20 June 2007

The Singapore Flyer

The Singapore Flyer is set to be completed by March 2008. Since it is called a Flyer, it follows that a ride on it is called a "flight". Passengers on the giant observation wheel will be able to enjoy a breathtaking view of Singapore's city; from Changi Airport to Sentosa Island, and beyond into parts of Malaysia and Indonesia. The cheapest flight for an adult is $29.50. Here are some vital statistics of the Flyer:

Diameter of the wheel:
150 metres

Height:
165 metres (the height
of a 42-storey building)

Duration of ride:
37 minutes

The Flyer will be better in many ways than the existing London Eye on the bank of River Thames. The Eye was built at the turn of the century and stands at 135 metres. It is currently the tallest observation wheel in the world (but not for much longer.) The cheapest ride on it costs 14.5 pounds and lasts 30 minutes.

Here are some photos related to the Flyer that I have taken recently:


The Flyer under construction, with only half its circumference completed.




A "rainbow" forming in the sky. Is there a pot of gold at the end of it? Only time will tell.




A different view from Marina South of the half-completed Flyer (minus its glass capsules).




Doesn't the Flyer look like a bicycle wheel rim? Maybe it should've been called the Unicycle, haha.


To illustrate, take this bicycle and retrofit it with "Flyer" wheels:



Looks better, doesn't it?

I can't wait to take a ride on it when it is completed (the Flyer, not the bicycle that is).

Firehorse, next time you visit Singapore, I bring you for a ride on the Flyer but you pay, alright?

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wah...at first I thought some mirror on the bicycle wheels :O
When The Flyer is only half-complete, I thought it looks like The Viking (usually found in amusement park).

Victor said...

Tigerfish - Hmm... now that you've mentioned it, it does look like a Viking amusement ride. I thought it also looked like a giant sextant. (For the uninitiated, a sextant has nothing to do with my favourite topic but is an instrument used to measure a celestial object's height or angle above the horizon.)

Lam Chun See said...

Very ex leh. Maybe if they allow us to take the half flyer, we can pay half price. Heehee.

Anonymous said...

I kinda find it an eyesore on our skyline. But it was pretty interesting to watch it being put together bit by bit, driving past it daily while it was under construction.

Anonymous said...

Don't know why they start removing those spikes and now resembles more like a bicycle wheel like you mentioned haha.

Victor said...

Chun See - Not ex liao, considering that it costs less than a dollar for a minute's ride as well as the amount of investment that went into building it.

Buggy - Thanks for your maiden comment on my blog. Yes it is an eyesore, but only if you view it from certain angles. When viewed from other angles, it can be quite artistic. (Just look at my photos, haha.)

Mr Lao - Those spokes were never meant to be part of the Flyer but were necessary structures to support the partial rim during the initial construction phase. Anyway, it is a good thing that they are removed because they are really an eyesore and they partially obstruct the views of flying passengers as well.

Shilpa said...

Wah, nice lah your pictures, as usual! :) 30 bucks for 37 mins quite ok, hor? I almost took the G-Max at Clarke Quay when I was there, but it's 40 bucks, and didn't look as if it lasted more than 10 minutes, what a rip-off! My friends and I spent a whole evening at the Bungy Bar facing the G-Max to watch all these suckers willing to pay so much to get "shot" into the air, haha!

stay-at-home mum said...

And the best part is tickets for the 1st 3 months have all been pre-booked already

Victor said...

Shilpa - Thanks for the compliments on the photos. As you can see, some of them are taken while I was behind the wheel and stuck in traffic.

The "adrenalin-rush levels induced" for the G-Max ride and that for the Flyer are totally different, so can't really compare them to each other. Frankly, I don't know how many people will survive a 37-minute G-Max ride, no matter how adventurous they may be. Yes, I think that the Flyer is much more worth riding than the DHL balloon which costs $23 for an adult ride lasting only about 10 mins.

Stay-at-home Mum - Thanks for leaving a comment on my blog. Yes, I heard that the Flyer has been fully booked for the first 3 months. Never mind, let other people "run-in" the mechanism first. Safer that way, haha. Another thing, maybe after 3 months, they have discounted tickets?

Unknown said...

mass book tickets leh.. we all go!
it would be fun.

i think it's going to be one of the most taken photos of Singapore soon. haha...

Look at what I took too:
http://keropokman.blogspot.com/search/label/Singapore%20Flyer

but i think i like your bicycle wheels. haha...

Victor said...

Keropok Man - I have taken a look. Woah, your photos are always so sharp and professional-looking. Mine cannot compare lah. (Don't know where to hide my face.)

One more thing, I notice your photos are always so big. Even if I chose "large" when uploading photos, they can never be as big as yours. Care to share your secret?

Unknown said...

Nice piece on the Singapore Flyer which has also been a hot photographic subject. I almost wanted to stop by the side of the road to snap it too, but didn't for fear of well....killing myself? haha

By the way, I did blog about the Singapore Flyer before here though my post is more on the marketing side of things. As usual. Yours is more fun!

Lam Chun See said...

I like your 'rainbow' picture. Looks like a bridge connecting 2 buildings. Also looks like the spokes were radiating from the tree.

Victor said...

Walter - I read your article on the Flyer. You should be charging for all the sound advice that you give. Regarding packaging tours together, I think there is currently a 3-in-1 package tour consisting of the U Can Fly (DHL Balloon ride), Hippo Bus Tour and the Duck Tour. Maybe they got the idea from you free.

Chun See - Glad you like that photo.

Unknown said...

Victor,

no lah, dont make my head go big big, wait like the DHL balloon! haha..


for making the photo big, you just need to manipulate the codes.

when you upload, go to HTML mode, then there's usually at 1600 and 400 number right?


eg for your flyer it is...

http://bp0.blogger.com/_7lVdMls5uOs/
RnlAhQaE1kI/AAAAAAAAAdI/k63jYDI6UuM/
s400/spore_flyer.jpg


For each pic, just change the s400 to s1600 :-)

that's it!

Victor said...

Thanks for sharing the tip, Keropokman. I will try it the next time I want to upload a big photo. :)