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For many years amusement parks have been trying to outdo each other by installing the biggest, fastest and craziest rides. One common solution is to build a roller coaster which is faster and higher than anyone else’s. But what about the smaller operators taking their rides to inner city areas and small towns across the country? Designers of these rides need to use real innovative thinking to keep the masses happy with new thrills.
As reported on Popular Mechanics, here are some of the strangest and most innovative non-rollercoaster rides around the world. Read the full article here.



SkyRollerThis swing-type contraption allows riders to control the number of barrel rolls they do by manipulating the positioning of the wings as they spin around. The concern often is subjecting riders to high g's for a sustained period, but points out that SkyRoller is self-limiting in many ways, according to Edward Pribonic, an engineering consultant for theme parks and a former design manager at Walt Disney Imagineering. "The faster you roll, the higher the g value would be," he says. "But the faster you roll, the g-force duration becomes shorter. Since you're going through it so quickly, you hit that peak g-force for only a split second and drop out of it." And while there is no limit on how many barrel rolls a rider can perform, nausea tends to be a nice biological safeguard.



FreeFall XTremeA 1000-hp V12 twin-turbo engine generates winds up to 120 mph, allowing modestly sized riders to "fly" to about 8 feet. Custom wind suits and a few minutes of training are obviously required, but riders with some skills can pull 360s and other nifty manoeuvres. According to the website, riders need to weigh between 25 kilograms and 130 kilograms, but the park brags that the engine was able to lift someone who weighed 170 kilograms, or 375 pounds.



Ejection SeatThe two-seat pod in which riders sit is held to the base of the machine by an enormous magnet. After the elastic ropes are pulled tight, the conductor releases the magnet, blasting the pod toward the sky. Technical Park, manufacturer of this particular reverse bungee, says on its website that the Ejection Seat subjects riders to 4.8 g's.



Flying FuryThis massive machine is one of the most interactive rides on the market. A joystick gives riders control of the four-passenger miniature planes, allowing them to pull barrel rolls and rotate 360 degrees while the arms lift them to heights in excess of 120 feet.



ShweebRiders climb into translucent, pedal-powered tubes that hang from a monorail and face off in head-to-head races or compete against the clock. The 2000-foot-long course snakes through scenic farmland and can be powered through in less than a minute. The pods are equipped with sufficient seven-gear drivetrains and seem similar to recumbent bikes. Agroventures says on its website that riders can get up to 28 mph as they swing around 60-degree turns. The current course record stands at 57.1 seconds, but we'd like to see what Lance Armstrong could do on this thing.