Firm seeks FAA OK for tall Vegas Strip thrill ride

Developer asks FAA for air space for 650-foot tall 'Polercoaster' thrill ride on Vegas Strip

Associated Press

LAS VEGAS (AP) -- A Florida-based thrill ride developer is seeking federal approval for air space to allow a 650-foot-tall roller coaster on the Las Vegas Strip.

U.S. Thrill Rides LLC, of Windmere, Fla., submitted a request in April to the Federal Aviation Administration for the ride that would be called the Polercoaster, the company's president, Michael Kitchen, said Tuesday.

Kitchen didn't dispute telling the Las Vegas Review-Journal (http://bit.ly/19L8Vfb ) the project could cost $100 million and that financing isn't complete. He said it would be the tallest roller coaster in the world.

Kitchen told The Associated Press that it was too early to talk publicly about the development plan.

"We need to decline an interview and cannot comment at this time on any specific project in Vegas," he said.

The application shows the tower at the Tropicana Las Vegas hotel-casino on the south end of the Strip resort corridor.

The FAA will assess hazards to air traffic at nearby McCarran International Airport. Clark County officials would use the FAAs feedback in deciding whether to issue permits.

The structure would be about half as high as the 1,149-foot Stratosphere tower at the north end of the Strip, and would be topped by an observation deck, dining and retail.

Kitchen provided renderings showing a tower with two glass elevators to transport sightseers to an observation platform. A spiral track guides eight passenger cars for a swift ride featuring several twists, turns and loops that stretch from the top of the tower to the bottom.

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Information from: Las Vegas Review-Journal, http://www.lvrj.com