Dollywood's 26th Season a Real Barnstormer

Metro Pulse: Dollywood’s newest ride for 2011 pays tribute to the daring aerialists and pilots of the 1920s who used to do crazy stunts above the Sevier County fields where Dolly Parton’s father and grandfather worked crops. Here are the numbers on the aptly named Barnstormer:

• The construction cost $5.5 million.

• Two pendulum arms have seating for 32 riders.

• With each massive swing, the Barnstormers arms reach higher and higher into the sky, eventually traveling to heights of 81 feet, high above the rooftop of the traditional barn below and the area’s treetops.

• Seated back to back, riders travel at a maximum speed of 45 miles per hour and 230 degrees of rotation.

• The ride lasts 60 seconds.

• The Barnstormer has a ride capacity of 450 passengers per hour, and a 48-inch minimum height requirement.