It seemed simple to two Frisco high school seniors with engineering-focused minds and few limits on their independent study project: They’d build a roller coaster.
The single-rider Predator drops nine feet before cruising over two small hills. Rubin, who attempted the ride earlier in the year, says it’s not ready for customers.
Almost $1,500 and 4,000 screws later, a 10-foot-tall wooden ride covers the side of Nathan Rubin’s house. The Predator, one of the few backyard coasters in the country, darts down a straight track into what used to be Cindy Rubin’s pond.
The project came out of an unusual class at Frisco ISD that aims to teach students how to interact with the professional world as they inch toward careers of their own.