method I can think of that would allow them to drive that ride from the top would be hydraulic motors. But those can be a real pain to deal with and would probably be less reliable than the electric drive has been, even though the system would be simpler.
--Dave Althoff, Jr.