Super Jets

If you visited Pleasure Beach during the late 50s, 60s or 70s, or seen photos of the park from that time, you can't fail to have noticed the spectacular and colourful machine whirling daring riders round in small jet planes, high above everyone below. 

The Super Jets at Pleasure Beach in 1969.
The ride in front is called Satellite, and behind is the Gallopers and Sky Wheels. 

The first Jets machine was developed by Maxwell in 1952. It was an early example of a rider-controlled ride, for each of the plane-shaped cars featured a joystick control the rider could use to move the car up and down whist it was in motion. It debuted at the Hull Fair and proved to be a popular attraction thanks to the innovative experience it offered, and it’s decoration played on the public's imagination about man's first explorations in space. 

Lang Wheels built their first Jets in 1954 and subsequently developed the design to incorporate lifting the entire central rotor whilst the ride was in motion. Their first example of lifting Jets, completed in 1956, went to Botton Brothers, who at the time were lessors of the Pleasure Beach, where the ride was installed. Lang Wheels improved the design further, and in 1960 they modified Botton Brothers’ ride to allow the central rotor to tip whilst spinning, which vastly improved the ride experience. Such modified machines were called Vampire Jets. The original tubular shaped jets were also replaced. 

Botton Brothers Jets ride at Mitcham Fair in 1956. This was Lang Wheel's first lifting Jets model. Reproduced with permission of the University of Sheffield.

Centre of the Super Jets ride (whilst it was installed at Olympia), showing some of the mechanics and the sign advising riders there were in control of the plane. 
Reproduced with permission of the University of Sheffield.

Super Jets spent their summers thrilling riders at Pleasure Beach until 1974. Botton Brothers also took them to London's Olympia Exhibition Centre from time-to-time, where Bertram Mills' International Circus was held each Christmas, to which Botton Brothers were amusement caterers. The ride was sold to Heals at Brighton and subsequently operated at Flamingo Land. Sadly, it is no longer operational, although it is in preservation. A different set of Jets operated at Pleasure Beach in 1978 and again in 1980 to 1982, but for a long time it seemed this ride would be lost to the past. 

Queue of riders waiting their turn on Super Jets.

The colourful Super Jets.

Singer and actor Helen Shapiro on the Super Jets in 1963.

Ahead of 2020 season, Pleasure Beach announced the arrival of a new ride - Lightning 360, which may be considered a modern take on the classic Jets. It consists of 8 two-person cars shaped like planes, which revolve around and ascend and descend a 15 metre tall tower. In traditional Jets style, riders can control movement up and down - but the vehicle also rotates 360 degrees, which riders can control too. This is the first ride of its kind manufactured by SBF Visa of Italy. It was installed at Pleasure Beach in June 2020 on the site of the Super Jets ride, which had first entertained visitors to the park 66 years earlier. 

Lightning 360 at Pleasure Beach in 2020. Credit: Pleasure & Leisure Corporation Ltd.