If you've ever been to an amusement park, carnival, or fair, there is a good chance you are a part of my family history. My Great-Great Uncle and Great Grandpa founded Eyerly Aircraft, inventor of the Loop-O-Plane (which you might know as the Hammerhead or Kamikaze), the Octopus (also known as the Spider or Monster), and several other rides.
Eyerly Aircraft was founded in 1930. Lee Eyerly (my Uncle), wanted to inexpensively train pilots. He created a ground based flight simulator. It was exactly like a real plane, but did everything but fly. He made 54 of them before someone suggested bringing it to the public and charging per ride. It was a huge success and the beginning of a new direction for his company. He and his brother, Russell, (my Grandpa) worked tirelessly to come up with new and exciting rides. The Loop-O-Plane, Rock-O-Plane, and the Octopus were their most popular, but they also created and patented many others.
My Dad told me stories of growing up and getting to ride these rides an unlimited amount of times. Whenever the fair was in town, he would be gifted an entire roll of tickets for any ride he wanted.
I never understood why we weren't fabulously wealthy since our family name is on rides across the country. It turns out that the liability insurance became too much, and the company went bankrupt. What is left is a family legacy that has thrilled kids and adults for multiple generations. I think that's pretty great!
PS: Thank you to Steemit for giving me a platform to write about something like this. Because of Steemit, I was inspired to dig into my family history and I've learned a lot about where I come from.