Several years after its 2015 announcement, dirt's moving and concrete's flowing at the home of the world's tallest swing ride.
- StarFlyer on I-Drive will be world's tallest swing ride
- StarFlyer will be 50 feet taller than the Orlando Eye
- Property will also house StarFlyer Cafe, Westgate time share
StarFlyer is a 450-foot-tall swing ride, under construction now on International Drive. Unicorp National Developments President Chuck Whittall let us inside the construction walls of the record-breaking thrill ride.
"You'll be swung 45 mph, 50 feet taller than the wheel," he said, referring to the Orlando Eye, just steps to the south on I-Drive.
Once completed, the StarFlyer will stand taller than the current tallest swing ride of its kind in the world, the 409-foot-tall New England SkyScreamer, which opened May 2015 at Six Flags New England.
At the base of the StarFlyer right now is a huge circular space that crews will fill with concrete. That's expected to happen in about four weeks, around Labor Day. From midnight until 8 a.m., crews will carry out a "continuous pour" from three pumps.
All of that concrete, combined with steel support rods, is nearly 5 million pounds. That's about the weight of six Boeing 747s.
Whittall also pointed out the metal embeds that will lock down the StarFlyer.
EXCLUSIVE: @UnicorpUSA1 takes @AllisonWalkerTV inside the #StarFlyer construction site: https://t.co/XyPpYzc1eJ #AttractionsInsider pic.twitter.com/yL058rCIsw
— News 13 (@MyNews13) August 11, 2017
"There's six big embeds that weigh 4,000 pounds each," he said.
At the base of the attraction will be a complex Whittall describes as "modern."
"Yeah, I was inspired by Apple," he told us. "I wanted to do something cool like they're building. It's going to be a cool metal with a lime-green trim."
The developer says four tenants will occupy the base building. That includes a StarFlyer Cafe and Westgate time share.
We also found out that the StarFlyer might soon have some company.
"We're going to do a couple more rides at the wheel project, a couple more exciting rides," Whittall said.
StarFlyer should be open to the public by the end of this year.