New Red Arrows Sky Force Ride Announced For 2015

Blackpool Pleasure Beach is reaching for the skies with a brand new ride for 2015!

The 42-acre amusement park has joined forces with the world famous Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, the Red Arrows, to launch a unique thrill ride which will take excitement sky-high!

In another world first, Blackpool Pleasure Beach will become the world’s first tourist attraction to have a ride based on the planet’s best aerobatic display team.

Preparing for deployment in the Spring, the ride’s aircraft will provide an exhilarating experience like no other!

Loved across the planet for their jaw-dropping displays which have thrilled millions, the pride of the Royal Air Force will now be represented at the *UK’s number one amusement park in a unique partnership where the rider takes control of their own plane to become a master of the skies.

Complete in Red Arrows livery, the brand new ride will also feature its own control tower from which novice pilots will be prepared for take-off.

The 72ft high, 12-seat white-knuckle ride will take you on a 360-degree tour of the skies and sits in the shadow of the world famous Big One rollercoaster. Stepping into your very own Red Arrows cockpit, you take control of the plane and spin, glide and take formation in your very own display.

Red Arrows Sky Force will have you spinning, swirling and exciting the senses while your fellow pilots take control of their own flights before touching down and checking out a dedicated Red Arrows shop, which will feature exclusive merchandise and souvenirs designed for Blackpool Pleasure Beach.

Deputy Managing Director of Blackpool Pleasure Beach, Nick Thompson, said: “We cannot wait to launch our new ride for the 2015 season. We are the first amusement park in the UK to work with the Red Arrows on such an exciting project and we know it will be something unique for thrill-seekers to experience.

Managing Director of Blackpool Pleasure Beach, Amanda Thompson OBE, said: “The Red Arrows are a British institution so it was a perfect fit for the UK’s number one amusement park to work with them. They are an amazing sight to see when they are in the skies and I am certain our new ride will give our guests a unique thrill they will want to experience again and again.”

Squadron Leader Ruth Shackleton, Team Manager of the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, said: “The Red Arrows have enjoyed a long association with Blackpool and the Pleasure Beach during the team’s 50-year history.

“The new Sky Force ride is a wonderful, and unique, means to continue this relationship and provides an exciting way for people to learn more about the Red Arrows, the Royal Air Force and the role the Service plays in protecting the UK. The team are also thrilled the ride will take pride of place adjacent to the Big One. It is also fantastic that the north west of England will get to enjoy and play host to a permanent Red Arrows experience.”

Editor’s notes

Amusement ride experts, Gerstlauer Amusement Rides GMBH, will build Red Arrows Sky Force which will be the first of its kind in the UK. The company’s decades of experience manufacturing amusement park rides has seen Gerstlauer become one of the world’s leading manufacturers of thrill rides. Blackpool Pleasure Beach will open for weekends from February 7th 2015. The ride will be launched next Spring on a date to be announced.

The Red Arrows are ambassadors for the United Kingdom and showcase the excellence of the Royal Air Force. The team consists of nine display pilots and 110 support staff, including operations and flight planners, engineering technicians, photographers, safety equipment experts, drivers, a public relations department, suppliers and administrators. The engineers and support staff are known as The Blues and wear distinctive, blue, coveralls. Based at RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire and flying Hawk jets, 2014 was the Team’s 50th display season.

Press Information

Issued by: Nick Hyde
DD: 01253 336330
Email: Twitter: @Pleasure_Beach
Facebook: www.facebook.com/blackpoolpleasurebeach
www.blackpoolpleasurebeach.com