Jumbo Jet (Morey's Piers)
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| Jumbo Jet | |
|---|---|
 Jumbo Jet | |
| Morey's Piers | |
| Location | Morey's Piers |
| Coordinates | 38°59′10″N 74°48′32″W / 38.986°N 74.809°W |
| Status | Removed |
| Opening date | 1976 |
| Closing date | 1987 |
| Cost | $400,000 |
| Replaced by | Jet Star |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel |
| Manufacturer | Anton Schwarzkopf |
| Designer | Ing.-Büro Stengel GmbH |
| Model | Jet Star 3 / Jumbo Jet |
| Lift/launch system | Electric spiral lift |
| Height | 56 ft (17 m) |
| Length | 2,854 ft (870 m) |
| Speed | 50 mph (80 km/h) |
| Inversions | 0 |
| Duration | 2:23 |
| Capacity | 1,200 riders per hour |
| Jumbo Jet at RCDB | |
The Jumbo Jet was a prefabricated steel roller coaster at Morey's Piers in Wildwood, New Jersey. Jumbo Jet was a Jet Star 3 / Jumbo Jet model coaster built by noted roller coaster designer Anton Schwarzkopf.[1] In 1975, the Morey brothers traveled to Germany and purchased the Jumbo Jet for $400,000.[2][3] Morey's Surfside Pier had to be extended a total of 250 feet (76 m) to make room for the Jumbo Jet.[2] Despite the expense, however, Jumbo Jet became one of the most popular roller coasters on the Jersey Shore, and was credited for increasing attendance at Morey's Piers.[2] It was the second and final Jet Star 3 / Jumbo Jet model coaster to be built in the state of New Jersey.[4]
Although multiple sources support the purchase of the Morey's Piers Jumbo Jet as occurring in Germany,[2][3] some sources persist in the rumor that this coaster may have been the relocation of the ill-fated Jumbo Jet from Great Adventure (now Six Flags Great Adventure).[5][6]
Regardless of the ride's origins, Jumbo Jet was sold in 1987 to a German broker. It was rumored that the broker traded the coaster to Gorky Park in Moscow for two railroad cars of ketchup, as the ruble was not a widely accepted currency outside of the Soviet Union at the time.[2][7] The coaster was actually sold to Alton Towers, which operated from 1988 to 1997 before ending up in Mexico and Colombia, where it last operated in 2017. [8]
