"My job is a blast, literally," says Stan Checketts of Logan, Utah. Checketts gets paid to give people thrills and chills! He invents amusement-park rides.
"It's great for people to scream and smile and have a great rush," Checketts, president of S&S Sports Power Inc., told TFK. His new scream machine, Power Tower, will open on May 10 at Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio. Power Tower is the world's tallest tower ride. Riders shoot 240 feet up two of the ride's towers at the same time that others drop down the other two. A strong blast of air pushes them all along at 50 miles an hour. The ride takes just three seconds each way.
Checketts, who calls himself a "high-thrill junkie," climbed to the very top of the 300-foot Power Tower soon after it was built! He climbs all his tallest creations. He even hiked up Big Shot, the tower ride he built on top of the fifth tallest building in the U.S., the Stratosphere Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Playing with his kids inspired Checketts to build thrill rides like the Power Tower. "The concept evolved from tossing my nine children in the air when they were little," Checketts said. Now his eight grandchildren can get a high-speed rush on his rides. What do they think of his job? "They think Grandpa's crazy," laughs Checketts, who also bungee jumps, skydives and climbs mountains.
There is one thing the brave Checketts can't stomach. Longer thrill rides, including many roller coasters, give him motion sickness! "Usually, nobody gets sick on my rides," he says, "because they happen so quickly."
What will Checketts do now that he has built a record-breaking thrill ride? "There are still a lot of crazy ideas in my head for high-thrill rides," he says. Next: an air-powered roller coaster. Sounds like a blast!