Magic Flying Carpet Rig

Описание: This is a Magic Flying Carpet rig that Ken and I designed and built for Scranton Middle School's production of Aladdin Jr.
The main lever arms are 1.5" square steel tubing, that we had welded together with some 1/4" steel plates. The pivot point of the steel is at the top of the cart. A scissor arm is hinged to the bottom of the cart and bottom of the carpet to hold the carpet level as it moves up an down. The whole rig is approximately 26' long. It is only 6" high at the pivot point so a black curtain or LED drop can conceal the operators.
The carpet is 3/4" plywood and 1x4 construction with a foam pad and covered in cloth. A simple safety harness is used to secure the actors.
The whole rig rides on a rolling cart with heavy duty ridged casters for side to side motion and popup casters to maneuver it into position.
Typical stage weights are used to counterbalance the two actors which makes it easy to "fly" them. Two operators push the rig side to side, while the third operator controls the up and down motion. The two lever arms allow the carpet to be tilted slightly side to side to improve the illusion of flying. A forth operator runs the fog machine which is piped up under the carpet and around the rolling cart. The fog conceals the rig from the audience and makes it look like they are flying on a cloud.
At the end of the scene, two pins secure the counter weights prior to the actors leaving the carpet. The levers has a 2:1 advantage so it is only about 90lbs. to hold up while the pins are being inserted. The two actors only weighed 180lbs. combined, and the 1.5" steel was sufficient to lift them. During testing we had over 200 lbs. on the carpet, and had some flexing on the rear lever arms. So we added some aircraft cable bracing and a turnbuckle.
During the show, one adult handled the up/down motion and the rest of the operators were middle school cast members.

This rig is currently for sale. Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing it for your production.