Celebrations For The Flying Machines At Blackpool Pleasure Beach!
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Blackpool Pleasure Beach’s oldest operating ride is celebrating its 110th birthday on August 12!
The Sir Hiram Maxim Captive Flying Machines opened to the public in August 1904 and have remained a firm favourite at the UK’s Best Amusement Park* ever since.
And to celebrate this milestone Blackpool Pleasure Beach will be mixing the old with the new when they welcome Eurofighter Typhoon test pilot, Nat Makepeace, to take a seat on one of the famous planes, along with Deputy Managing Director of Blackpool Pleasure Beach, Nick Thompson.
Eurofighter Typhoons have become a regular sight in the skies above the UK and are the latest in modern-day warfare, keeping the nation safe while its historic relative keeps thousands of guests happy every week at Blackpool Pleasure Beach! The Typhoons will have taken part in the Blackpool Air Show the weekend before the 110th birthday celebrations at the attraction.
Affectionately known as the Flyers, the 10-carriage ride was developed to give riders the experience of flying long before commercial air flight became affordable.
In the 110 years the ride has been operational, over 20 million guests have stepped aboard the Flyers to experience the iconic ride which gives stunning views of the amusement park during its four-minute “flight”.
Sir Hiram Maxim built the Flyers in 1904 to raise funds for his attempts to be the first man to fly the measured mile, and before long it had become the newest craze attracting crowds from across the UK.
The ride sits pride of place close to the entrance of the 42-acre amusement park and still retains much of its original structure and machinery.
Managing Director of Blackpool Pleasure Beach, Amanda Thompson OBE, said: “Everyone loves the Flyers and to be able to celebrate 110 years of this amazing ride is an amazing landmark for the ride which is still one of the most popular attractions at Blackpool Pleasure Beach.
“The impact Sir Hiram Maxim had on the evolution of the park is still very much evident today and I’m certain the Flyers will continue to be an asset for many years to come.”
Editor’s notes
Nat Makepeace attended the Empire Test Pilot’s School at Boscombe Down, England and was test pilot for the Tornado and Jaguar and was handed responsibility for introducing upgrades to both fighter jets. After retiring from the RAF, Nat was employed by BAE Systems and in 2010 took over responsibility for Typhoon as the lead Project Pilot making sure aircraft testing fell within strict industry guidelines. In June 2014 Nat passed 5,000 hours of military fast jet time on over 46 different types of aircraft.
*Blackpool Pleasure Beach is the winner of the Amusement Park of the Year via social review website, TripAdvisor. The attraction has white-knuckle rides, family thrills and memories that will last a lifetime. Nickelodeon Land opened in 2011 and is home to 12 amazing rides, while the world’s first Wallace & Gromit-themed ride, Thrill-O-Matic, opened last year.
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Issued by: Nick Hyde,
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