Editing Arrow Dynamics

{{Short description|Defunct American roller coaster manufacturer}}
{{Infobox company 
| name  = Arrow Dynamics
| logo  = ArrowDynamics Logo.png
| fate          = [[Bankruptcy]] And [[Liquidation]], assets bought by [[S&S Arrow]]
| predecessor   = [[Arrow Development]] Company Inc<BR>Arrow Huss Inc
| successor     = [[S&S Worldwide]]
| foundation    = 1986
| founder       = Ronald Toomer<BR>Otis Hughes<BR>Brent Meikle
| defunct       = 2002
| location      = [[Clearfield, Utah]], [[United States]]
| industry      = Amusement Rides
| key_people    = [[Ron Toomer]]<BR>[[Alan Schilke]]
| products      = [[Roller Coaster]]s
| num_employees = <!--peak number of employees-->
}}
[[Image:ArrowDynamics.png|thumb|right|Arrow Dynamics logo (1986–2000)]]

'''Arrow Dynamics''' was an American manufacturing and engineering company that specialized in designing and building amusement park rides, especially [[roller coaster]]s. Based in [[Clearfield, Utah|Clearfield]], [[Utah]], the company was the successor to [[Arrow Development]] (1946–1981) and Arrow Huss (1981–1986), which were responsible for several influential advancements in the amusement and theme park industries. Among the most significant was tubular steel track, which provided a smoother ride than the railroad style rails commonly used prior to the 1960s on [[wooden roller coaster]]s. The [[Matterhorn Bobsleds]] at [[Disneyland]], built in 1959, was Arrow's first roller coaster project.

In 1975, Arrow Development introduced the first corkscrew style track [[Corkscrew (Silverwood)|Corkscrew]], at [[Knott's Berry Farm]] that sent riders through a series of corkscrews. Arrow created several other "firsts" over the years, introducing the first [[suspended roller coaster]] in almost a century, [[The Bat (Kings Island; opened 1981)|The Bat]], in 1981, and the first "[[hypercoaster]]", [[Magnum XL-200]], which opened in 1989. They built the first [[4th Dimension roller coaster]], [[X2 (roller coaster)|X2]], which was designed by [[Alan Schilke]] in 2002.

Arrow Development's ownership changed three times between the 1950s and 1980s. Arrow Dynamics would eventually survive two bankruptcies and spin off a sister company, Fabriweld, primarily to build track,<ref>19 December 1988 Kokomo Tribune, pg. 11; "Coaster Rolling Toward Finish"</ref> by 1988. Arrow Dynamics eventually closed on December 3, 2001. [[S&S Worldwide]] purchased part of Arrow's remaining assets on October 28, 2002, and the remainder of the company was dissolved. In 2012, [[Sansei Yusoki Co.|Sansei Yusoki Co]]. of Osaka, Japan, acquired a 77.3% interest in S&S - Arrow.

== History ==

===Beginnings===
Arrow Dynamics' forerunner, [[Arrow Development]], was founded in 1946 when Ed Morgan, Karl Bacon, Bill Hardiman, and Angus "Andy" Anderson, started a machine shop in [[Mountain View, California]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Perry|first=Nick|title=Arrow Development- A forgotten piece of Mountain View's past|url=http://www.mv-voice.com/morgue/2002/2002_07_26.history726.html|access-date=January 9, 2014|newspaper=Mountain View Voice|date=July 26, 2002}}</ref> They started out selling used machine tools, building truck parts, and repairing cars until about 1950 when they built their first [[carousel|merry-go-rounds]] for San Jose's Alum Rock Park.<ref name="Pioneers share Living Legend Award"/>

In 1953, they contacted [[Walt Disney]], who was just beginning to plan a new type of amusement park in California.<ref name=Gurr/> Disney hired the company to help design and build the vehicles for [[Mr. Toad's Wild Ride]]. They would eventually design and build the ride systems for many of [[Disneyland]]'s original and early rides, including [[Mad Tea Party]], [[King Arthur Carrousel]], [[Casey Jr. Circus Train]], and [[Snow White's Scary Adventures]].<ref name="Pioneers share Living Legend Award"/> Disney continued to use Arrow as Disneyland expanded. Arrow designed and built [[Dumbo the Flying Elephant (ride)|Dumbo the Flying Elephant]], [[Autopia]], and [[Alice in Wonderland (Disneyland attraction)|Alice in Wonderland]] in coming years as well as upgrading and renovating the [[King Arthur Carrousel]].<ref name=Gurr />

===Roller coaster manufacturing===
[[Image:MatterhornBobsled77 crwb.jpg|thumb|right|Matterhorn Bobsleds, the first Arrow Development roller coaster.]]
In 1959, Arrow Development designed what was to be their first of many roller coasters, the [[Matterhorn Bobsleds]] at [[Disneyland]] in [[Anaheim, California|Anaheim]], [[California]]. Built in conjunction with [[Walt Disney Imagineering|WED Imagineering]],<ref name=arrowdyn/> the ride was the first modern [[steel roller coaster|tubular steel tracked roller coaster]].

After construction of the Matterhorn, Disney bought a third of Arrow Development in an effort to keep them viable and at least partially in-house. Arrow had already developed rides for other customers, and had orders for more, so they moved into a larger plant in Mountain View. At the new location, Arrow developed vehicles, flumes and tracks for [[It's a Small World]], [[Pirates of the Caribbean (theme park ride)|Pirates of the Caribbean]], [[Adventure Thru Inner Space]], and the [[The Haunted Mansion|Haunted Mansion]].

Arrow developed the modern [[Log flume (attraction)|log flume ride]], eventually installing over 50 around the world, beginning with [[El Aserradero]] at [[Six Flags Over Texas]] in 1963. In the 1970s, the company perfected and brought back the looping roller coaster.

In 1975, Arrow installed one of the most important rides of its time, [[Corkscrew (Silverwood)|Corkscrew]], which made its debut at [[Knott's Berry Farm]] as the first modern inverting coaster. Arrow made hundreds of coasters throughout the decades, including 17 Corkscrew-style coasters, 16 "runaway mine train" coasters like [[Cedar Creek Mine Ride]] and [[Adventure Express]], custom-designed coasters like [[Loch Ness Monster (roller coaster)|Loch Ness Monster]], and [[Carolina Cyclone]].

Some of Arrow Development's later projects included what were at the time the world's tallest roller coasters, such as [[Magnum XL-200]] at [[Cedar Point]] in 1989, and [[Pepsi Max Big One|The Big One]] at [[Blackpool Pleasure Beach]] in 1994.

===Reorganizations and bankruptcy===
[[Image:Arrow Huss Logo.jpg|frame|right|Arrow Huss logo (1981–1985)]]
In 1971, Karl Bacon, Ed Morgan and Walter Schulze sold Arrow Development to [[Rio Grande Industries]]. At the time, [[Penn Central]] owned [[Six Flags]] and Rio Grande had plans to build theme parks of their own, purchasing [[Frontier Village]] in 1973.<ref name=OBrien2006/>{{rp|224}} In the late 1970s, Arrow began teaching [[Vekoma]] how to build tubular track in their native Holland, and in return Vekoma became Arrow's European distributor. Rio Grande sold Arrow to the German manufacturing firm [[Huss Maschinenfabrik]] in 1981. The merger formed Arrow Huss. Dana Morgan, the son of Ed Morgan, was appointed the company's president, and [[Ron Toomer]] was made vice president and manager of engineering. Dana would leave the company and form [[Morgan Manufacturing]] in 1983. Although Arrow's coasters continued to sell well, Arrow Huss struggled financially, partially due to heavily investing in the [[Darien Lake]] theme park in New York, and the [[1984 Louisiana World Exposition]] in New Orleans.<ref name=OBrien2006/>{{rp|225}} Arrow Huss filed for bankruptcy in 1985, and 13 of the company's American officers negotiated a buyout. In 1986, the takeover was approved by the courts and the company re-emerged as Arrow Dynamics. Toomer served as president until 1993, Chairman of the Board until 1995, and as a consulting director until his retirement in 1998.<ref name=ToomerObit/>

In the late 1990s, Arrow Dynamic's bookings steadily decreased, with few installations toward the end of the decade. Despite attempts to keep up by implementing more updated design techniques, Arrow still found itself struggling to compete. Other manufacturers such as [[Bolliger & Mabillard]] and [[Intamin]] began to dominate the industry.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Seifert | first1 = Jeffrey | year = 2006 | title = Arrow | journal = RollerCoaster! Magazine | volume = 28 | issue = 4 | pages = 11–14 | issn = 0896-7261}}</ref>

Design and manufacturing costs for new, larger ride systems were increasing and competition grew. Bankruptcy loomed once again just as Arrow introduced [[X2 (roller coaster)|X]] (subsequently known as X<sup>2</sup>) at [[Six Flags Magic Mountain]], a [[4th dimension roller coaster]] designed by [[Alan Schilke]]. X opened to massive media attention and received an initially positive reception;{{Citation needed|date=January 2008}} however, several mechanical problems caused the ride to be closed for repairs during much of its first year of operation.

The company filed for bankruptcy again on December 3, 2001. At the end of October 2002, the remaining assets were sold to  [[S&S Worldwide]], a [[limited liability company]] related to amusement ride manufacturer, forming [[S&S Arrow]].<ref name="S&S moves to snap up defunct rivals"/><ref name="S&S affiliate catches Arrow"/> In November 2012, Sansei Yusoki Co., Ltd., of Osaka, Japan, acquired a 77.3% interest in S&S.

==Milestones==
[[Image:Magnum1 CP.JPG|thumb|right|[[Magnum XL-200]], the first roller coaster in the world to pass the 200 ft mark.]]
*1959: The first tubular steel track coaster, [[Matterhorn Bobsleds]], at [[Disneyland]]<ref name="Roller Coaster History Timeline"/>
*1963: The first [[Log flume (ride)|Log Flume]], [[El Aserradero]] at [[Six Flags Over Texas]]
*1966: The first [[mine train roller coaster]], featuring the first underwater tunnel, the [[Runaway Mine Train (Six Flags Over Texas)|Runaway Mine Train]] at [[Six Flags Over Texas]]<ref name=ultRCminetrain/>
*1975: The first modern inverting coaster, [[Corkscrew (Silverwood)|Corkscrew]], at [[Knott's Berry Farm]]<ref name="Roller Coaster History Timeline"/>
*1976: The first coaster with 3 inversions, [[Corkscrew (Cedar Point)|Corkscrew]] at [[Cedar Point]]
*1977: The first coaster with consecutive vertical loops, [[Double Loop (Geauga Lake)|Double Loop]], at [[Geauga Lake (amusement park)|Geauga Lake]]<ref name=DblLoop/>
*1978: The first [[Interlocking loops#Interlocking loops|interlocking loops]], [[Loch Ness Monster (roller coaster)|Loch Ness Monster]] at [[Busch Gardens Williamsburg]]
*1980: The first coaster with 4 inversions, [[Carolina Cyclone]] at [[Carowinds]]
*1981: The first modern [[Suspended roller coaster|suspended]] coaster, [[The Bat (Kings Island; opened 1981)|The Bat]], at [[Kings Island]]<ref name="Roller Coaster History Timeline"/>
*1982: The first coaster with 5 inversions, [[Viper (Darien Lake)|Viper]] at [[Six Flags Darien Lake]]
*1983: The first and only [[Roller coaster elements#Bowtie|bowtie]] element. Record-breaking lift hill requiring two lift chains, [[Dragon Mountain]], at [[Marineland of Canada]]
*1984: The first successful suspended coaster, [[XLR-8]] at [[Six Flags Astroworld]] and [[Big Bad Wolf (roller coaster)|Big Bad Wolf]] at [[Busch Gardens Williamsburg]]
*1987: The first coaster with six inversions, [[Vortex (Kings Island)|Vortex]] at [[Kings Island]]
*1988: The first coaster with seven inversions, [[Shockwave (Six Flags Great America)|Shockwave]] at [[Six Flags Great America]]
*1989: The first "[[hypercoaster]]," [[Magnum XL-200]], at [[Cedar Point]]<ref name="Roller Coaster History Timeline"/>
*1990: The first suspended coaster to go underground, [[Vampire (roller coaster)|Vampire]] at [[Chessington World of Adventures]]
*1991: The first looping coaster to feature an underwater tunnel, [[Anaconda (Kings Dominion)|Anaconda]] at [[Kings Dominion]]
*1991: The world's fastest roller coaster, [[Phantom's Revenge|Steel Phantom]], opened at [[Kennywood]]
*1993: The first roller coaster to feature three consecutive corkscrews, Fantasia Special at Fantasia
*1994: World's tallest and steepest coaster, [[Pepsi Max Big One|The Big One]] at [[Blackpool Pleasure Beach]] in Great Britain
*2002: Designed the steel supporting structure for the [[Olympic Flame#Cauldron|Olympic Cauldron]] used at the [[2002 Winter Olympic Games]] in Salt Lake City
*2002: The first [[Fourth-dimension roller coaster|4th dimension coaster]], [[X2 (roller coaster)|X]], at [[Six Flags Magic Mountain]]<ref name="Roller Coaster History Timeline"/>

==See also==
*[[List of Arrow Dynamics rides]]
*[[HUSS Park Attractions]]

==References==
{{reflist|33em|refs=
<ref name=ToomerObit>{{cite journal |last=Seifert |first=Jeffrey |title=Ron Toomer 1930–2011 (Obituary) |journal=ACE News |volume=34 |issue=2 |date=December 2011 |publisher=[[American Coaster Enthusiasts]]}}</ref>
<ref name=Gurr>{{cite web |last=Gurr |first=Bob |title=DESIGN: Those Were The Times – No.23 1955 Arrow Development – Ed Morgan and Karl Bacon |url=http://micechat.com/49581-bob-gurr-arrow-development/ |website=MiceChat |access-date=2013-11-28 |date=November 27, 2013}}</ref>
<ref name="Pioneers share Living Legend Award">{{cite journal |last=O'Brien |first=Tim |title=Pioneers share Living Legend Award |journal=Amusement Business |date=November 30, 1998 |volume=110 |issue=48 |page=20}}</ref>
<ref name=arrowdyn>{{cite web|title=Arrow Story |url=http://www.arrowdynamics.com/history.php |access-date=2008-01-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021206124720/http://arrowdynamics.com/history.php |archive-date=2002-12-06 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
<ref name=OBrien2006>{{cite book |last=O'Brien |first=Tim |title=Legends: Pioneers of the Amusement Park Industry |publisher=Ripley Entertainment |year=2006 |pages=224–225 |isbn=9781893951136}}</ref>
<ref name="S&S moves to snap up defunct rivals">{{cite journal |last=O'Brien |first=Tim |title=S&S moves to snap up defunct rivals |journal=Amusement Business |date=August 12, 2002 |volume=114 |issue=32 |pages=1, 9}}</ref>
<ref name="S&S affiliate catches Arrow">{{cite journal |last=O'Brien|first=Tim |title=S&S affiliate catches Arrow |journal=Amusement Business |date=November 4, 2002 |volume=114 |issue=44 |page=8}}</ref>
<ref name="Roller Coaster History Timeline">{{cite web |title=Roller Coaster History Timeline |url=http://www.ultimaterollercoaster.com/coasters/history/timeline.shtml |website=Ultimate Rollercoaster |access-date=2011-11-27}}</ref>
<ref name=ultRCminetrain>{{cite web |title=Runaway Mine Train – Six Flags Over Texas |url=http://www.ultimaterollercoaster.com/coasters/minetrain_sfot |website=Ultimate Rollercoaster |access-date=2011-11-27}}</ref>
<ref name=DblLoop>{{cite web |title=Controversy and Confusion Surround Geauga Lake Auction |url=http://www.aceonline.org/AceNewsNow/?article=72 |website=ACEonline.org |publisher=American Coaster Enthusiasts |access-date=16 February 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160807084209/http://www.aceonline.org/AceNewsNow/?article=72 |archive-date=7 August 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Arrow Dynamics}}
*[http://www.joylandbooks.com/themagiceye/galleries/arrow-building-a-dream.htm Arrow: Building a Dream] from themagiceye at Joyland Books
{{Roller coaster manufacturers}}
[[Category:1946 establishments in California]]
[[Category:Companies based in Clearfield, Utah]]
[[Category:Manufacturing companies disestablished in 2002]]
[[Category:Manufacturing companies established in 1946]]
[[Category:Roller coaster manufacturers]]
[[Category:2002 disestablishments in Utah]]
[[Category:Companies that have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy]]
[[Category:Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1985]]
[[Category:Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2001]]