A longtime pilot is setting parenting expectations sky high with his creative work on the ground. In fact, the idea of fun is reaching new heights each and every day at Scott Brazelton's home outside Brighton.
His three-year-old son West cannot get enough of the amusement park he built in their Colorado backyard, particularly the one of a kind roller coaster. Scott said that his son never gets tired of it, no matter how many twists and turns he does while riding it.
Scott told WFSB he has his limits, though, saying that they basically go until he gets tired. Scott said that the wood and PVC pipe roller coaster he built is the culmination of months of hard work and ingenuity.
Roller coaster was a true father and son project
The roller coaster, which measured 9.5 feet high and 200 feet long, was a true father-son project right from the start. Scott said that when they are three years old, they don't help that much but they'll help paint or they'll hand you some tools, and it's just a neat way to bond.
Scott added that it is also a labor of love he has done before. He built his first coaster five years ago for his other son, Wyatt, according to AV Club. He said that he'd carry the materials over there and his dad would put it on, so that was a fun part of it.
Scott said that a roller coaster is just so much more fun than a treehouse for a kid because they don't have to use their imagination, they're just having fun the whole time. He said that while Wyatt had a propeller plane for his coaster, West chose something that was much more familiar. He opted for the tricolor stripes and Southwest heart, which is an ode to the planes his father flies every day.
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Roller coaster project involved lots of math and nerdy stuff
Now West can't get enough of his roller coaster, with the young kid taking to the skies even more than his dad. Scott is proud of his work, saying "When they like it and the lightbulb goes on for them, that they have this in their yard, it's a really rewarding feeling. You only live once, and you might as well do some crazy projects. My motto is, if it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing. No regrets."
According to ABC 7 Chicago, Scott has been flying planes in the Navy for 17 years, and is currently a pilot for Southwest Airlines. Scott asked a friend and former aerospace engineer for Boeing to get the engineering right for his roller coaster project. His friend had also built one before.
Scott explained that there is a lot of math involved with the project, saying that there was some nerdy design stuff and calculating bank angles that are suitable for toddlers, specifically his two sons.
