Enterprise (Alton Towers)

The Enterprise is an amusement ride, manufactured primarily by HUSS Park Attractions and Anton Schwarzkopf beginning in 1972. The HUSS ride was an adaptation and improvement of a design produced earlier that year by Schwarzkopf, with an increased passenger capacity. Despite not owning the original incarnation of the ride, HUSS was issued the patent.Although Schwarzkopf was the first to build the more standard Enterprise, the overall design was actually predated by another ride, the Passat, which first opened in 1964. This is only considered to a precursor, however, as the mechanism used to lift the arm up and down as well as the over all look of the ride is much different from a typical Enterprise.The ride is named after USS Enterprise from the TV series Star Trek. The backdrop is decorated with space-themed art and a silhouette of the starship Enterprise.Enterprises are manufactured by HUSS, Schwarzkopf, and Heinz Fähtz; all sharing the name Enterprise. Both trailer and park versions have been created and are in use.Design and operationIn the ride, up to two people sit in one of 20 gondolas arranged in a circle, one in front of the other. The ride moves clockwise, dispelling a slight amount of centrifugal force. A hydraulically powered arm underneath the ride then raises and tilts the frame so that the ride is rotating at 87° from the horizontal, transforming the ride from a horizontal experience to a nearly vertical one.