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The Spanish Aerocar is a Cable Car on the Canadian side of the Niagara River . HISTORY Opened in 1916 , it takes passengers over the whirlpool in the Niagara River. The name comes from the fact that it was designed by a Spanish engineer, Leonardo Torres Y Quevedo . Despite what appears to be a risky adventure, the Aerocar has not had a single fatality of any kind in the nearly 90 years it has been operating. TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS The Aerocar is suspended on six interlocking steel cables each 25 mm (1 in) in diameter. It is powered by an electric 50 horsepower (37 kW) motor and travels at approximately 7 km/h (5 mi/h). In the event of a power failure they do have a diesel generator which safely pulls the car back to dock. It also has a rescue car which holds four passengers and one operator which they have never had to use except for training purposes. The Aerocar has carried well over ten million passengers safely. The Aerocar is suspended between two Canadian points, although between the two points it crosses the Canadian and American borders four times on a full trip. At either end of the crossing it is 250 feet (86 m) and in the centre 150 feet (42 m) above the river. At 1800 feet (550 m) across, the Aerocar has one of the longest spans in the world without a supporting tower. The rapids entering the whirlpool below the aerocar are visible moving at an estimated 35 to 37 km/h and the flow of the water coming through the river is about 2,800 m³/s (623,000 imp gal/s) in the summer months and 300,000 imperial gallons per second (1,400 m³/s) in the winter months. From the Aerocar you get a breathtaking view of Whirlpool State Park in Niagara Falls, New York , as well as the Robert Moses Generating Station in Lewiston, New York . From side or center of the car you are bound to view the violent motion of the 60 acre (0.25 km²) whirlpool below. It coils and uncoils revealing the power of the Niagara River. You also notice numerous fisherman and hikers below getting down via a series of nature trails on the Canadian and American sides. Typically the fisherman catch Smallmouth Bass , Trout and Salmon but a wide variety of fish are there to be caught. OPERATIONS The Aerocar is open from mid-March to mid-November and priced at $11.00 Canadian per adult and $6.50 per child. (905)354-8983 SEE ALSO REFERENCE |
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