Economy

The Whirlpool Aero Car or Spanish Aero Car is a cable car on the Canadian side of the Niagara River.

History

The Aero Car was built in 1913 by The Niagara Spanish Aerocar Co. Limited. Opened in August 1916, it takes passengers over the whirlpool in the Niagara River. It was designed by a Spanish engineer, Leonardo Torres y Quevedo, and was upgraded in 1961, 1967, and most recently 1984. Despite what appears to be a risky adventure, there has only been one fatality which was a suicide.

Technical Specifications

The Aero Car is suspended on six interlocking steel cables each 25 mm (1 inch) in diameter. It is powered by an electric 50 horsepower (37 kW) motor and travels at approximately 7 km/h (5 mph). In the event of a power failure a diesel generator safely pulls the car back to dock. It also has a rescue car which holds four passengers and one operator which has never been used except for training purposes. The Aerocar has carried well over ten million passengers safely.

The Aero Car 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 Aero Car is open from mid-March to mid-November and priced at $11.00 Canadian per adult and $6.50 per child. The Aero Car is not wheelchair accessible. Information can be found at (905)354-8983.