Soar on Flightline, New at the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park.
Jul 9, 2009Ever dreamed of flying like a bird? Give the dream wings and soar on Flightline, new at the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park.
Flightline, a zip-line adventure, takes guests on a ride for 2/3 of a mile at 400 feet above Asian and African animal exhibits. The length of the ride allows riders to mimic the experience of a bird in flight and reach speeds of up to 56 miles per hour. The Park’s Flightline is one of the longest zip lines in North America.
For Thrill Seekers Only
The high-thrill high-wire experience lasts 1½ to 2 hours. It includes an orientation where guests watch a safety video, sign a liability waiver, learn about flight and get their harnesses. They then take the first of their two flights, a 450-foot “fledgling” run with a 31-foot drop. Afterward, riders board a safari vehicle for a behind-the-scenes tour along the route to the top of Flightline. There they will have the best view of the Park and the heart-pounding anticipation of the flight of their lives.
Get A Birds-Eye View
“Riders can make themselves aerodynamic like a peregrine falcon, the fastest bird in the world,” said Michael Mace, the curator of birds for the Wild Animal Park. “Or, if during the flight they want to soar like a California condor on the thermals, not expending any energy, just enjoying the view and feeling the air, they can basically glide.
“Then, as they reach the end of the ride, they will stretch out their arms and feet to slow down – just as an owl would do as it goes into a landing.”
“We’ve always brought people closer to animals, but Flightline allows guests to experience the Park from a bird’s perspective,” said Michael Ahlering, the Park’s director of operations. “They get to have fun, build a new understanding for our winged friends and also support our ongoing work to save the California condor.”
Supporting Sustainable Conservation
One-third of all proceeds from the operation of Flightline go to the San Diego Zoo’s efforts to save the California condor. By using the ride to create funding for a conservation effort, the Zoo hopes to set a new economic model for sustainable conservation support.
The cost of Flightline is $70, plus admission to the Wild Animal Park for nonmembers. Participants must be free of back or neck injuries, at least 10 years old and weigh between 75 and 250 pounds.
Flightline adds to the other adventurous offerings at the Park, including Rolling Safari, an off-road Segway(r) X2 tour, and Photo Caravan tours, where people get so close to giraffes and rhinos, they can sometimes reach out and feed them.
Flightline In The Making
Flightline was designed by Canada-based Greenheart Conservation Co. Ltd. Greenheart is a company that designs, builds and operates nature-based attractions around the world that promote and protect nature. The Flightline at the Wild Animal Park is an example of the kind of thrilling, yet educational nature-based attraction that Greenheart creates. Greenheart’s projects around the world create economically viable businesses that encourage the preservation of these areas. Greenheart’s ability to create a conservation-based economy in remote areas is an innovative solution to the dilemma of dwindling natural habitat. The Flightline project is an innovative partnership to advance the awareness of conservation-related efforts around the globe. The partnership has created a model for funding conservation where a portion of the proceeds from the operation of the Flightline will go to the San Diego Zoo’s Conservation Research efforts to save the California condor.
About San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park
The 1,800-acre San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park is operated by the not-for-profit San Diego Zoo and includes a 900-acre native species reserve. The organization focuses on conservation and research work around the globe, educates millions of individuals a year about wildlife and maintains accredited horticultural, animal, library and photo collections. The Zoo also manages the San Diego Zoo’s Institute for Conservation Research. The important conservation and science work of these entities is supported in part by The Foundation of the Zoological Society of San Diego.
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