The Enterprise is one of those sleeper rides that looks really nauseating but is actually very enjoyable, and of course very bad ass! The Enterprise was originally made by the legendary Anton Schwarzkopf, the man who gave us the first viable looping coaster. Huss Rides now produces them; I personally think the Schwarzkopf models are better looking, and more comfortable. Enterprises usually have a multitude of lights covering the sweeps of the wheel. The ride itself is very simple in motion but really amazing at the same time. The Enterprise is a large wheel with 20 small hanging cars (16 on the Schwarzkopf models); the wheel is attached to a hydraulic arm that can raise the wheel to a vertical position.

The Ride

As I said before, the Enterprise is such a simple ride but really complex in its own right. The wheel starts flat so that everyone can load at the same time. The first very obvious thing that riders notice is the lack of a restraint. The cars have absolutely no device to secure the rider in, the only thing to keep you from falling out is the fact that the car is pretty much closed in with bars and a door that either closes downward or slides into place depending on the model.

Once loaded, the wheel begins to spin up to a pretty fast RPM. At full speed, the cars are flung out sideways, and riders are pinned to their seats. The arm then begins to rise up bringing the wheel to a vertical position. It’s pretty cool because gravity keeps you firmly placed in your seat as you travel upsidedown. Even if you don’t hold on you won’t slide all over the place or rise off the seat, depending on the model that is…

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Other Info

As noted in that last cliffhanger of a sentence, there are some Enterprises that don’t go fast enough to keep you well seated. The Schwarzkopf Enterprises are fast and have small cars which means that can put your feet up against the front of the car and keep yourself in place. Even if you don’t do that, the ride is fast enough to keep you in place. The Huss Enterprises, on the other hand, are a bit slower and the cars are bigger. I’m 5’8, and my feet don’t reach the front of the car in a Huss model, so If I don’t hold on to the sides, I’ll slide like hell forward when the car is pointing down. Luckily there’s enough speed to keep the rider’s butt on the seat when upsidedown.

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Video

Enterprise at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom in Allentown, PA.

Huss Enterprise at Dorney Park from The DoD3 on Vimeo.