| Jet Star | |
|---|---|
| Casino Pier | |
| Coordinates | 39°56′33″N74°04′09″W / 39.942574°N 74.069198°WCoordinates: 39°56′33″N74°04′09″W / 39.942574°N 74.069198°W |
| Status | Removed |
| Opening date | 1970 |
| Closing date | 2000 |
| Replaced by | Star Jet |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel |
| Manufacturer | Anton Schwarzkopf |
| Model | Jet Star |
| Height | 44.3 ft (13.5 m) |
| Length | 1,765.1 ft (538.0 m) |
| Speed | 31.1 mph (50.1 km/h) |
| Jet Star at RCDB Pictures of Jet Star at RCDB | |
- The below 2019 Specials are finished for the season. Check back in the new year for our 2020 Specials and Dates! CASINO PIER DAILY SPECIALS Specials are valid July and August only, except when noted, and not valid on holidays.
- Jul 12, 2017 Casino Pier & Breakwater Beach Waterpark: Get coupons - See 418 traveler reviews, 229 candid photos, and great deals for Seaside Heights, NJ, at TripAdvisor.
Apr 14, 2017 Save BIG on Go-Kart, Ride & Waterpark passes! On sale on premise Friday, Saturday & Sunday 11am – 6pm at the Casino Pier Sale Booths, Breakwater Beach Admission Windows and Go-Kart Sales Booths You can also buy online from Thursday through Monday here.
Jet Star, sometimes stylized as Jet-Star, was a steelroller coaster which operated between 1970 and 2000 at Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey. It was replaced by—and sometimes confused with[1]—Star Jet,[2] the coaster which was swept into the Atlantic Ocean by Hurricane Sandy in 2012.
History[edit]
For some time there was confusion about the early history of the Jet Star. It was originally thought to have been moved to Casino Pier from a brief run at Palisades Amusement Park. Instead, it seems that it was bought new from Anton Schwarzkopf's company in Germany.[3] Casino Pier had operated Wild Mouse roller coasters in the late 1950s,[4] but by the mid 1960s, ridership numbers were dropping.[5] The Park's operator, Ken Wynne,[1] was traveling in Europe when he found the coaster he thought would be the best replacement—a Jet Star coaster built by Schwarzkopf.[5] Wynne believed that it would provide a much more exciting ride experience than the earlier Wild Mouse coasters.[5]
Casino Pier Seaside Heights Arcade
During the construction of Jet Star, there was some debate on where it should be located on Casino Pier.[5] One story tells of how Wynne told the ride dealer, Roland Koch, where on the pier the coaster should be built. When Wynne returned from lunch, he discovered that Koch had begun to build the coaster in a completely different part of the pier. After a long argument, Koch's preferred location won and the coaster was built where the dealer wanted[5]—at the very end of the pier, overlooking the ocean.[6] As the later Star Jet would ultimately replace the Jet Star, this placement may have proven unlucky for the later coaster, as it was only the far corner of Casino Pier which collapsed during Hurricane Sandy, sending the later coaster into the surf in 2012.[7]
The Jet Star was removed from Casino Pier in 2000. There were some attempts to sell the coaster, but refurbishment would have been too costly. The coaster was ultimately scrapped and the cars sold off.[3]
Layout and ride experience[edit]
Having a footprint of 86.6 by 144.3 feet (26.4 by 44.0 m), the coaster was relatively compact, as was typical of the Jet Star model line.[3] It had much steeper drops and higher-speed turns than a Wild Mouse coaster.[5] In 1991, a single ride on the coaster cost 5 tickets (approximately $2.50).[8] In 1997 it was rated as being the most extreme ride on Casino Pier.[6]
References[edit]
- ^ ab'History Timeline'. Casino Pier & Breakwater Beach. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
- ^Marden, Duane. 'Star Jet (Casino Pier)'. Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
- ^ abcMarden, Duane. 'Jet Star (Casino Pier)'. Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
- ^Marden, Duane. 'List of roller coasters at Casino Pier'. Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
- ^ abcdefFutrell, Jim (2004). Amusement Parks of New Jersey. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books. ISBN0811729737.
- ^ abUrbanowicz, Steven J. (1997). The Roller Coaster Lover's Companion: A Thrill Seeker's Guide to the World's Best Coasters. New York, NY: Kensington Publishing Corporation. ISBN080651924X.
- ^MacDonald, Brady (November 7, 2012). 'Superstorm Sandy: Tallying the damage at amusement piers'. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
- ^Sharkey, Joe (August 4, 1991). 'The Great Boardwalk Towns of Jersey'. The New York Times. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
