Operation Zip-line!

One of the things Junior and me tried this weekend was a zip-line. It was an experiment inspired by the old Airfix flight deck I had as a kid, where a jet zoomed down a cord.

So with a fair wind of nostalgia we set about creating our line. String was strung at an angle and a suitable aircraft chosen and hooked up to it, a Playmobil bell helicopter.

We waited with baited breath ... 

And nothing happened. Nowt!

The string was far too course. Nylon was required but alas Moonbase is nylonless.

The copter now hangs in the greenhouse still waiting for its inaugural big flight.

Does this ring a bell with you?

THE MONORACER

This is an unusual vehicle kit, the Monoracer by BPT.

Seems to be zip-line type toy, the sort of thing Airfix had done with Flight Deck.

I wouldn't have minded Monoracer as a kid.

You?

did you slide toys down strings?

With the German New Years wish Ein Guten Rutsch reminding me of 'a good slide', did you ever slide any toys down a string or a washing line?

I suppose the actual toy that really did this as part of its operation was Flight Deck by Airfix. Now that was cool!

But it inspired me to send Action Man down various cables and strings including the nylon wash line in the garden!

With is gripping hands I can still hear him screaming weeeeeeeeeeee! ha ha

What did you do?

chutes away!

Years ago I found a huge boxed toy at a jumble sale in Dewsbury.

It was called Chutes Away.

It was made by Gabriel and released in 1977.

I was blown away by this find and was excited when I set it up at home. Essentially Chutes Away was/ is a large plastic plane attached to a support.

Parachutes could be dropped from the plane into landing pots on a revolving circular ground. All in all a fabulous toy! Or is it a game?

Here's the original TV advert from 1977 with a mesmerised Dick Van Dyke no less courtesy of You Tube.

As with virtually everything I stumbled across in the 90's I sold my Chutes Away but I always remember it being one of the best toys I found. It recalled my own escapades at the helm of my brilliant Airfix Flight Deck toy in the 60's.

I've recently discovered that there was also a Night Vision version of Chutes Away! What a cool idea turning the lights off and dropping your chutes!

Does anyone remember Chutes Away, Night Vision Chutes Away or Flight Deck?

Are there any other toys like these?

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Postscript from reader Mark J

Here is said Night Chutes Away!

It popped up in my feed direc‎tly after Dick Van Dyke!!

Mark

FLIGHT DECK HEAVEN

Remember Flight Deck by Airfix? I loved it! There was something joyous about stretching a nylon line across my bedroom and watching plastic jets zoom down it! Just how far could that jet fly?

I think I had an actual ship deck as well where jets flew from. Is that right? What are your Flight Deck memories?