Thrills on aerial ‘zoomies’
San Francisco
The Flyer at Pier 39 may not lift seats into the air, but the 3-D glasses, gusts and massive screen create a flying roller-coaster-like thrill ride as visitors accelerate, decelerate, dive and turn with an animated seagull zooming around San Francisco, the Marin Headlands and Golden Gate Bridge. Info: theflyer-sanfrancisco .com At Canada Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, guests are treated to FlyOver Canada, which offers grand vistas on the 65-foot-wide screen in the eight-minute flight. Sites include Toronto, the Rockies, Niagara Falls and Churchill, Manitoba, known for polar bears. In celebration of Halloween, computergenerated ghosts roam Canada’s landscapes. In December, Santa’s elves visit the Canadian countryside; the program ends with a 90-second CGI flight to the North Pole. Info: flyovercanada.com
Germany
The Voletarium at the Europa-Park theme park in Rust, near the Swiss and French borders, is billed as Europe’s largest flying theater. With a 67-foot-wide screen and footage shot with eight times more resolution than regular full-high-def, the four-minute experience carries fliers across Europe, including Venice, Italy; Paris and the fiords of Norway. Info: voletarium.de/en
Washington
Wings Over Washington, at Miner’s Landing at Pier 57 in Seattle, creates the sense of flying with the giant screen, wind, surround-sound and subtle scents as a spirit eagle leads guests over Mt. Rainier, the Cascade Mountains, the San Juan Islands and through a hot-air balloon festival. Info: wingsoverwa.com
Netherlands