This was the iconic signature ride that towered above the park and defining you were at Knott's Berry Farm. Rode this several times, and loved it. It really was a true marvel and was lit up with the script 'K' at the top at night. Really missed those days! Thanks for the post! This video is a gem!
This video does not really illustrate how scary the parachute ride was for a lot of people. I recall the weight limit in the basket was 400 lbs so two adult males would be pushing it. There wasn't any sort of restraint device inside the basket either. Wind gusts also caused the basket to sway at the top , adding to the terror!
Literally was like they secured you in a shopping cart from vons and hoisted up 1000 ft to your death! Scared the hell out of me but my grandma would always go on it with me so it was fun!
I am glad I'm not the only one traumatized by this ride. I vividly remember going on this in the early 90's as a kid with my parents and the terror of not being restrained at all and thinking I was falling to my death. The ride screwed me up for life lol
I bet it was scary. Just hearing the wind blowing in my earphones just now while watching them being taken up made me kinda scared. I can just imagine what it was like in real life!
Thank you for sharing this. Rode once in the mid 90s as a kid. Was pure terror then, and looks like Id feel the same now.They gotta bring this thing back!haha
Hi there. Thank you for sharing this wonderful video of the Knott's Berry Farm Parachute Drop ride with us. I remember riding them when i was growing up back in the 1990's. It was such a shame when cedar fair took them out. But at least I still have the mmories with me.
Rode on this back in 1993 with my friend who continued to shake the damn basket scaring the beggeebers out of me,didn't close my eyes though , got a glimpse of Catalina island at the top, and this version here ( age of cell phones ) is a rip off.... we went up twice, that was the way it was conducted then, funny, cause when you reach ground after the drop , say to yourself thank God....ooops ! Up we go again .... ---throat in my stomach -- LOL !!!
Thanks for posting this. I have not seen this ride in years (I remember seeing it during my first visits to KBF in the early 90s but have no memory of ever going on it).
Revisiting this great video. Ahh the memories. You really had to be there to get the full effect. A wicker basket, around chest high. Lots of lateral swaying and wind. No actual restraints or harnesses.
I remember this ride. It was pretty scary to ride. It looks super slow in this video, but it dropped way faster than that if you were on it. They scrapped it after a guy jumped to his death when the Parachute got to the very top. At first they thought he simply fell out of the ride (cage door was still fastened) but later it was revealed that it was in fact a suicide. He'd given his motorcycle keys as well as his combination code to a locker which contained the registration of said motorcycle to his friend right before getting on the ride. Apparently he'd been super heart broken about a breakup and just wanted to end it all. Very sad story. They eventually got Supreme Scream, which goes higher than this ride; so that, coupled with that incident left them no real need to keep it in the park. This exact same ride is still available to ride at Six Flags Great Adventure over in New Jersey. I did check, and no, it apparently is not a relocated refurbishment. The one in SF Great Adventure has been there since '81 but it IS named after an Air Force Base here in California so it does make me a bit suspicious as to whether or not it's TRULY been there since 1981. I suspect they purchased it from Knott's, repainted it, wrote "Six Flags" on it and reopened it under the name it has now, but perhaps they didn't want folks to know that it was purchased from Knott's due to not wanting customers out there on the East Coast to find out about the suicide incident from that same ride. Hmmmmm ... 🤔 Anyway, it's just a thought.
This was made by intamin i think the first model was at SF over georgia since it was there in the 70s, but idk what the first installmentof this modelwas located since this was the very first thing used to create a drop tower, with this model at knotts being built in 1986
This ride was awesome, but it always scared me because the basket could be rocked so easily and you were just standing in an open cage. Also, people used to throw stuff off of this ride which isn't very safe either. The whole feeling of Knott's is gone now and just feels like a confused, cluttered park with ghetto teenagers as the main guests.
I was one of those teenagers that threw stuff from the top. One time when carrying a 16lbs bowling ball onto the ride, the operator asked what it was for. I said, "I'm going to throw it from the top." and he replied "Oh okay. I guess I'd rather get hit in the head by a bowling ball than get shot by that ghetto teenager standing right over there."
First rode this with my grandpa and brother in the basket, way back in 94. Probably rode it a few more times after that. I remember coming here on my 13th birthday (Nov 2000), and it was gone. Such a disappointment.
Even though I'm scary of heights this was one of my favorite rides back when I lived in Southern Cal and me and my family used to go to Knott's Berry a few times a year in the early 1990's.
Aww blue Boomerang. Oh gosh this takes me back to before I became an avid Disneyland goer! Haha I wish Knott's was still THIS charming little place...not the wretched teen-angst "thrill" park it is now. *Sigh* oh nostalgia.
It's the boardwalks 20th year. The K needs to be yellow at night, not that glow in the dark look. Not many people know about the parachutes, they made the tower look better at night with the red lights. I believe the parachutes r buried underneath the sky tower. That ride scared me back in the day n I think the new generation would get a kick out of it. Maybe one day CF will bring them back, but 4 now all we can do is hope. Parachute Sky Jump (1976-2002). Gone But Not Forgotten. See You Again!
My mom and I rode this in 1978. I was two weeks shy of 6 years old.. I had to pee, but didn't want to lose place in line so toughed it out. Dad snapped a photo as we were half way down and with a magnifying glass it is possible to see me pinching my weiner.
I don’t think the Sky Jump would come back because... right now... the space that could use to fit the loading area is now filled up with that stupid bbq expansion and with my favorite rides in the Boardwalk, Wipeout. If they plan to bring back, they’d have to cram to loading area in such a tight space and demolish a part of that expanded bbq, rebuild the queue area for the Sky Cabin and Jump and relocate wipeout to replace either Surfside Gliders or Coast Rider
Read a ghost story that in the 1980’s a boy killed himself by jumping out, he did it cause he was sad about his breakup with a girl. They say you can hear a thudding sound as well
This was the iconic signature ride that towered above the park and defining you were at Knott's Berry Farm. Rode this several times, and loved it. It really was a true marvel and was lit up with the script 'K' at the top at night. Really missed those days! Thanks for the post! This video is a gem!
This video does not really illustrate how scary the parachute ride was for a lot of people. I recall the weight limit in the basket was 400 lbs so two adult males would be pushing it. There wasn't any sort of restraint device inside the basket either. Wind gusts also caused the basket to sway at the top , adding to the terror!
Literally was like they secured you in a shopping cart from vons and hoisted up 1000 ft to your death! Scared the hell out of me but my grandma would always go on it with me so it was fun!
I am glad I'm not the only one traumatized by this ride. I vividly remember going on this in the early 90's as a kid with my parents and the terror of not being restrained at all and thinking I was falling to my death. The ride screwed me up for life lol
I bet it was scary. Just hearing the wind blowing in my earphones just now while watching them being taken up made me kinda scared. I can just imagine what it was like in real life!
Yeah it was pretty scary lol. I bumped my head on the little bars once as it was descending down. Horrible experience.
So glad I found this vid! I did this ride as a child and was proper scared haha. I’m assuming it doesnt exist anymore? 🤷♂️🇬🇧
Thank you for sharing this. Rode once in the mid 90s as a kid. Was pure terror then, and looks like Id feel the same now.They gotta bring this thing back!haha
This ride is scarier then any modern drop ride. there's no restraints just a damn basket. I miss seeing it tower over the park
Truth ... Drop zone at great America wasn't shit after riding this
I was one of my favorite rides back when I lived in Los Angeles. :)
I rode it back in 1999, I was only 8 years old and had to rode it with a nice stranger because my mom wouldn't ride it with me, thanks stranger!
shoutout the nice stranger
true vintage right there glad I experienced it in the early 90's :)
Last time I rode this I was 12. Scary but yet fun. The 80s were great.
I had a great summer working at Knott's and running the skyjump! The video really takes me back! Only got someone stuck at the top once... Thanks.
Tom Flanagan Once isn't bad, glad it wasn't me, also glad you enjoyed the video ! :-)
Hi there. Thank you for sharing this wonderful video of the Knott's Berry Farm Parachute Drop ride with us. I remember riding them when i was growing up back in the 1990's. It was such a shame when cedar fair took them out. But at least I still have the mmories with me.
Glad you enjoyed it ! :-)
Rode on this back in 1993 with my friend who continued to shake the damn basket scaring the beggeebers out of me,didn't close my eyes though , got a glimpse of Catalina island at the top, and this version here ( age of cell phones ) is a rip
off.... we went up twice, that was the way it was conducted then, funny, cause when you reach ground after the drop , say to yourself thank God....ooops ! Up we go again ....
---throat in my stomach -- LOL !!!
Thanks for posting this. I have not seen this ride in years (I remember seeing it during my first visits to KBF in the early 90s but have no memory of ever going on it).
Revisiting this great video. Ahh the memories. You really had to be there to get the full effect. A wicker basket, around chest high. Lots of lateral swaying and wind. No actual restraints or harnesses.
I remember this ride. It was pretty scary to ride. It looks super slow in this video, but it dropped way faster than that if you were on it. They scrapped it after a guy jumped to his death when the Parachute got to the very top. At first they thought he simply fell out of the ride (cage door was still fastened) but later it was revealed that it was in fact a suicide. He'd given his motorcycle keys as well as his combination code to a locker which contained the registration of said motorcycle to his friend right before getting on the ride. Apparently he'd been super heart broken about a breakup and just wanted to end it all. Very sad story.
They eventually got Supreme Scream, which goes higher than this ride; so that, coupled with that incident left them no real need to keep it in the park. This exact same ride is still available to ride at Six Flags Great Adventure over in New Jersey. I did check, and no, it apparently is not a relocated refurbishment. The one in SF Great Adventure has been there since '81 but it IS named after an Air Force Base here in California so it does make me a bit suspicious as to whether or not it's TRULY been there since 1981. I suspect they purchased it from Knott's, repainted it, wrote "Six Flags" on it and reopened it under the name it has now, but perhaps they didn't want folks to know that it was purchased from Knott's due to not wanting customers out there on the East Coast to find out about the suicide incident from that same ride. Hmmmmm ... 🤔
Anyway, it's just a thought.
No that’s not
As I remembered he was pushed out
This was made by intamin i think the first model was at SF over georgia since it was there in the 70s, but idk what the first installmentof this modelwas located since this was the very first thing used to create a drop tower, with this model at knotts being built in 1986
The ride didn't close until 16 years after that incident, so I don't think that was the reason.
This ride was awesome, but it always scared me because the basket could be rocked so easily and you were just standing in an open cage. Also, people used to throw stuff off of this ride which isn't very safe either. The whole feeling of Knott's is gone now and just feels like a confused, cluttered park with ghetto teenagers as the main guests.
Probly because knotts is meant for teenagers at this generation xd
I was one of those teenagers that threw stuff from the top. One time when carrying a 16lbs bowling ball onto the ride, the operator asked what it was for. I said, "I'm going to throw it from the top." and he replied "Oh okay. I guess I'd rather get hit in the head by a bowling ball than get shot by that ghetto teenager standing right over there."
This shit scared the hell out of me when I was like 9 , i was terrified of heights and I've been a union ironworker for over a decade lol
The stand-up baskets were really cool.
I was always terrified of this ride as a child. By the time I was no longer scared, it was gone.
First rode this with my grandpa and brother in the basket, way back in 94. Probably rode it a few more times after that. I remember coming here on my 13th birthday (Nov 2000), and it was gone. Such a disappointment.
I can’t believe I went on this as a kid. It was scary but fun. Now it’s a long lost memory.
Even though I'm scary of heights this was one of my favorite rides back when I lived in Southern Cal and me and my family used to go to Knott's Berry a few times a year in the early 1990's.
I used to live about 20 some minutes away from both Knotts and Disneyland (back before California Adventure Park was built).
My knees would always buckle on that ride.
I was 6 and 7 when i remember this.. i would hold onto the bars for dear life.. i was scared as fuck.. my mom would make us get on this
Aww blue Boomerang. Oh gosh this takes me back to before I became an avid Disneyland goer! Haha I wish Knott's was still THIS charming little place...not the wretched teen-angst "thrill" park it is now. *Sigh* oh nostalgia.
So true Eric ! :-)
It's the boardwalks 20th year. The K needs to be yellow at night, not that glow in the dark look. Not many people know about the parachutes, they made the tower look better at night with the red lights. I believe the parachutes r buried underneath the sky tower. That ride scared me back in the day n I think the new generation would get a kick out of it. Maybe one day CF will bring them back, but 4 now all we can do is hope. Parachute Sky Jump (1976-2002). Gone But Not Forgotten. See You Again!
I was born in 91.. and i clearly remember this ride.. it was scary as fuck..
I remember going on this when I was 4. Were there like no height requirements or what?
I rode it as a kid. My survival instinct as a kid was to sit down and hang on lol.
I can’t believe I got on this ride with my five-year-old daughter back in 1989. What was I thinking?? 😱😱😱
My mom and I rode this in 1978. I was two weeks shy of 6 years old.. I had to pee, but didn't want to lose place in line so toughed it out. Dad snapped a photo as we were half way down and with a magnifying glass it is possible to see me pinching my weiner.
Great video!
Great ride ! :-)
I don’t think the Sky Jump would come back because... right now... the space that could use to fit the loading area is now filled up with that stupid bbq expansion and with my favorite rides in the Boardwalk, Wipeout. If they plan to bring back, they’d have to cram to loading area in such a tight space and demolish a part of that expanded bbq, rebuild the queue area for the Sky Cabin and Jump and relocate wipeout to replace either Surfside Gliders or Coast Rider
Correction on previous message..... must be a camcorder..my bad..
At 1:48, 3...2...1... and drop! ;) Nice Video Steve!
Cool video.
You can see that the Soap Box Racers were walled off getting ready to be demolished for WindJammer.
Man, soap box racers were my parents favorite ride. I remember going on it so many times as a kid.
Awww my youth.
It was terrifying as a kid and if it were still up today I’m sure it would still terrify me. Lo
I rode this once… never again. 😂 I don’t do well with heights. I can barely do the Sky Cabin.
Damn i remember getting on this and holding on to the bars it was scary as fuck... specially on a foggy day
All I remember from riding this is holding on and screaming 😩😩
crazy to think that the young children talking in the video have kids of their own.
Only came to watch cause i used to operate Sky Cabin and people would always ask about the parachute ride
hope you enjoyed it ! :-)
Sky cabin is currently stuck. What did you do to it?
Mike Carter I went to knotts after the day it broke and it wasn't open.
I never see that before 😮
I had my head dwn the whole time omg I was sick as shytt lol
Read a ghost story that in the 1980’s a boy killed himself by jumping out, he did it cause he was sad about his breakup with a girl.
They say you can hear a thudding sound as well
How did they let us get on this rude back then 😅 still scared of it 😬🤣
Why do they get rid of all the good stuff in favor of crap like sky cabin
Lmao foreals.. i remember my mom would make us get on this.. back when o was 6 or 7
Sky cabin is the same tower as parachutes
could have*
I hated this ride..