A lost Manchester rollercoaster was the first of its kind but was scrapped after just one year. Based in the old Granada Studios Tour theme park in Castlefield, the rollercoaster finally opened to a huge fanfare in 1997 after months of delays. Known as Skytrak, the thrill ride was the first 'flying' rollercoaster in the world.
A flying rollercoaster simulates the sensations of flight by harnessing riders in a lying, face down position during the ride. The rollercoaster cars are suspended from the track, as riders are secured in place with their backs parallel to the track.
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Skytrak was also a 'solo coaster' meaning riders would experience the ride with only one person per car. The single-passenger design kept the ride's capacity low, at only 200 riders per hour.
At a length of 1,282ft and 50ft high, passengers would fly around the track at a speed of 28mph and experience a G-force of 2.5. Photographs taken by roller coaster enthusiast David Ellis in 1998 show the track snaking around the main building at the old Granada Studios in a series of death-defying twists and loops.
Some of the images show the unique prone position the riders were harnessed into the cars before they were elevated and the ride took off. There's also video footage of the ride in full flow which can be viewed on David's YouTube channel here.
The Granada Studios tour was a popular visitor attraction between 1988 and 1999. Visitors could enjoy a Robocop simulator, House of Commons mock up and a backstage tour.
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The biggest draw, however, was the Coronation Street set where visitors could see the famed landmarks of 'The Street' including the famous cobbles and The Rovers Return. In the mid-'90s, the park announced it would launch its first (and what would be its last) rollercoaster.
The ride was named Skytrak after an event on the popular Gladiators TV show. At its launch in 1997, it became the world's first 'flying' rollercoaster, opening three years before the first large-scale 'flying' rollercoaster named Stealth, which opened in California in 2000.
These days, 'flying' coasters are much more common, such as the Air and Galactica thrill rides at Alton Towers. In a story published in the Liverpool Echo just before the opening of the Skytrak ride, Mike Duffy, the project manager for Fairport Engineering, the company responsible for creating it, spoke about their unique rollercoaster.
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"You'll get up to speeds of 25 miles an hour, which doesn't sound very fast but, with a G-force of up to 2.5, you'll really feel as if you're racing," he said. Adding: "As well as having the twists and turns of the track, you get the sensation of the wind in your face. It's the only ride where you're on your own, flying like Superman."
With the opening date of June 25, 1997, the new and unique ride had so much potential. However, the ride was reported to have needed regular maintenance which meant it would sometimes open for just an hour before closing for the rest of the day.
Another problem was that even if all five of the 'flight pods' were operating, Skytrak could only offer rides to 200 people per hour running at full capacity. David Ellis, who provided the photos, spoke about his experience of riding on the unique attraction.
He told the MEN: "I feel privileged to have ridden the Skytrak 'solo coaster' at Granada Studios as it was the world's first ever flying roller coaster and sadly so short-lived that few people got to experience it.
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"The ride itself had very low throughput, given each car took one passenger and the loading/unloading process was a bit complex. To board the ride you climbed into the opened compartment and once secured, the bottom of the car closed up underneath you via a ramp, so you were neatly sandwiched in.
"The flying itself was weird, something nobody had experienced before on a roller coaster. After turning the main lift and doing a tight helix, you headed right and flew to the far end of one of the streets before turning and flying back again.
"I recall it being so unusual to see people walking around underneath me as I flew above their heads. People waved as you passed - I waved back. The ride wasn't the smoothest around, it was a bit clunky and jerky, but this was a prototype of a new ride experience, so the imperfections didn't seem to matter that much.
"The other thing I can recall from riding it was the downward-facing brake-run - you juddered your way down the sloping track towards the unloading area with the top of your shoulders weighed against the structure of the car, and you felt each bump of the brakes right on your collar bone - bang, bang, bang.
"It was exciting to ride it, and I was lucky it was a quiet day and I got plenty of rides in, but my shoulders certainly knew it. However looking back I was fortunate to have experienced this rarity, as the ride and Granada Studios closed a few months later."
Sadly, lasting only a year, many who wanted to ride on Skytrak never got the chance. The Granada Studios theme park closed for good in 1999.
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