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Meyers

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  1. I thought I would add a topic that might be of interest. A whirlwind tour of a dozen theme parks in summer 1977 by Aero World principals. The tour was made feasible by Eastern Airlines (defunct) special $200 ticket that allowed the passenger to go anywhere on Eastern's routes visiting many cities but always going through Atlanta, the airlines hub city. We started at WDW, which at that time only had the Magic Kingdom. We stayed in the "treehouses." Main Street and the castle was grander of course, being used to Disneyland. Impressed, MK set the standard for other parks to live up to. Next was Six Flags over Texas, closer in scope to AW. No major coaster then except one I can't remember the name. I don't think the Cyclone had been built yet. Oil Derrick tower was nice. Not feasible in our park due to height limits. Six Flags over Georgia visit is cloudy in my memory, plantation columns lining the entrance. Nice flume ride. Liked Fried Chicken restaurant. Six Flags over Mid-America had a big out & back wooden coaster in the rear of the park. I think it was called Screaming Eagle??? I liked this SF park best, maybe because it was newer. Opryland had several nice shows, due to music theme. All I remember of the rides was the flume. Actually, we were more impressed with the opening Opryland Hotel, then at a huge cost of $25 million. Worlds of Fun in Kansas City was themed well, I liked the Scandinavian section, river boat (from MGM sale) and overall feel of the park. Park was built for only $20 million by a local sports team owner. Kings Dominion was next with its Effiel Tower, well done entrance with shops and restaurants. There was a large wooden coaster with a racing duel theme located in the rear of the park. Carousel was nice. Park was featured in movie "Rollercoaster" Carowinds was a smaller park, nicely done though with a small monorail. Busch "The Old Country" in Williamsburg situated in a forest was the most beautiful park we saw. Liked the theming and atmosphere. Beer Garden was great, we planned one at AW. Train with an European theme was similar to AW planned Orient Express. Name change came later, now is Busch Gardens. Great Adventure was a disappointment. Not many rides. Too much money spent on "dead" structures and detailing. Two developers had built it, future Six Flags purchase turned it around. Of course, we were two developers too. HerseyPark was fun, but poorly designed IMO. In fairness it had started as a picnic park. All I really remember is the chocolate factory dark ride and kisses street lights. The park manager showed us around, we talked about HP investing and managing AW. Kings Island had a Coney Island section with a wooden coaster, but I liked KD better. However, we were there for opening of a great coaster, The Beast. Best wooden coaster I rode during the tour. We were getting tired now and the parks were beginning to blurr into each other. But the last park, was Cedar Point, very impressive ride lineup. A new coaster, The Gemini was opening. We met with the owner and tried to see if there was any interest in CP becoming a financial partner in AW. (Today CF, Inc. owns Knotts Berry Farm) I guess the cost of so much flying around today would be very expensive. But I'm sure a tour now would be as much fun! On later trips, we visited Great America SC, Canada's Wonderland, Marine World Africa USA, Magic Mountain and Disneyland many times. I loved EPCOT Center in 1982. Liked MGM/Disney Studios. So-so about Animal Kingdom, thought Busch Tampa park still better. And Legoland, the theme park that did get built in San Diego - bittersweet visit in 1999. Meyers Jacobsen, designer
  2. I had the opportunity to tour the former site 3 years ago and was surprised by all the Qualcomm buildings, many in places that would have been locations for rides at Aero World. I thought it somewhat ironic that one of the companies there, with a large sign, was Curtiss Wright Corp. We had planned a major exhibit/show on the Wright Brothers and have had several Curtiss planes on display including famous P-40 Flying Tiger. A tiny salute to AW! Meyers Jacobsen, designer
  3. Just wondered after almost 30 since the Aero World (aviation/space themed) project halted, could it reappear at a new location within the US? Or has all markets been taken by existing parks? Would updated $85 million (1982) cost be prohibitive?
  4. You've got a good memory. The Shuttle Loop was a fairly new ride at the time. We named it Jet Launcher and was to be themed to the Navy's Blue Angels. I think Kings Dominion eventually did something similar using Top Gun film. The Arrow Mine Train an early Six Flags staple, was similar to one that opened Magic Mountain in 197l. It was to be boarded in one of the 1930's aircraft hangers in the Old Lindbergh Field section. However, we changed the name from Cargo Coaster, sounding a little dull, to Flying Tiger which became a cargo carrier after its World War II fame in China. As for other coasters and rides, proposed opening in 1983, were a log flume just off the German Beer Garden, skyride since the park was rather strung out due to boarding the private airstrip, a carousel, bumper cars, Monster, Enterprise, a wooden coaster in the Barnstormers Fair section, parachute drop tower, and the Meteor a large steel coaster with several loops and budgeted then at $2 million dollars in the Aerospace Plaza section. The daily 25 minute air show, 1,200 seat musical theatre, laserium, country stage, IMAX dirigible theatre, and childrens ride section rounded out the main attractions plus five major state-of-the-art aviation exhibits and over 30 vintage aircraft on display in appropriate themed areas. I appreciate the opportunity to document some of Aero World's history and tell amusement park fans about the project. Who knows, maybe Disney will build a similar park in Florida as the 5th gate someday??? Guess I can dream!
  5. Thanks, nice question. I already mentioned the Snoopy's Playground children's area being very similar to Knott's Camp Snoopy. At least it did get built and Snoopy found a theme park home, I think there also was a Snoopy park in Mall of America. I thought both were well done. Logo balloon, planned as a focal point in the European Village section, was really a 25' tall structure lit like a Christmas ornament at night. It was to have a themed gift shop inside. It did become a reality of sorts when I saw it at the entrance to Paris hotel & casino in Las Vegas. Looked great. Howard Hughes Flying Boat - Spruce Goose. Available to be relocated from Long Beach harbor in 1980, we bid unsuccessfully to exhibit the famed airplane in large building as part of the theme park. We thought it would have been seen by more people than its present location in McMinnville, Oregon and had a better chance being part of a park than standing on its own, as the case in Long Beach. We also thought its aquisition might help interest potential partners. Not meant to be. Wright Brothers bicycle shop - a replica of the shop was to be the entrance to an original first flight exhibit and show. When I visited Disneyland Paris, there just off the Main Street entrance area, was a Disney version of the shop, not quite as authentic as ours, but more fun with the Disney touch. Air Show - we planned to have a couple theatrical air shows with vintage aircraft and ultralights. When I visited EPCOT Center some years later, there over the World Lagoon were a number of ultralights trailing color smoke, not unlike we might have had in the 1980's. Probably the best example I can mention was the attraction using an IMAX projection system in a simulated dirigible theatre. The seats were to be on a platform suspended raised up near a curved dome screen. Not too different from Disney's Soarin' without the mechanical seat loading. Of course, if designers are working on same themes, the idea of similar ideas can easily happen.
  6. Thanks for your comments too. No offense taken. I didn't want to post a book on development of the project, so I listed topics to see what interested people the most. TPR has posted a press release elsewhere which gives considerable details. I didn't want to be repetitious. I'll answer the attractions questions in another related post below. Since you did mention Snoopy and Lego, I'll briefly remark on them - Snoopy and the Peanuts characters where wanted for the park since Snoopy was a natural tie-in with the aviation theme (Curse you Red Baron!) No park had the Peanuts gang then. We also had an idea for a children's area called "Snoopy's Playland." Rides were similar to what was built at Knotts Berry Farm in 1983, years later. Charles Schultz, Snoopy's creator passed on our proposal. Lego in Denmark was solicited in 1980 to be a partner providing financial weight. We touted San Diego being ripe for a new theme park, but Lego wasn't interested in expanding at that time. Somewhat ironic since they eventually opened Legoland California, in 1998 I believe. Aero World/Legoland would have been just ten miles from Sea World. Sorry to get too windy.
  7. Thanks for comments - Yes, Bill Lee and I were partners eventually adding Dennis Huska and Frank Tallman who would have relocated his planes from "Movieland of the Air" air museum at Santa Ana airport. Unfortunately, Tallman was killed in a plane crash in 1978 while scouting movie locations. Frank Pine, also a movie stunt pilot and Tallman's partner, became a new partner in the Aero World project bringing the plane collection with him. Bill Lee passed away in 1996 and Frank Pine is also deceased. I don't know the whereabouts of Huska now - he was the youngest partner. I have no other press releases, but will try to have some photos scanned from an old brochure, the only one I have left.
  8. I was pleased to see an old press release (1980) on proposed Aero World. I was a partner and designer of the park slated for northern San Diego in the western Mira Mesa area. We had 342 acres under option in 1976 while we gained all government approvals which took 4 long years. Unfortunately, the park was never built basically because there was a severe recession in 1980 - 1982 and we couldn't find the funding. Interest rates were at 20% and it was difficult to get an outhouse financed, let alone a major theme park budgeted at $85 million, substantial cost at that time. Although several national chains were solicited, none were interested enough in being partners. San Diego was considered a great location for a new theme park. Although options were extended into 1982, we finally had to abandon the theme park idea and instead allow other partners to develop a large industrial/business park which is what is located there today. If anyone has questions, I'll be glad to answer them - I can comment on park concept/origin, initial rides, potential partners, Legoland connection/Snoopy connection, competing parks in same time period, what the park might be today after 28 years since opening in 1983, attractions planned but used in other parks, what might have been done to save the project with the advantage now of hindsight and changes since 1982 park plans if operating in 2011. I have always regretted that Aero World and its unique concept did not become a reality. It was "a bridge too far" in its timeframe. A few years later, we might have succeeded and San Diego would have a major ride park complimenting the Zoo and Sea World.
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