Editing Hiram Maxim (section)

====Captive Flying Machines====<!--Proper name -- capitalisation is correct-->
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[[Image:Hiram Maxim Captive Flying Machines.jpg|thumb|right|The Sir Hiram Maxim Captive Flying Machines operating at [[Blackpool Pleasure Beach]] in 2006]]
To both fund his research into flight and to bring attention to the notion of flight, Maxim designed and built an amusement ride for the [[Earls Court Exhibition Centre|Earl's Court exhibition]] of 1904. The ride was based on a test-rig he had devised for his research, and consisted of a large spinning frame from which cars hung captive. As the machine spun, the cars would be swung outward through the air, simulating flight. The ride was similar to the later [[Circle Swing]] ride, made popular in the US by renowned roller-coaster designer [[Harry Traver]].

Maxim originally intended to use primitive aerofoils and wings to allow riders to control their flight, but this was outlawed as unsafe. As a result, Maxim quickly lost interest in the project, declaring the adapted ride as "Simply a glorified merry-go-round". Nevertheless, his company built several more rides of various sizes at [[The Crystal Palace]] and various seaside resorts including [[Southport]], [[New Brighton, Merseyside|New Brighton]], and [[Blackpool]], all of which opened in 1904. Originally, Maxim had intended to build only two, but a lengthy breakdown on the original Earl's Court ride forced him to build more to make the venture profitable. He had plans for further variations of the ride but his disillusionment with the amusement business meant that they were never realised.

Although he expressed regrets about the whole project, the rides were held in high regard within the amusement industry and the Blackpool ride still operates to this day as part of what is now the [[Blackpool Pleasure Beach|Pleasure Beach]] amusement park. Along with the same park's similarly historic [[river caves]], it is the oldest operating amusement ride in Europe. The Flying Machines has the distinction of being virtually unchanged from Maxim's original design. The Blackpool ride's name is now usually abbreviated to the "Flying Machine" or "Flying Machines", although the full name, "Sir Hiram Maxim's Captive Flying Machines", is given at the ride entrance.

In 2001, [[Disney California Adventure Park]] opened, featuring the [[Golden Zephyr]], a modern-day recreation of the Traver version of the ride. The ride itself is much smaller than the Blackpool version, with cars swinging out at a much smaller angle. Nevertheless, engineers from Disney visited Blackpool to inspect the Maxim ride (the only example of either version still standing) to help design their ride.