The lights, the rides, the excitement of the amusement park! While some people go for the high flying thrills of the roller coaster, or birds eye views from the Ferris wheel, or to take out their road rage on the bumper cars – I’m going for the swings! Hands down, it’s the best ride at the amusement park. OK, maybe I’m not being as objectionable as I should, but I don’t care – it’s just a good ride. The Wave Swinger or “the swings” as I’ve called it since a kid, is one of the showplaces of modern amusement parks and the classic ride has been thrilling for generations. From park to park, the ride is known by many different names: The Bavarian Wave Swinger, the swing ride, the swing carousel, yo-yo, Chair-O-Planes and more. Each ride is almost basically the same with several rows of chairs suspended from a rotating disk, which once it begins to rotate and tilt, centrifugal force sends the chairs on a wave filled rotating ride soaring through the air. Wave Swingers have been part of amusement park fun since the early twentieth century, with portable versions being used for local fairs, and child size versions for kiddie land parks. The more modern version gained popularity in the 1970’s, when “Kettenkarussell” or Chair-O-Planes was designed by the Zierer amusement park company. Located in Deggendorf, Germany; Zierer manufactures roller coasters, Ferris wheels, and wave swingers for parks around the world. Many of their rides are featured at parks in the United States. Zierer’s sold about 200 of the swing units, but several other amusement park ride companies have their own versions with Bertazzon America, located in Tennessee as their main competitor. The basic ride is simple. Guests enter through a...