August 6, 1961 – The Flying Saucers Attraction Opens in Disneyland’s Tomorrowland
“Even to this day, you hear people talking about, ‘When are you guys going to bring back the Flying Saucers?’” – Tony Baxter, Senior Vice President, Creative Development, Walt Disney Imagineering
On August 6, 1961, the Flying Saucers attraction opened at Disneyland’s Tomorrowland. The attraction consisted of individually controlled “flying saucers” (giant inner tubes) that floated on air, similar to an air hockey table. While the attraction was highly popular, the technology was, unfortunately, not perfected at the time, and was constantly breaking down. Some of the problems included smaller children not being heavy enough to move the ride, and the number of people it took to maintain the ride, about 13 to 17 individuals at one time. The attraction closed on September 6, 1966, and has not been replaced.
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