PRESS RELEASE
THE WILDWOODS - For the second year in a row, Morey's Piers has contracted the New Jersey-based MISTRAS Group (NYSE:MG) to complete off-season ride inspections using the Aeryon SkyRanger, $60,000 piece of equipment that looks like a mechanical spider with four legs.
Typically reserved for oil and gas refineries, this is a relatively new technology within the amusement park industry, and one that increases the safety and efficiency of the inspection process. For years this process involved scaling entire coasters by hand or renting heavy, expensive lifts to achieve necessary access.
"Anything can happen in October, like inclement weather or cold, damp days preventing or delaying the climbing of rides," says Joe DeLuca, maintenance planner at Morey's Piers. "Inspections that used to take a month to complete while climbing steel tracks now only take one week and are much safer."
The eight-pound aircraft, using a built-in custom camera, provides high-resolution pictures of tight spaces, odd angles and hard-to-reach areas on rides like the Giant Wheel, which reaches 156 feet high. The photos are sent through an encrypted network to the screen of a pilot's control unit in real time. They're also saved to a memory card for examination later. Structural imperfections, like loose bolts or rusted welds, are flagged for repair by the Morey's Piers ground crew.
"We can capture the words of your beach from 70 feet away," says drone pilot Matt Phillips, pointing to a 30-times optical zoom. A hobby drone, like an iPhone camera, would need to be right on top to get the same shot. "It's like looking through a telescope."
Among the challenges of drone inspection are heavy winds (30 mph is the threshold) and hawks, who can sometimes mistake a drone for prey and attempt to dive-bomb it. A co-pilot is always on site to watch out for such flight hazards.
Seagulls, on the other hand? They're cool with the tech.
"I feel like they're impressed," says Nick Harwood, operations manager with Aetos, the drone division of MISTRAS. "I'm told the machine was once invited by a certain seagull to share a piece of scrap pizza from the boardwalk. We do not promote fraternization during work hours."
About Morey’s Piers
Morey’s Piers, located on the boardwalk in the Wildwoods, New Jersey is a classic seaside amusement park, family owned and operated since 1969. Voted Park of the Year by Amusement Today and #1 Best Beach Boardwalk by Family Vacation Critic Morey’s Piers has over 100 rides and attractions spanning over eighteen acres along six beach blocks and includes three amusement piers and two beachfront water parks. Convenient to the major population centers of the Northeast, yet a world apart, Morey’s Piers along with Morey Hotels & Resorts combines the pure joy of an amusement park, the sights and sounds of a classic boardwalk, outstanding accommodations, together with the rhythm of beach life. Visit them at Surfside Pier, featuring the Ocean Oasis Water Park and Beach Club at 25th Avenue, Mariner’s Landing Pier, featuring Raging Waters Water Park at Schellenger Avenue, and Adventure Pier at Spencer Avenue. For more information, visit www.moreyspiers.com or phone (609) 522-3900 or like us on Facebook. You can also follow us on Twitter and YouTube.
About MISTRAS Group, Inc.
MISTRAS is a leading “one source” global provider of technology-enabled asset protection solutions used to maximize the uptime and safety of critical energy, industrial, and public infrastructure. MISTRAS combines our industry-leading services, products, and technologies to provide a unique, custom-tailored solution for each customer’s individual asset protection need.
Our asset protection portfolio includes field and laboratory inspections & testing; engineering services for asset integrity management; maintenance and light mechanical services; online asset-condition monitoring services; and manufacturing of inspection and monitoring equipment. Data from these solutions is centralized in MISTRAS’ world-class inspection data management software – PCMS – to provide our clients with integrated, comprehensive asset protection from a single provider.
For more information, please visit the company's website at www.mistrasgroup.com.
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