Golden Zephyr, Retro amusement ride in Paradise Gardens Park, Disney California Adventure, United States.

Golden Zephyr is a 27.4-metre-tall ride at Paradise Gardens Park in Disney California Adventure, built by D. H. Morgan Manufacturing. A red steel tower carries three white sunburst discs with red centres and two arms of suspended rocket cars with orange-and-white striped canopies, spinning by centripetal motion over Paradise Bay.

The ride opened in February 2001 and draws inspiration from early 20th-century Circle-Swing rides designed by Harry Traver at Chicago's Riverview Park. Those vintage carnival mechanics influenced the overall design and function of this modern version.

The rockets follow the Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon serials, whose 1930s-40s spaceships give the ride its 1940s rocket theme. The design also reaches back to Harry Traver's early 20th-century Circle-Swing rides, notably the Aerostat/Strat-O-Stat at Chicago's Riverview Park. Disney engineers studied Sir Hiram Maxim's larger Captive Flying Machines at Blackpool's Pleasure Beach, running since 1904, before building it.

Each vehicle holds 12 passengers arranged in two rows, and the ride closes when wind conditions become too strong. Visitors should be aware that gusty weather can temporarily shut down operations.

Disney engineers travelled to Pleasure Beach in Blackpool, England, to study Sir Hiram Maxim's Captive Flying Machines, running there since 1904, before designing this ride. The Golden Zephyr's layout also follows Harry Traver's Aerostat/Strat-O-Stat at Chicago's Riverview Park. Its rockets swing outward by centripetal force alone, with no stick to raise or lower them.