Gerry Manditto, Operations Manager of Coney Island's Cyclone (Kathleen Horan/WNYC)

NEW YORK, NY June 26, 2007 —A Brooklyn icon turns eighty today. It takes a minute forty five seconds to ride the Cyclone roller coaster, but takes a bit longer to recover. One man has been in charge of making sure this famous, wooden thrill ride runs like it did when it opened. Gerry Menditto has spent half his life operating and fixing the Cyclone. WNYC’s Kathleen Horan caught up with him on the platform of the roller coaster.