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September-October
2016
IMCDOL
N.C. Department of Labor
Cherie Berry, Commissioner
www.nclabor.com
1-800-625-2267
.ПМШ
New Attraction to Debut at State Fair
By Neal O'Briant
Public Information Officer
The State Fair Flyer sky ride will debut at this year’s N.C. State
Fair. The sky ride is a chairlift with 126 seats with canopies. The
brightly colored seats will carry fairgoers along the main midway.
The new sky ride has two entrances/exits. One is the Wilbur
Terminus, near Gate 8 and Heritage Circle. The other is the Orville
Terminus, between the east end of Restaurant Row and the Gov. Kerr
Scott Building. The ride covers the 1,450 feet at 2 mph, taking about
7 minutes to go from one end to the other and 14 minutes for a round
trip. The maximum height above the ground is 42 feet. In addition to
giving passengers a great view of the midway and the surrounding
fairgrounds, the ride will also provide a way to bypass the crowded
walkways.
“The State Fair Flyer is a beautiful ride and will be a nice addition
to this year’s fair,’’ Labor Commissioner Cherie Berry said. “The only
other North Carolina fair that has a lift like it is the Mountain State
Fair in Fletcher, which I had the pleasure to ride earlier this month
afrer that fair’s ride safety press conference.”
The Labor Department’s Elevator and Amusement Device
Bureau has been inspecting the State Fair Flyer during all phases of
its constmction at the fairgrounds. Some of the things the bureau’s
inspectors have tested included a slip test, grip making, torque of the brake, and checking all switches, carriage position, fluid levels in the gearbox, fire
extinguishers, grounding, anchor bolts, and numbering of the towers and chairs. Afler these tests, the inspectors tested the lift with no load to check the
stopping distance, bullwheel revolutions and the electrical components.
A lull load test followed. For this test, each chair was loaded with a band of water weighing 374 pounds, which is the test load weight under the ANSI
standard, allowing for 170 pounds per person plus 10 percent. During this test, the inspectors checked for carriage movement and hydraulic pressure.
Additional items the inspectors looked at during this inspection included nonnal and emergency slopping distances, the auxiliary engine, and rollback. The
inspectors also checked that all sheaves were properly adjusted and checked the towers and access to the towers. The testing will include performing an
emeigency evacuation of the lift and making sure backup systems are in place in case of a power outage.
The State Fair Flyer falls under the Passenger Tramway Safety Act of North Carolina. Other devices the bureau inspects under this act include ski lifts
and tow ropes. The State Fair Flyer is the only permanent chairlift device in North Carolina east of the mountains.
The inspectors with the bureau will also be inspecting all amusement rides at the State Fair that fall under the Amusement Device Safety Act of North
Carolina. Amusement rides in North Carolina are inspected each time they are assembled in our state.
“We inspect the rides each time they are assembled even if we looked at the same rides the week before,” said Tommy Petty, deputy bureau chief for the
Elevator and Amusement Device Bureau. “I have even inspected a ride twice in the same day at two different locations. It's important to take another look
because as the rides are moved from venue to venue, they can get damaged or bolts may loosen.”
During amusement ride inspections, the inspectors begin looking at a ride while it’s still on the truck. They check all phases of the erection of the
equipment from the ground up. They check the blocking, shoring and clearance of each ride and also look at the electrical and hydraulic controls. They
check every nut. bolt and pin to ensure the ride is safe.
“There are two key reasons that North Carolina has one of the most stringent ride inspections processes,” Commissioner Berry said. “First, we have the
1 00 percent rule in North Carolina, which means the ride must meet the manufacturer’s specifications 1 00 percent to operate in our state. Some other states
do not have this requirement and would allow you to rope off or tape off a broken section of a ride, but we do not allow that in North Carolina. Georgia
is the only other state that requires rides to meet the 100 percent rule. Secondly, we do not allow third-party inspections. This helps avoid any conflicts of
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