Valleyfair Announces the Retirement of Looping Starship Flat Ride

© Valleyfair

Valleyfair will retire their classic flat ride, the Looping Starship, at the end of the 2019 season according to news published on their social media feeds.  The park posted that there are only two weekends left to get in rides on the attraction, which coincides with the end of the property's season.

According to good old Wikipedia, the Looping Starship is one of Intamin's rides of the same name, which have appeared at parks across the globe.  However, the list of retired installations is already much longer than the list of operating ones, so in a sense the ride really is a classic at Valleyfair.  The ride was popular at many Six Flags parks in decades past, though they've mostly all gone away as well.

Riders on the Looping Starship are seated in a giant ship that completes full 360 degree rotations, a beefed up, more thrilling version of the popular pirate ship rides. 

© Google Maps

Valleyfair has worked to expand their water park significantly over the past ten years or so, and if you study this aerial of the park you'll note that the Looping Starship is right on the border of that area.  Naturally this leads many to believe that the park is planning to work on another round of water park expansion in the future.  The park announced the addition of Grand Carnivale for 2020, and if a new water ride was coming for that year I'd think it have already been revealed.  You never know, but most likely this removal could make room for something in 2021.