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US Thrill Rides is an amusement park attraction design company founded by Bill Kitchen.

http://web.archive.org/web/20111129135731/http://www.usthrillrides.com/

http://web.archive.org/web/20111029235443/http://www.usthrillrides.com/products

http://www.skyventure.com/perris-skyventure-construction-underway/

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/10/prweb8911314.htm

http://web.archive.org/web/20111029235529/http://www.usthrillrides.com/products/skyspire/mega-tower

http://web.archive.org/web/20111031013122/http://www.usthrillrides.com/products/partners

http://web.archive.org/web/20121025043656/http://www.usthrillrides.com/products

http://www.unicoaster.com/experience.html

http://www.bizjournals.com/search?q=%22Bill+Kitchen%22&s=3&pl=1

http://www.unicoaster.com/funworld805.pdf

http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/news/2010/11/17/skyquest-attraction-sold-to.html

http://www.bizjournals.com/search/results?q=US+Thrill+Rides&search-button=

History

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In 1992, William Kitchen and Ken Bird invented the SkyCoaster. Kitchen founded Sky Fun I Inc. that same year to sell the product to amusement parks. The product was utimately a hit, with more than 90 worldwide installations in just six years. As each operator of a SkyCoaster pays a royalty of 5% of their gross revenue, the company was making $1.75 million annually in royalties along by 1998. Canadian firm ThrillTime Entertainment International took notice and purchased the company for $12 million in mid-1998, renaming it SkyCoaster Inc. All 12 employees kept their jobs, with Kitchen remaining linked to the company as a consultant.[1]

Kitchen's next invention was that of the SkyVenture, sold under SkyVenture, LLC. The first installation opened across from Wet 'n Wild Orlando on International Drive in July 1998. Within a year, the attraction's popularity grew, making a profit for the firm and even getting a visit by former President of the United States George H. W. Bush.[2]

Kitchen next founded US Thrill Rides, a central firm for all future design concepts.[3] US Thrill Rides has since developed the UniCoaster flat rides (which are sold and manufactured by Chance Rides),[4] SkyView observation wheels,[3] and SkyQuest transport rides,[5] as well as the SkySpire and Polercoaster (both in collaboration with (S&S Worldwide).[6]

References

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  1. ^ Waddell, Ray (August 3, 1998). "ThrillTime Entertainment purchases Sky Fun 1; to be named SkyCoaster". Amusement Business. 110 (31): 19.
  2. ^ O'Brien, Tim (April 12, 1999). "Former President Bush takes a 'fall' at Orlando's Sky Venture". Amusement Business. 111 (15): 18.
  3. ^ a b "Reinventing the wheel". Park World Magazine. November 27, 2009. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
  4. ^ "Chance finishes first Unicoaster". Park World Magazine. November 27, 2009. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
  5. ^ "US Thrill Rides launches SkyQuest". Park World Magazine. December 29, 2010. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
  6. ^ "Polercoaster". Park World Magazine. November 2012. Retrieved November 21, 2013.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)