Milestone moment for Pleasure Beach's newly re-imagined ride

The grand opening of Pleasure Beach Resort’s re-imagined Launch Pad ride has moved a step closer, as engineering reached a major milestone today.

A 200 foot cylinder, which travelled more than a thousand miles across Europe before arriving at Pleasure Beach in Blackpool, has been craned from height and installed in the centre of the ride.

It signifies a landmark moment in the project, of which the cylinder is the key component and the part responsible for revolutionising the ride experience.

The cylinder is made of five individual sections which each weigh 1.9 tons; the same weight as an Indian rhinoceros.

Once connected, the entire cylinder’s weight is equal to a large African elephant, a military tank, a cruise ship’s anchor, or the Big Ben bell.

It has a pressure of 105 PSI, which means that each square inch inside the cylinder is experiencing a force of 105 pounds.

Karl Murphy, director of engineering explains: “The higher the pressure, the greater the build-up of kinetic energy. By increasing the PSI we’ve increased the force, and therefore the acceleration of speed is greater, meaning riders will feel a huge difference and shoot to the sky with more power than ever before.

“This new cylinder is what’s going to create those stomach dropping moments and feelings of weightlessness that guests are going to love.”

The milestone moment is the latest stage in the extensive project, which has been taking place during Pleasure Beach’s closed season, lasting from December until February.

Launch Pad has already received a complete aesthetic makeover, changing colour from white to vibrant blue and red, as well as receiving new name, branding, and a space exploration theme.

The majority of the work has been carried out by Pleasure Beach Resort’s in-house team made up of mechanical engineers, electrical engineers, painters and artists, and a project manager, as well as the director of engineering.

An engineer from S&S, the ride’s manufacturer, also flew over from the United States of America to help oversee the cylinder’s installation.

Amanda Thompson OBE, CEO of Pleasure Beach Resort, said: “This year we are re-opening the park even earlier than usual in time for February half term, so our talented teams have had an even smaller window of time to execute something incredible. As usual they have risen to the occasion, and incredible it certainly is.

“We’ve previously spoken about this era being a period of evolution for us, with a focus on renewing our ride offering. While Launch Pad is only the first chapter of a much longer story, it’s exceptionally exciting to see this first milestone happening before our eyes.”

An official opening date for Launch Pad is still to be confirmed, but is expected to be early in the 2025 season.

The Nickelodeon Land area of the park, which is aimed at families and younger riders, is open now for February half term until Sunday February 23, with tickets priced at £25.00 when booked online.

Pleasure Beach opens in full on Saturday March 1. Guest can secure the best value tickets at www.pleasurebeachresort.com, where prices start at £34.00 for adults and £29.00 for children under 12.