The Wheel at ICON Park – Orlando, Florida
A 400-foot tall giant Ferris wheel, the WHEEL at Icon Park is the tallest observation wheel on the East Coast and sits less than 10 miles from many major Orlando-area attractions.
- 1 mile to the convention center
- 2.3 miles to Universal Studios
- 2.5 miles to SeaWorld
- 7.3 miles to Disney World
- 9 miles to downtown Orlando
The structure weighs around 3 million pounds, with each of its 30 capsules contributing 6,600 pounds of that weight. That’s the average weight of an Indian elephant! Each of these capsules can carry up to 15 passengers.
While the Orlando Eye carried its first passenger on April 29, 2015, its grand opening was held on May 4 of the same year. Along with its cousin, the London Eye, it is operated by Merlin Entertainments. When sponsored by Coca-Cola, four capsules were rebranded as “Surprise and Delight” capsules and contained a cooler of soda and selfie sticks. Two more rebrandings, along with the surrounding park, and the structure is now the WHEEL at Icon Park.
FLASH PRODUCT USED ON THE ORLANDO EYE
In the center of both sides of the WHEEL, Flash Technology’s Vanguard Medium FTS 370 dual aviation obstruction light flashes white at day and red at night to ensure pilots are aware of the landmark’s presence. Despite all the fireworks at the grand opening, you can still see the 370d’s beam pattern in this video.
