When the new Windstarz ride opens at Luna Park, riders will be able to use the wind as their guide and become the captain of their own flight. NY1's Erin Clarke filed the following report.
At Luna Park, they are billing Windstarz as the first amusement park ride of its kind in the world. It's self-directed. You're in charge of your own thrills.
"You can actually control your own movement," said Angie Morris, brand manager at Luna Park. "No operator is doing it. You are doing it all on your own."
Riders move in large circles, eight revolutions a minute. They can make their own seats go up as high as 20 feet and down.
They even let me take a spin. It felt like hang-gliding. I used the wind coming off the ocean and the control bars to rise and fall, all as I was going around and around.
"You have to consider the direction of the wind and when you're going facing the wind, you have to point up," said Fernando Velasquez, general manager of Luna Park. "And as you're going around, 180 degrees, the wind will be in the opposite direction. You have to push it."
Literally putting the power in riders' hands has park-goers, even those who are normally apprehensive about high-flying rides, ready to give Windstarz a try.
"Even though I'm scared of rides, since I can control it, I think I'm going to try that one," said one parkgoer.
"You could feel how you want to feel, basically," said another.
"Sounds completely scary, but new and innovative and fun, and I would love to try it," said a third.
That's just what Luna Park officials are gunning for: changing things up every so often, incorporating new thrill rides to give visitors a memorable amusement park experience close to home.
"I enjoy coming out here to Luna Park every year. We come every year," said one visitor.
When Windstarz opens, there will be a contest to see who can navigate the ride best. The winner gets real hang-gliding lessons.