The annual IAAPA Euro Attractions Show has kicked off in Amsterdam this week, and the industry's leading trade association is celebrating its 100th anniversary with another special induction into its Hall of Fame.
IAAPA typically inducts new Hall of Fame members at its Attractions Expo in Orlando each November, but for its 100th year IAAPA also is inducting members at its Asian Attractions Expo and Euro Attractions Show. At the Asian Attractions Expo in June, IAAPA honored the man behind Tokyo Disneyland, the creator of Night Safari at the Singapore Zoo, and the inventor of the underwater aquarium viewing.
Today in Amsterdam, IAAPA honored:
Dr. Peter Rosner, who developed magnetic braking and launch systems. If you're a roller coaster fan, Dr. Rosner has helped make your life significantly more thrilling. "The fail-safe nature of the magnetic brakes and the lack of mechanical wear and tear allows ride creators to design rides previously not possible due to the old, traditional braking system," IAAPA said in its induction statement.
"In 1996, another one of Dr. Rosner's innovations debuted at Six Flags Magic Mountain. 'Superman: The Escape' was one of the first roller coasters to feature a linear motor launch system, and the electro-magnetic propulsion system has become a commonly-used industry standard for launched roller coasters around the globe," IAAPA's statement said. Here's our look at Superman from its "relaunch" in 2011, when the park started running the ride backward full-time.
Other inductees today included Carl Hagenbeck, the "father of the modern zoo" with Tierpark Hagenbeck in Germany; Roland Callingham, the creator of the trend-setting Bekonscot Model Village in the United Kingdom, and Eugenius Birch, who is credited with developing engineering techniques that allowed seaside piers to support amusement rides.
TweetThis article has been archived and is no longer accepting comments.
