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Orlando's Big Wheel To Be Set In Motion In 2010

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 27, 2008

As if there aren't enough tourist attractions in the Orlando area.

Big wheels from the Great Wheel Corp. announced this week they will build a 400-foot wheel to take in the Orlando skyline and surrounding properties, including Walt Disney World, SeaWorld, Universal Studios and many other theme parks in the area. The company has built similar wheels in Berlin, Beijing and Singapore.

The Orlando wheel will be the first in North America.

"This iconic structure will offer ever-changing views above one of the country's top tourism destinations," Great Wheel said in a statement Wednesday. The wheel will begin its spin in 2010.

The view from the top will stretch about 25 miles, officials said, and on clear days will include a sky view of shuttle launches from the Kennedy Space Center.

The wheel will be on a 20-acre site next to the city's convention center, less than five minutes from Interstate 4, company officials said.

"As one of the world's most popular tourism destinations, Orlando provides the ideal location for North America's first Great Wheel," Florian Bollen, chairman of Great Wheel Corp., said in the statement. "Passengers aboard the Orlando Wheel will experience a unique and ever-changing perspective above this vibrant landscape, soaring to heights unattainable anywhere else in the region."

Officials said the wheel will weigh 4,200 tons. It will have 24 enclosed and air-conditioned capsules, each with a capacity to carry 40 passengers. Rides will last 24 minutes.

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