Chair-O-Plane Ride
Small, hand powered rides were a common part of the early midways. These rides were roughly 15 feet in diameter and powered by a hand crank by a single operator with the only motion being simple rotation.
Our chair-o-plane ride is fondly known as the Bug Ride - a version of the aero-plane swing, or
Bee Ride, that Johnny J. Jones brought to the Exhibition in the 1920s. The ten small seats on
this hand-cranked ride are hand-made, hand-painted fanciful depictions of bugs; including a bee, butterfly,
dragonfly, and ladybug. This ride is enjoyed by small children between the ages of three and five years.
Special thanks to the ERRS for machining the main drive gear of the chair-o-plane mechanism, and to ATCO Gas for supplying and fabricating the steel frame. Thanks also to all of the volunteers that worked on building the bug seats and making this ride a reality.
Click here to donate to this project.
Click here for info. on sponsoring
a bug.