{"id":3608,"date":"2014-10-14T23:24:29","date_gmt":"2014-10-15T05:24:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lagoonhistory.com\/project\/?page_id=3608"},"modified":"2026-02-20T17:10:31","modified_gmt":"2026-02-21T00:10:31","slug":"paratrooper","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/lagoonhistory.com\/project\/attractions\/paratrooper\/","title":{"rendered":"Paratrooper"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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Detail from 1966 newspaper ad.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Opened: 9 Apr 1966
Location: North Midway
Manufactured By: Frank Hrubetz & Company – Salem, Oregon
Ride Model: Paratrooper (rim-driven park model)
Max Height: 25 ft
Number Of Gondolas: 10
Ride Capacity: 20 (2 per gondola)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Salem, Oregon during the Great Depression, aviator and mechanic Lee Eyerly was building pilot training devices that were so thrilling, they quickly gained more popularity at fairs and carnivals than at flight schools. Frank Hrubetz (pronounced with a silent ‘H’), fresh from Oregon State College with a degree in mechanical engineering, was hired as Eyerly Aircraft Company’s chief engineer. After several years of working with Eyerly and helping to develop some its most popular rides, Hrubetz began his own amusement ride business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Frank Hrubetz & Company was founded in 1939. One of their first creations was the Spitfire, which some believe was based on the Eyerly Fly-O-Plane. Spitfire had small planes that could be tilted side to side or into a full roll by the riders as they spun around on a slanted wheel.\u00b9 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Explanation of Spitfire’s movements from the July 1949 issue of Popular Science Monthly<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Twenty years later in 1959, Hrubetz introduced the Paratrooper and advertised it as a “new version” of the Spitfire. Parachute-like gondolas replaced the planes, but otherwise they were so similar, owners of Spitfire rides could buy a kit to convert their Spitfire into a Paratrooper. Hrubetz became one of the most successful ride manufacturers in the world in the ’60s and ’70s and produced a variety of rides until a few years after its founder’s death in 1987.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ad for the new Paratrooper ride in The Billboard, 24 Aug 1959.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Lagoon’s Paratrooper opened as one of their “6 Super Surprises in 66” along with the Haunted Shack and an updated bumper car ride called Auto Skooters. Opening weekend featured an exhibition by real paratroopers from Hill Air Force Base and six sky diving Easter bunnies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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