Jaunted

Watching the videos really brought me back, triggering all sorts of fond childhood memories. It's been decades, but I've never forgotten that mesmerizing Buddy Baker/X Atencio theme song that went "If you had wings, you could do all these things, you could widen your world if you had wings, had wings, had wings." There's just something about that sound that makes you want to play along with the fantasy.

The ride was pretty simple. The music would play as you sat in these plastic pod things that moved through dark rooms with rear-projected movies of happy travel scenes: a guy shimmying under a limbo stick, a straw hat vendor in some tropical paradise, a fisherman posing next to his trophy catch, a Bermudian traffic cop directing both cars and flamingos, a woman shaking her maracas in front of a Mexican band. Idyllic versions of a travel myth that we were all to eager to embrace. They were like vintage travel posters come to life. Visit Sunny Puerto Rico! Now, I'm one of those people who believes that there's no such thing as the good old days, because every day is good when you're young, but watching this, I can't help but feel like life was simpler then. What I'd give to relive those halcyon 1970's moments, delusions and all.

If You Had Wings is long gone, as is Eastern Air Lines, which ceased operations in 1991, ending another era entirely. The space is now occupied by Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, which is probably a lot more popular, if less retro. But as I was saying, thank God for the internet, because if it wasn't for that, I'd having nothing more than my faded memories of this magnificent ride. So, does anyone else remember If You Had Wings?

[Photo: Extinct Attractions]

Related Stories:
· If You Had Wings [Wikipedia]
· If You Had Wings [Walt Dated World]
· Disney World Coverage [Jaunted]