Parachute Jump in Coney Island, June 2007

The Parachute Jump is a no-longer-operational amusement ride in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York, whose iconic open-frame steel structure remains a Brooklyn landmark. Eighty meters (262 feet) tall and weighing 170 tons (150 tonnes), it has been called the "Eiffel Tower of Brooklyn". It was built for the 1939 New York World's Fair in Flushing Meadows Park, Queens, and moved to its current site, then part of the Steeplechase Park amusement park, in 1941. It is the only portion of Steeplechase Park still standing today. The ride ceased operations in 1968. The ride was based on functional parachutes which were held open by metal rings throughout the ascent and decent. Twelve cantilevered steel arms sprout from the top of the tower, each of which supported a parachute attached to a lift rope and a set of surrounding guide cables. Riders were belted into a two-person canvas seat hanging below the closed chute, then hoisted to the top, where a release mechanism would drop them, the descent slowed only by the parachute. Shock absorbers at the bottom, consisting of pole-mounted springs, cushioned the landing. Each parachute required three cable operators, keeping labor expenses high.

The Parachute Jump has been seen in many films, including 2000's Requiem for a Dream and the Spike Lee movie He Got Game. It can also be seen on the back of Cyndi Lauper's She's So Unusual album. It is featured on the cover of Type O Negative's Least Worst Of album.


Text from: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parachute_Jump