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The Great Wheel Corporation has
selected Orlando
as the first American city to house its giant Ferris-wheel-like attraction, a
400-foot moving observation tower inspired by The London Eye . The Great
Orlando Wheel is set to break ground in 2010, and join the list of iconic
American landmarks, such as the Sears Tower in Chicago, The
Empire State Building in New York City and the Golden Gate
Bridge in San Francisco.
The Singapore-based Great
Wheel Corporation also operates the Singapore Flyer and is planning two similar
attractions in Beijing and Berlin. (They probably won’t call the one in
Berlin “The
Great Wheel” though.) Orlando
was selected not only for its big tourism industry, but also because of its
flat location, which ensures riders a great view in all directions. Great Wheel
Corporation Chairman Florian Bollen calls it “a great first attraction” for Orlando visitors because
they get a great view of all the main attractions and can plan where they want
to go. As Orange County Mayor Richard Crotty pointed out, “This is the perfect
addition to a city that was built upon castles, rides and whales.”
Each of the 24 38-by-16-foot
capsules on wheel holds up to 40 people, making it a cool alternative for
weddings, parties and corporate events. Getting hitched at Disney is one thing,
but a wedding in the clouds takes the cake. Its convenient location near to the
Orange County Convention Center
will probably have a lot of businessmen taking to the skies as well. Food and
drinks will be allowed inside the capsules, and restaurants and shops will be
located inside the massive 80,848-square-foot terminal. But the most exciting
thing about this new modern marvel is all of the local jobs it will create. The
$200 million project will use mainly local building partners and employ at
least 100 people working directly with the wheel.
Just so you get an idea of
how big this thing really is, we’re going to throw some numbers at you. Look
out!
- Towering at 400 feet, the
Great Orlando Wheel is as tall as Orlando’s
highest skyscrapers and equally wide.
- The wheel’s spindle will be
as wide as the Lincoln Tunnel in New
York City.
- It will take about 3,000
tons of steel to build the wheel and its total weight will be approximately
4,200 tons. Each capsule will weigh as much as nine full-size SUVs.
- The wheel’s diameter will be
twice the size of an Olympic swimming pool, and its circumference will be four
times the size of an American football field.
That qualifies as pretty
freaking huge. But if you’re afraid of heights, don’t worry. The Great Orlando
Wheel will creak by at a safe speed of 9 inches per second, so slow that riders
can get on and off without stopping the attraction. The wheel will also be
built strong enough to withstand the wrath of Florida weather. Florian Bollen rode the
Singapore Flyer with his family during one of Singapore’s worst lightening
storms. “We were quite comfortable,” he assured us, “although we couldn’t
really see anything.” One ride on the Great Orlando Wheel will take about 30
minutes and set you back $15-$20, but it will give you a better view than Dr.
Doom’s Fear Fall.
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