Setting Up the Paratrooper Ride 

Visiting the carnival grounds to see a few more rides set up. This time we are focusing on the Hrubetz Paratrooper ride set up. This is a classic ride from the 1980's Watch them set up the Wave Swinger Next! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-qN-V5VlfqFE.html

I grew up next to a regional amusement park that has many permanent rides and often leases out flat rides for variety. They had a paratrooper that the whole hydraulic lift would go up and down. The riders all got on and off on flat ground and didn't have to wait their turn to come down. I love videos like this. What really amazes me is how the designers are able to fit a complete ride on one trailer.

The first ride l remember was memorable to say the least. It was a full size ferris wheel at a small fair in Ontario and l was almost 4 years old. I went on with my mum and sister and when it stopped at the top and was rocking l went into complete and utter meltdown as l thought l was going to fall out and plummet to my death. The operator brought us back to the bottom because l was so hysterical and the lady who took the tickets took me off and told my mum and sister she would watch me if they wanted to carry on with the ride. She sat me on the ticket box and put her cowboy hat on my head, gave me a cup of warm apple cider then explained how safe it was as we watched it go around and around. Sitting with her was the highlight of my trip to the fair and l still remember it fondly over a half century later.

I used to call the paratrooper the umbrella ride 😂 and I used to love to ride this in my younger days 👍awesome video too

I love the Paratrooper! It's one of my favorites to watch, and I remember being fascinated by the engineering or it when I was a child in the 80's. Both my mom and dad's family had fair connections in business so I would find myself spending days doing nothing but watching the rides as a kid. I remember this ride in particular was teaching me about mechanics at 7 or 8 years old as I sat and watched how it worked and realized that it's so simple yet, it spins, rocks and goes up and down without anything but the drive motors, just because of clever design!

Here's another example of a classic amusement ride, portable or park, that continues to be a timeless fun machine that never fails to entertain. I especially love the permanent upright versions of the Paratrooper.

Love your channel. It takes back to memory lane everything. I always loved the Skywheel and the Skydiver. Among others. Today's rides not so much. Age does that to you. Keep up the great work

My favorite ride at Playland at Rehoboth Beach when we visited many times during my childhood. Very cool to see it set up.

My first ride was a small merry go round with motorcycles. I was about 5 and once one and going I hated it. I wanted to ride the scrambler the next year my dad and my brothers took me on that scrambler and I just loved it. Had to wait my more year. What always thrills me is to see the rides unpacked and set up and how they fold up. When I could go with friend or myself I went to watch the set up attend opening day and then when they tore the rides down .

Awesome video thanks for posting. I can't remember my first ride.. but the zipper is my all time favorite ride, ben riding it since 1984........

Nice video Pete. Back in the Early 90's I used to Shoot videos for carnival companies in Florida. Back then there were no cell phone cameras. Most of the companies i made videos for are no longer around. Renchino Amusements, Tolve Presentations, Great Southern Midways, United Shows , Funtastic midways, Amusements of buffalo and many others. I had a great time and met some fantastic show owners in the 5 years that I did this in my spare time. The carnival business is very unique and I Learned a lot. I even booked several of the shows to host carnivals for schools where i taught. You have to be careful, this wonderful business gets into your being . I still love talking to the carnival workers when I attend a fair. Keep up the great work .

I just looked up the little dipper, only $15k! That's a veeery good price. If i had the space I'd take that thing and a little ferris wheel.

My very first carnival ride was the toboggan. My brother and I enjoyed the ride. I am so glad I came across your channel. I have learned a lot from you

Still amazes me how "simple" US rides are! In the UK this would have an entire deck and fence and loads of music and lights and an operators booth. The one that used to attend right outside my parents house was like this. Like a mini nightclub at night. Keep up the videos, its great to see how each side does things.

In my part of the world we have Beauce Carnaval which was celebrating their 70th birthday. I was always fascinated on how they put up their rides. A couple years ago I took some time off of work and went to see them put up the rides ! It was a gorgeous blue bird weather in the morning but in the afternoon it started to pour ! And yet they where still putting up the rides in these piss poor conditions. These guys get all my respect ! The show must go on !

The primary adult carnival ride I ever rode other than kiddie rides was The Himalaya with my now late dad back in spring 1967 when I was 4 at our annual Buccaneer Days festivities in Corpus Christi sparkling city by the sea near our bay at Memorial Coloseum parking lot. I still have that picture that my now late mom took & cropped later to fit in a photo album.

My first ride was the Scramblerr and then the paratrooper ride; where I live in upstate New York there used to be a permanent Hoffmann play land and those two rides were my favorites and are still my favorites today.

Definitely one of my first rides, mid 60's. No height limits in those days, it was up to the parents. I distinctly remember paratrooper loading flat and then elevating up? Maybe I'm confusing it with the Round-up. Toboggan was my next 'most favorite'. The Zipper had to wait a few years for my first Really scary ride. Then we had the not-a-mousetrap Zamperela coaster. I first rode that one with my eyes closed while my elder sibs went on a more terrifying big wheel with cabins that spin around their long axis? Scared the daylights out of me the first time I go up the nerve years later.

MY FIRST RIDE WAS THE ROCK O PLANE AND THEN THE ROUND UP

I was a carney for 5 years. I use to set up the Sea Dragon & the Zipper & more. Actually had a good time except when we had to slaugh down then set up at the next spot the next day

Pretty sure my first "big" ride I went on as a kid was the Break Dance. Still love watching it to this day!

Ah!....I paused 2 seconds in to comment because I'm so excited to watch this! I really enjoy your set up videos and the classic paratrooper has always caught my eye ever since I was a kid! PS...if you ever get the chance for a rock o plane set up I'd like that! Hard to find now. I have a fully functioning Lego Rock o plane that operates via remote. It can be racked on a Lego truck. It's a custom kit designed by someone

I remember going to Idlewild Park in Ligonier, Pennsylvania, and they had a park model where everyone was loaded on the ground, then the ride was lifted while rotating. My favorite was riding the Paratrooper with my grandfather at Hamel’s Amusement Park that was just outside Shreveport, Louisiana.

I can still remember the first ride I went on. McKay Shows set up at the fairgrounds right across the street from my house in 1969. I was fascinated then (as I am now) with the set up process. My mom took me on the Tilt-a-Whirl and I absolutely H - A - T - E - D it! Of course now it is my favorite ride and I'l love to see a video on that one.

The one that was seen in 'The Fury' film which operated at the Old Chicago indoor theme park (which closed forever in 1980) is still traveling today!

My first Carnival ride was a merry-go-round.

Love these videos, Pete. Thank you for making them. Please keep them coming. First carnival ride I rode was Eli Bridge ground mount Ferris wheel. Seems like back in those days carnivals found their own ways of racking their ground mount rides on whatever type trailer they had available.

My first ride that I remember.

Great video i have been on this attraction a few times back in the 1990's great ride a hit in the older days.Now we have a star trooper attraction and that goes fast its like the cliff hanger but faster and has 4 people tubs on it.

Love the Paratrooper ride! We enjoy the one at Indiana Beach in Monticello In, it’s been there operating on the lake since the late 60’s or early 70’s but it’s a permanent ride. Great video! 👍

Awesome, Stephen.

Always happy to see a new video in this playlist. Thank you for doing the work of documenting this.

Back in the 70s I took my son on the tilt-a-whirl in Myrtle Beach. Nobody was around so he let it run for 15 minutes. My turn to be green.

Im not sure if it was my first carnival ride but I just couldn't get enough of the Scrambler ride at the Jacksonville carnival when I was six or seven. I probably rode it at least 20 times in a row. I just loved the lateral acceleration it provided. We didn't go to carnivals much as Disney and Busch Gardens were only a few hours away. Furthermore my grandparents lived in Tampa. To this day I will still hop on any Scrambler ride I come across just for the nostalgia.

this is a very interesting report. in germany the paratrooper is called : Twister. there are only a few left. it is a real classic.

I remember the kiddie rides as first carnival rides such as the ones that just go in a circle like boats and cars. But the first one that "scared the hell out of me" was the Spider.

First big carnival ride I ever rode was a Chance Turbo at Springlake Amusement Park in Oklahoma City.

This old-school ride always reminds me of the movie The Fury..

There is one of these at Knoebels in Elysburg, PA but not on a trailer since it’s a permanent fixture. They have a lot of vintage rides there. A great ride. Love the classics.

The kids umbrella rides I like to see how they go together I used to put the flying bulbs together

Awesome video Pete - thanks. Still amazes me the manual labor required to assemble these things…what a workout! And to do it in the weather elements…tough way to make a living. One suggestion, if I may, would love to hear the time required for the setup for each ride…just curious. I can’t remember my first childhood carnival ride. My parents would always balk at the pricing and say “we can just go to (name of any amusement park) and get more for our money.” Once I became a teenager though, and had money of my own, I’d go to Reithoffers at the Bloomsburg Fair (back when they played it) and rode everything to make up for it 😛

I grew up in the carnival during the 70's and 80's. Family owned game joints and concessions. Some rides I would love to see from those nostalgic days are The Hustler (a flat version of The Tempest), Hi Roller and the Swinging Gym. The latter ride was discontinued due to injuries to riders. Thanks for the great vids!

Fun fact. The cliff hanger evolved from the paratrooper, because the creator said he could make one load laying down, raise up, and rack on a 28ft pup.

Great video! Still love this ride. It’s one of my favourites over here in the UK, but there aren’t that many around these days, which is a shame as they use to be really popular. 😊

Great video Pete, I like hearing the old stories with it. Keep ‘em coming.

Sorry I'm doubling up on my comments! My first "big ride" was the scrambler. The first big ride I really wanted to ride was the Rock o Plane. I was too scared but finally worked my nerves up only to ge told I was too small! Once I was big enough, I chickened out when getting on. The next year when the carnival came back through, I did it! I'd like to ride one again but they are hard to find around GA

Thanks for sharing awesome stuff amazing to see how this stuff is setup

Great video! Thanks so much for making it.

In the 60s and 70s a carnival came to our town that had a paratrooper that was much bigger and was more vertical than this. The umbrella was a wire mesh, and it had a gas engine that would drown out any other sounds when it started up. As a kid, I was scared to ride it because someone told me one of the seats flew off and landed on the building next to it (never happened). Later, it became one of my favorites. This canival also had a great octopus ride and was rumored to have the first scrambler.

Great video, my friend! Keep 'em coming!

Oh wow Pete this brings back so many memories. We had a Paratrooper at the park I worked at but it was a park model. Same in every way just didn't have the trailer. We only took ours down at the end of the season to have the main shaft and bearings NDTed. LOL in fact setting up the Trooper is like one of the 3 videos on my channel.

Nice video. The first big ride I did was a Giant Wheel (about 40m tall) though it wasn't that thrilling. The first sort of thrill ride I did was a Waveswinger in 2015, then I did a PWS Sizzler in 2018 and a Waltzer (UK version of the Tilt a Whirl) in 2019.

My first carnival ride was either the “Trabant” or the “Loop -o- Plane.”

I rode on that ride in union!! stayed at the koa there several times.

I worked for over 20 year on the dutch fairs. On a ride called breakdance and i still miss it sometimes to travel with the fair

My first carnival ride that I wanted to try was the scrambler

Thanks for doing this video, the Paratrooper is the best. I would love to see the classic Trabant if you ever have the opportunity.

These videos are so well edited, great work!

I love these setup videos very well done.

I used to set up a lot of rides , the paratrooper is a back breaking ride when it comes to the rim irons, the infinity bars which you called camel back bars, and the bonnets.. yep they are called curved and straights.. not all paratroopers have turnbuckles on the rims, but always between sweeps and infinity bars… the tubes are called seat hangers.. love the video thanks for the memory … Gonna browse your channel as an ex ride foreman 😉

This is such a cozy video 😍

My first big kids ride was the Gravitron I remember at old home days in Maine I went with my friend but she was to nervous to ride but I went on by myself and let’s just say Gravitron is my favorite ride besides zipper

The first ride I remember? That would be lost in the mists of time. I remember going to West View Park outside of Pittsburgh around ’57, ’58 with my 1st grade class. The sights & sounds, motion & noise were so impinging; I could hardly take it all in - exciting and terrifying at the same time. Just walking around the place was like being on a ride. That was a long time ago.

hope all good Pete!

the first paratrooper that i ever saw or rode was in 1960 at our local county fair......it was ground mounted and it was my first date with a girl and she got sick on it.....i was 15 and she was 14....i am now 78

I almost rode that little dipper coaster. Planned on it in late 2019 for 2020, then um y'all know what happened. Then they closed it, the place seemed kind of cool. I've ridden one of these at Indiana Beach, and it sort of goes over the water.

This is a pretty cool flat ride. I haven't seen it in decades.

The first Ride I can remember I was on was on a Worm & Apple 🍎🐛🎢 ride in Sweden near Eskilstuna. It was meant for kids (from toddler to 12) but my mum used to ride it with me.

Nice to see how they build that up. There are most of these types of attractions in Europe. Start flat and then take to the air with passengers.

Awesome! My first "big" ride was a Chance Radar and I remember how much I loved it, such a shame they're not around anymore...

Very cool, Pete! I love old rides too. I've dragged a lot of questionable things home over the years, but I think if that roller coaster was next my wife might not be too happy. 🤣Thanks for sharing.

hard to remember my first big carnival ride but I think it was a loop o plane. , seems every carnival I attended as a kid in the early 70s almost always had most or all of these bigger rides. ,Roundup ,Roll o plane, loop o plane, chance skydiver, Ferris Wheel, Rock o plane , tilt a whirl, scrambler, spider/octopus , yoyo, and others I cannot remember.

Still watching....love the installment Pete..

Watching This is Very Interesting and Educational.

They had a paratrooper at Crystal Beach Park in Canada that raised up & down with each cycle

I didn't know that you had Paratroopers in the US. One of the few fairground rides I like, as I do not like the faster ones. In the UK, we have 2 sorts- one with the arm elevated all the time, like that one, and the other starts off with the arm horizontal, and then rises when the rotor has got up to speed. The latter sort are quicker to load and unload, although I don't like the centrifuge effect before the arm rises.

GREAT video Pete and thanks for sharing! I always love to see this ride, though I never have ridden it. I wonder if this one goes backward in its cycle like I recall seeing at a carnival at my high school in San Jose, CA. (my hometown) back in 1975. The teen I was with rode it going both ways and almost threw up since it was going so fast.

My 1st ever ride I believe was the Tilt A Whirl😁

Never seen one like this. The Paratroopers I've seen before would load kind of like a Huss Enterprise and just not go all the way upside down very similar looking ride though.

I always think, "That's a lot of ways to pinch your fingers." Thanks Pete!

Awesome

Thanks Pete awesome work and video. What your next adventure

GREAT CHANNEL PROFESSOR OF PRACTICE RESTORATION COMING SOON 💯💢💥

Thank You for Making these video, as a you kids Id spend hours just watching the carnivals rides being set up. can you do a set up video for the Trabant or the Music Express? those was my favorite carnival rides

This must be an older model, as most of the ones I see these days allow the hydraulic arm to go up and down, allowing for all tubs to be loaded/unloaded at the same time. I remember Dorney Park having a version like the one in the video, which is upright at all times.

This exact ride was one of the first adult rides I ever rode as a kid when it was still owned by Mickey before Jeff koontz bought it

Awesome excellent commendation. For me it was the ufo known by other names like wipe out. (Not to be mistaken by the graviton ). Then hands down the FERRARI 500s (a go kart styled bumper car lost to the 80s/late 90s for OHWS😡)and of course the legendary sound of the Hurricane. I just love how they all just pack up on a truck and go. I have the Lego model of the sizzler/scrambler that packs onto its own truck a must have for all fans I always thought I I ran an amusement ride since I’m a DJ I would have the best toons banging for my riders and a character like Kramer from Seinfeld in the ticket box would ensure a fun crew. Lol. Keep up the outstanding work if you can find footage of them slapping the boards down with the Ferrari 500s (not just electric dogems) that would be cool I have some stills. Stay safe party on maybe one day you might peep. One of my vids the one where I build a model radio controlled circiuit OR ROOM tour indeed will see the Lego set in reffering too. Party on.

Norman Bartlett's "Flying Coaster"

Great video Pete. I think my first big ride was a ride called the calypso, a real oldie and I don’t think there is one left in Europe. It was also wheel driven, had similar parasol roofs on the cars but remained at ground level.

Great Video!!!! F+L, Corey

Make a video set the round-up, loop o plane and carrousel

Oooh! I got a ride of the week for you. It’s called the boomerang. NOT the Vecoma coaster. It had tubs on sweep arms that spin around and then released. The tubs then would roll through a tunnel and return to a station. It was almost a rollercoaster. But a flat ride in one. Cheers!🎉

Unfortunately, I can't remember my first, but one of the larger rides I looked in wonder and fright at as I was entering was the the "Gravitron" in 1987. That gravitron had colour tv's places above the operator's center booth, faced towards the walls. There was also the first time I was introduced this Awesome band on those TV's called "Guns N' Roses"! A more awesome trip on than on a real a U.F.O.! 👾👾👾

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Gracias

Are you going to do a Tilt - a - whirl? In the UK, an extremely popular ride is the Waltzer, which is our equivalent. There are only a handful of Zippers in the UK.

First great ride I rode was the Tilt A Whirl

This was one of the first carnival rides I got to ride when I was a kid. This was also one of my favorite rides, and it’s been ages since I rode one. Very fascinating watching how they set it up.

Chippewa Lake in Ohio. Either the Bug or maybe when my dad took me on the “world’s fastest Ferris wheel “ I wanted to go again but my mother later told me that he was green. Also could have been the flying scooter at Euclid Beach.

My first ride was The Gravitron