Human Control Line Ride Long Beach, California

About a month ago, my gal and I went to Long Beach in Ca.
We stayed one night and she had job seminar, so I went driving around L.B.
and took pictures of the cool, the funky and old. Many years ago before
the shore of Long Beach was changed (ruined?) by man made
water breakers and the changing of direction of the L.A. river,
Long Beach had a huge and very famous beach side amusement park that
stretched for a few blocks and partially sat right on the beach!
It was called "The Pike"
Anyway.............After we returned home, I went on the internet and
dug up tons of old "Pike" pictures, I came across this one, which I purchased
a photograph from the original negative, circa..1911.
Human beings in metal airplane projectiles held by steel cable and attached to
the center of the circle, the up and down position was controlled by how fast
those buggers were spinning, I don't know anything else about the ride.
If you look towards the right you'll see the roller coaster and how it extends out into the Pacific Ocean. And further right in the distance would be Terminal Island and San Pedro.

I rode in a more modern version of that. The planes were plywood, if I remember correctly. It was not as high as that one but the planes had rudder control so you could move them in and out somewhat.
For those of you who are in the area and old enough, it was at Joyland Park in Lexington, KY. There is a school and housing development where that park used to be.

Me, too, George. And I thought it was a hoot! How many times did you get sick on the "Wildcat"?

Don't remember getting sick. Only rode it a few times. I remember they took it down (I think because its wooden frame became unsafe). I preferred those rides that you could tumble yourself over and over.
Spent a LOT of time in the pool as a teen.

They still have those rides with the movable rudder. Rode one last year in Santa Claus, IN at Holiday World. STILL TONS OF FUN!!
Wes

LAST EDITED ON Jun-24-04 AT 12:55 PM (CDT)
 
My first coaster ride was on The Pike (circa 1965 or so). Scared me to death. I became quite a coaster phreak. I've riden on a lot of them from the Corkscrew and Revolution to the Chain, the Cyclone and the Magnum XL-200. But I don't think I ever was as afraid as I was riding The Cyclone Racer at The Pike.

BLACK HAWK
The Pike had become a run down dive that was a hang out for all sorts of rift raft by the time it was closed. Closing it was a good thing and I have some of the stock shares left here some place for it. Larry

When I was a kid growing up (so-to-speak) in Cincinnati, my family went to Coney Island, down by the Ohio River.

There was a ride that consisted of a flying two-seat gondola, that whipped around on the end of two cables, that came together at the top of the craft. Similar to the ride pictured, on a much smaller scale. There's a big rudder and fore-sail, the fore-sail had a grab handle and you could use to rudder it back and forth, making the car whip further out, away from the supporting tower. If you worked at it just right, using the prevailing breeze, laden with the smell of popcorn and Cotton candy, you could get the car to bounce around on the end of the cables, scaring an unwary passenger, pretty good!

Man those were the days. My dad would blow fifty bucks for a family of four and we'd go home worn-out and stuffed with 'food'. Today it's fifty buck a piece just to get into a park.

They had two roller-coasters at Cincy's Coney; The Wildcat and The Shooting Star. Both were wooden coasters, but very different. The Wildcat made sharp turns and banged you all around. Very violent. The Shooting Star was a longer, smoother, faster ride. You floated, weightless over a few of those bumps. I preferred the Shooting Star. I remember when I was real little me, my mom and sister waited while Dad rode the coasters. I think I was eight or so when I finally got up nerve and joined him. I remember feeling special because there was something I could do with Dad that my sister couldn't. Ya know, they always liked her best!

Cheers,

You guys really bring back some fond memories! I was born in Long Beach and spent many many weeks at the Pike during the summer months. I do remember the Cyclone Racer as being twin track and both coasters would race together all the way to the finish. This was the best park that a kid could spend the whole day at for pennies! Thanks for the memories Paul.

Hi Larry

Check this out, http://www.millikanalumni.com/Pike/Cyclone.html

LAST EDITED ON Jun-25-04 AT 09:17 PM (CDT)
 
Jaco,

Man, does that bring back memories. I spent a lot of time on that death trap as a kid. Though I have to say that the sweetest ride I was ever on was the GhostRider. Best wooden coaster ever even exceeding the Raven.

But for shear terror, the Cyclone Racer is still the one I remember.

Seeing all the pictures and reading all the short stories,make you feel good and sad at the sametime.Made my day.

Leon

Here's another shot...taken from the passenger seat of the u-control plane I was in at the time.

Hey thanks guys for the stories, neat to hear them:+

Thanks for the neat pics!