The Parachute Jump at Six Flags Great Adventure has been a staple of the park’s skyline since 1983, standing nearly 250 feet tall (the third-tallest ride in the park up until its closure). Towards the end of the 2024 season, Great Adventure announced that it would be closing and removing multiple rides at the park, one of which was the Parachute Jump. This wasn’t a surprise, as the ride had been standing but not operating since 2022. Additionally, the news was far overshadowed by the announced closure of Kingda Ka and the Skyway (conversely, nobody cared about Green Lantern’s closure).
The Parachute Jump was manufactured by Intamin and was originally installed at Six Flags St. Louis (then called Six Flags Over Mid-America) as Sky Chuter in 1978. It opened as the tallest thrill ride in the world. The ride ended up being an early part of Six Flags’ ride rotation program, lasting five years before being moved to Six Flags Great Adventure after the ’82 season. Originally, the ride was named Parachuter’s Perch but was later renamed Parachute Training Center: Edwards AFB Jump Tower to coincide with the re-theme of the Boardwalk area when The Right Stuff: Mach 1 Adventure opened in 1994. Despite all the Mach 1 elements being removed over the years, including the simulator ride itself, the parachutes retained the Edwards AFB name until its closure—though everyone just referred to the ride as the Parachute Jump or simply the Parachutes.
The ride had eight parachutes, requiring four ride operators to run at full capacity, likely with additional personnel for crowd control back in the day. Honestly, I have no idea when the Parachutes last ran at full capacity. The closest was seeing it at half capacity during Fright Fest and Holiday in the Park. Most days, only one set of chutes would be open, and the lines could get pretty long solely due to the low capacity. Typically, the front two chutes would be open, offering a nice view of the Ferris Wheel/Nitro side of the park. Rarely, the side chutes would open, providing a good 180-degree view of the entire park. Even more rarely, the back chutes would operate, offering a lovely view of the expansive parking lot and Green Lantern/Scream Machine if you look down.
A ride on the Parachutes went as follows: you would hop into the wicker-looking seat, buckle the seatbelt, and have the overhead lap bar flipped down by the ride operator. If you were a solo rider, you had to sit in the middle with the bar’s backup chain lock between your legs. The ride operator would then rub a magnetized paddle of sorts against the control panel which, in conjunction with a button push, allowed the ride to start. The chute would rise to the top of the 246-foot tower in about 20 seconds, pause for 5 seconds, and then lower back to the ground. Unlike the early parachute jump rides that literally hoisted a parachute-clad seat to the top and dropped it, the entire motion was controlled with motorized pulleys, guide cables, and counterweights.
As mentioned, the ride effectively closed around 2022 and had been standing idle ever since. The news about removing the Parachute Jump sort of filtered into the theme park community rather than being formally announced. I remember having a photo taken of myself standing in front of it near the Boardwalk during the 2023 Holiday in the Park, figuring that would be the last time I’d see it standing. Well, Six Flags decided to keep it around for a package deal on demolition, I guess!
One final Intamin parachute ride was operating after Great Adventure’s closed: Sky Flower at Tokyo Dome City in Japan. However, that too ended up closing in early 2024. With that, the Intamin Parachute Jump effectively went extinct.
For an in-depth history of the ride with tons of photos, I urge everyone to check out the Parachuter’s Perch page at Great Adventure History.
Below is a video I put together using different clips I’ve taken over the years. I think the earliest videos are from 2011, with a few photos from 2007 or so – before it was repainted.
And here’s a bunch of photos I’ve taken of the ride.
