Tanks4me05

Not really. I'm a junior in Mechanical Engineering and I'm getting my degree with the intent to design roller coasters and amusement rides, so I'd be doing a lot of the moving parts as well as probably layout design as well when I get a job. Imagine all the math you did from when you started Kindergarten to when you graduated high school (or including your senior year assuming you are still in it.) It took you twelve years. That's about the material that you will learn in *ONE* engineering course. Now imagine five or six of those courses. Every semester. The teachers are researchers, so they don't always know how to teach, and they ESPECIALLY don't know how to make a fair test. (My joke is that an Engineering exam is like an episode of Foodnetwork's "Chopped" competition: You are forced to use things you've never even seen before, you have nowhere enough time to complete your task, and you depend on everyone else making more mistakes than you to do well.) In high school, you might learn a new formula every week or two, I've had as many as half a dozen in one lecture for one class. You don't have time to socialize, you don't have time to do extracurricular activities, you barely have time to even get a good night of sleep. It's the school work and nothing else. I honestly don't understand why high schools seem to push the whole "STEM fields of bust" mantra. It is simply not for everyone. In fact, it's for very few people. I've been making inroads with various companies, and you'd be surprised at how many proposals don't get awarded contracts, and how many times parks just don't follow through with their original request for some reason. There's a lot more going on in the engineering office than you realize.

http://www.darienlake.com/wallenda.php It looks like you guys haven't seen this. Read the paragraph under the pictures: Nik Wallenda is doing a special high wire motorcycle stunt on Saturday, May 24th (and my sources tell me it will be at Noon.) And it won't be small either.

So, I was wondering, those who went on Ghost Rider back in 1998 - 2000 and went on it recently, what current coasters on the east coast did it, in its original form, compare to, and what current coasters on the east coast does it compare to now? (I've sadly never traveled outside the GMT-5 Timezone in my life so far.)

I'm considering doing a trip of the northeast US, the parks (in order) would be as follows: (Bolded parks are ones I have yet to visit.) 1: La Ronde 2: Great Escape. 3: Funtown Splashtown USA/Palace Playland 4: Canobie Lake Park 5: Six Flags New England 6: Lake Compounce 7: Quassy My questions are what can be done about further reducing the price? Are there discounts I may not know about, etc? I have the entire itinerary listed below. Some tips to understanding my itinerary: -Money in red font is if I bring one friend along. Money in orange is if I bring two friends along, because we will be able to split gas and hotel costs. -Gas costs are calculated using my dad's 2005 Toyota Sienna, with a combined mileage of 20.5 MPG, and a gas price of $4.50/Gal (the highest I've ever seen them, this is for extra wiggle room.) Northeast USA Trip DAY 1: (8/1/14) -Get up at 5:00 AM, ingest a shit ton of caffeine. Food: $30 -Leave for La Ronde (22, chemin MacDonald Île Sainte-Hélène, Montreal, Quebec) by 6:00 AM -Arrive at La Ronde by 10:30 AM. Distance from home to La Ronde: Approx. 254 miles Six Flags Season Pass: $108.99 -Leave for America’s Best Value Inn Plattsburgh (19 Booth Drive, Plattsburgh, NY) by 10:00 PM -Arrive at America’s Best Value Inn Plattsburgh by 11:30 PM Distance from La Ronde to America’s Best Value Inn Plattsburgh: Approx. 65.2 miles Total Driving Distance: Approx. 319.2 miles Gas money: $70.06 ($35.18) ($23.36) One night stay at America’s Best Value Inn Plattsburgh: Approx. $103.10 ($51.55) ($38.07) SUBTOTAL: $312.15 ($225.72) ($200.42) DAY 2: (8/2/14) -Get up at 7:30 AM. (Sleep for previous night: Approximately 7 hours) Food: $30 -Leave for Great Escape (Six Flags Drive, Queensbury, NY) by 8:30 AM -Arrive at Great Escape by 10:00 AM Distance from Days Inn and Suites Plattsburgh to Great Escape: Approx. 104 miles -Leave for Super 8 Portland Westbrook Area (208 Larrabee Road, Westbrook, ME) by 9:00 PM -Arrive at Super 8 Portland Westbrook Area by 1:30 AM Distance from Great Escape to Super 8 Portland Westbrook Area: Approx. 261 miles Total Driving Distance: Approx. 365 miles Gas money: $80.13 ($40.07) ($26.71) One night stay at Super 8 Portland Westbrook Area, Advance Purchase: Approx. $90.77 ($45.39) ($33.32) SUBTOTAL: $200.90 ($115.46) ($90.03) DAY 3: (8/3/14) -Get up at 8:30 AM. (Sleep for previous night: Approx. 6 hours) Food: $30 -Leave for Funtown Splashtown USA (Funtown Parkway, Saco, ME) by 9:30 AM -Arrive at Funtown Splashtown USA by 10:00 AM Distance from Super 8 Sanford/Kennebunkport Area to Funtown Splashtown USA: Approx. 15.9 miles Tickets: $37.98 -Leave for Palace Playland (1 Old Orchard Street, Old Orchard Beach, ME) by 12:00 PM -Arrive at Palace Playland by 12:30 PM Distance from Funtown Splashtown USA to Palace Playland: Approx. 4.6 miles All Day Ride Pass: $33.71 (Go on at least 9 rides to make the wristband worthwhile.) -Leave for Funtown Splashtown USA by 3:30 PM -Arrive at Funtown Splashtown USA by 4:30 PM Distance from Palace Playland to Funtown Splashtown USA: Approx. 4.2 miles -Leave for Motel 6 Nashua South (77 Spit Brook Road, Nashua, NH) by 9:00 PM -Arrive at Motel 6 Nashua South by 11:00 PM Distance from Funtown Splashtown USA to Motel 6 Nashua South: Approx. 108 miles Total Driving Distance: Approx. 132.7 miles Gas Money: $29.13 ($14.57) ($9.71) One night stay at Motel 6 Nashua South: $69.75 ($34.88)($23.25) SUBTOTAL: $200.57 ($151.14) ($134.65) DAY 4: (8/4/14) -Get up at 9:30 AM. (Sleep for previous night: Approx. 9.5 hours) Food: $30 -Leave for Canobie Lake Park (85 North Policy Street, Salem, NH) by 10:30 AM -Arrive at Canobie Lake Park by 11:00 AM Distance from Motel 6 Nashua South to Canobie Lake Park: Approx. 16.1 miles Tickets: $36 -Leave for Enfield Inn (1543 King Street, Enfield, CT) by 10:00 PM -Arrive at Enfield Inn by 12:00 AM Distance from Canobie Lake Park to Enfield Inn: Approx. 120 miles Total Driving Distance: Approx. 136.1 miles Gas Money: $29.88 ($14.94) ($9.96) Two night stay at Enfield Inn: $126.22 ($63.11) ($45.91) SUBTOTAL: $222.10 ($144.05) ($121.87) DAY 5: (8/5/14) -Get up at 8:30 AM. (Sleep for previous night: Approx. 7.5 hours) Food: $30 -Leave for Six Flags New England (1623 Main Street, Agawam, MA) by 9:45 AM -Arrive at Six Flags New England by 10:00 AM (park opens at 10:30 AM, this is to get a good parking spot and to beat the crowds) Distance from Enfield Inn to Six Flags New England: Approx. 6.7 miles -Leave for Enfield Inn by 9:00 PM -Arrive at Enfield Inn by 9:15 PM Distance from Six Flags New England to Enfield Inn: Approx. 8 miles Driving Distance: Approx. 14.7 miles Gas Money: $0.73 ($0.37) ($0.25) SUBTOTAL: $30.73 ($30.37) ($30.25) DAY 6: (8/6/14) -Get up at 9:00 AM. (Sleep for previous night: Approx. 11.25 hours.) Food: $30 -Leave for Lake Compounce (832 Lake Avenue, Bristol, CT) by 10:00 AM -Arrive at Lake Compounce by 11:00 AM Distance from Enfield Inn to Lake Compounce: Approx. 35.3 miles Tickets, parking: $45.72 -Leave for Days Inn Torrington (492 E Main Street, Torrington, CT) by 8:00 PM -Arrive at Days Inn Torrington by 8:30 PM Distance from Lake Compounce to Days Inn Torrington: Approx. 21 miles Total Driving Distance: Approx. 56.3 miles Gas money: $12.36 ($6.18) ($4.12) One night stay at Days Inn Torrington, Advance Purchase: $73.30 ($36.65) ($27.70) SUBTOTAL: $161.38 ($118.55) ($107.54) DAY 7: (8/7/14) -Get up at 9:30 AM. (Sleep for previous night: Approx. 10 hours.) Food: $30 -Leave for Quassy Amusement Park (2132 Middlebury Road, Middlebury, CT) by 10:30 AM -Arrive at Quassy Amusement Park by 11:00 AM Distance from Days Inn Torrington to Quassy Amusement Park: Approx. 26 miles Tickets: $32.44 (go on at least 10 rides to make the all-day pass worthwhile.) -Leave for home by about 2:00 PM -Arrive at home by 6:30 PM Distance from Quassy Amusement Park to Home: Approx. 263 miles Total Driving Distance: Approx. 289 miles Gas Money: $63.44 ($31.72) ($24.15) SUBTOTAL: $125.88 ($94.16) ($86.59) GRAND TOTAL: $1,253.71 ($879.45) ($771.35) GRAND TOTAL (USING FRIEND'S CAR, 26 MPG): $750.99 GRAND TOTAL (USING FRIEND'S CAR, 26 MPG, GAS COSTS $3.50/GAL INSTEAD OF $4.50/GAL): $734.22

I also find it interesting, if not just strange. I305 is a great ride, but pretty overrated in my opinion (although to be fair, I think I rode it when the trim brakes were active on the first drop). I mean, it's whole point is ultimate speed and intensity, but you can accomplish the same sensation with a smaller lift hill and tighter turns. The drop was awesome, and I did enjoy its great snappy transitions, but it lacked airtime and big maneuvers to complement its impressive 305-foot height. I'm under the impression that the US isn't ignorant to the popularity of Mega-Lites...they're just too low-capacity to be attractive options to any of the major amusement parks who could probably afford them. The trim made a massive difference. I first rode it with the first drop trimmed, it was pretty good. After the trims were placed back on their original spot, however, it's now my favorite steel tied with Skyrush. You really should give it another try.

^^^I'm pretty sure that's just an elephant seal.

Did some quick searching and I couldn't find a thread like this, so here it goes: I thought it would be a really cool idea if there could be one massive thread where you could post your custom scripts. Rules: 1: You gotta describe the script, what it does, and how to implement it in a coaster/park. This is the most important rule, particularly for people like me who don't have any real knowledge in programming. (I'd like to learn some time, but I don't exactly have a lot of time on my hands.) 2: Posting pictures or videos of the script in action is highly encouraged. I might add additional rules in the future if I see they are needed. I wish I had scripts that I could share myself, but as I have previously stated, I unfortunately do not have programming experience beyond some rudimentary knowledge of MATLAB, which is totally unrelated.

YES, WHEN IT COMES TO ABIDING TO PARK SAFETY! To put this into perspective. If someone carries a Sony FDR-AX100 4K video camera onto Formula Rossa, and it flies out of the hand at the very end of the launch track, hitting one of the mechanics walking out of the motor's building at max velocity, it will have a kinetic energy on par with being shot by a .300 Winchester Magnum at about 50 yards, (assuming its 4.3 lb weight is correct) which is the minimum recommended hunting caliber for grizzly bears. 99.9% of the rules at amusement parks are in place for a very good reason.

Goliath, SFOG?

Holy crap, that's a lot steeper of a first drop than what I was expecting. It makes me happy that Chance/Morgan is finally back onto the coaster scene, Phantom's Revenge is fantastic.

It's because it's not. I'm quite confident that they used the professional license of NL2 to make the video (the station was by far the biggest hint) and this looks like a rendering from some sort of custom program that superimposed/photoshopped/whatever-the-right-term-is'ed the ride into the landscape of the existing park. Because NL2 still can't do prefab wooden supports past 90 degrees (either roll or pitch) instead of spending the tons of time to do custom supporting of the inversions by hand, they just decided to leave the track unsupported.

While I don't doubt what you say, I wouldn't expect the airtime to be more in physical intensity than what already exists. According to the ASTM Acceleration charts, the maximum allowed amount of airtime is -1.5 G's after 0.5 seconds. (though it can go as intense as -2 G's after 0.2 seconds, such a quick transition to those forces would probably cause an extremely uncomfortable jerk.) I remember seeing that S&S's El Locos generally pull -1.5 G's on their main drops, and I suspect that El Toro, Skyrush, etc. probably pull in the -1.2 to -1.5 range for the majority of the ride. So, basically what I'm saying is that assuming what you are saying is the truth, I'd be expecting a mix of El Toro and Outlaw Run, which is totally fine by me. Hey Mattias and Johan, I'm curious to see if my predictions are correct. Might you be able to possibly procure those numbers for us?

^The terms aren't necessarily mutually exclusive. Take Outlaw Run for example: First wooden coaster that was properly engineered for inversions, steepest drop on a wooden coaster, and it ends up in 3rd place on the Mitch Hawker Wood Coaster Poll and won Best New Amusement Park Ride for the 2013 Golden Ticket Awards.

Actually, if you compare it to this: Count the amount of railing posts from when the train slows down to lift speed to the top of the lift. I counted 31 for the old video and 30 for this one, so it's the same when factoring in human error in counting and estimating speeds. Also, in the new video, the time from the end of the covered brake run to the second lift was 41 seconds. For the old video, it was 41 seconds. Never having been to KI before, let alone both before and after the eddy current trims were put in, that would lead me to believe that the eddy current trims are actually set to the same speeds that the old friction brakes were set for, so under normal operating conditions, the rides should be the same. That being said, the eddy current brakes do decelerate much more quickly so although you reach the same speed you reach it in less distance (time) so it would feel stronger as the braking acceleration would be greater and more sudden, and it's impossible to either turn off eddy current brakes or to lessen their effectiveness in rain, so those lucky people who got wet rides on the Beast their rides were most likely more intense. Though I have heard that the rain would actually also slow down wooden coasters as the wood would soak up the rain, swell, and thus put more pressure on the wheels, but I don't have the capabilities to test that out for myself at this time to see how much of an effect that makes.

Now that it's April 2nd everywhere in the world, I have to say that the April Fool's prank email of the coaster being an RMC/S&S collaboration of a terrain 4D Free Spin with two launches, a lift, and multiple trenches was nicely done.

Though I won't be going to Japan for quite a while, (and I will probably go to Japan for the first time with TPR to get used to getting around over there) what would be the best way to get all the rides in? How many days would be recommended to visit? On the bright side, the slow moving lines will allow me to get PLENTY of queue line photography in.

This has essentially already been done. SBF Visa made this and dubbed it the "Tekno Fly," though unfortunately not too many fairs or parks have ordered it as it looks pretty impressive. I also found a POV of one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_9usokkBUU I could have sworn that I saw in an Amusement Today magazine that Godiståget is to be a clone of Schwaben Park's Zierer Force One (which actually looks really good as far as family coasters go) but after thumbing through the latest four issues, I couldn't find it. But as for Wildfire, I have not the slightest idea. There is a near infinite amount of things that can be done with an amusement ride, and it needn't necessarily be a roller coaster either. Heck, it could be some sort of hybrid ride (like coaster/dark ride, etc.) for all we know. The only thing that I can say with confidence about this ride is that no one will come even close to being correct, and that Robb, Elissa, Mattias and Johan are probably laughing their heads off at how haphazard everyone's guess is.

^I was suspecting that there would be problems with the mist screen, as well as a likely lower image quality. Nevertheless, I suspect it was most likely pursued during development as an alternate version in case the higher quality but more expensive/risky option didn't work out.

^I was thinking something more along the lines of either a large hologram or projecting an image of the wall on a screen of extremely fine water droplets which would be too small to feel.

Just downloaded the 2.0.1.7 update. Does anyone know what it's supposed to fix?

Like wine tasting, rating coasters is a highly opinion-based metric, so any attempt to make a standardized rating system would be pretty moot. And this becomes increasingly more difficult the more coasters you ride. I've been on almost 250 myself, and I've given up on even the placement ranking like what the Mitch Hawker polls do. Instead, I have a tier system: Tier 4 is a pile of cat turds. This is actually my smallest tier, as I like even most "crap" coasters. They flat out suck, but even then I will still probably give these rides one try every visit to the park to give them another chance. (With the exception of the Fly O Plane at Lake Winnie. I couldn't make it flip, so I stayed on the outside the whole ride; combining the uncomfortably high negative G's with the horrendous restraints, I was screaming in pain. I won't ride that thing again unless someone pays me at least $20.) The only ones in this category are SFA's Mind Eraser, CW's Hurler, and the Coney Island Cyclone (though once restoration on it is complete I can guarantee it will be at least a tier 2 ride, it has potential.) Tier 3 is "meh." They're alright, either just "fun" or more on the boring side. I'll ride them for the credit, and maybe again if there isn't much else to do at the park, but they're usually a "one and done" for each visit. Some examples here are Steel Force, most mine trains and kiddie coasters, and Wild Eagle. Tier 2 is really good. These are the solidly awesome attractions that I have a lot of fun on and try to ride multiple times each visit. Some examples in here are Loch Ness Monster, Kumba, Hulk, and Lightning Racer. Tier 1 are the world class attractions. This is occupied by rides like RoS, Bizarro, Thunderhead, etc. Then I have my absolute favorites, which are currently I305, Skyrush, Boulder Dash and El Toro. Each tier is also subdivided into "upper, middle, and lower." For example, I call Cedar Creek Mine Ride a lower Tier 3, Griffon a middle Tier 2, and Thunderhead is a lower Tier 1.

^^Actually, after going to IAAPA, I talked to the guys at Intamin and they said he is officially fully retired. It's only the company that he started, not him himself.

^^hmmmmm, that looks like to be the best option. The reason why I suggested Magic Springs is because going from Magic Springs can shave off up to 4 hours from that final drive home, and I never personally really liked the idea of doing a super long drive home as the "grand finale" of a trip.

^In the case of a ten day trip, I would recommend: Day 1: Drive 8.5 hours from Jackson, MS (again, pretending you live near there) to a hotel near Holiday World. Day 2: Holiday World. Day 3: Get up early to drive 3 hours to Kings Island, do Kings Island the whole day (Fast Lane may be needed to do the whole park in one day.) Day 4: Get up early, drive 3.5 hours to Cedar Point, do Cedar Point the whole day (Fast Lane recommended to complete the park in one day.) Day 5: Drive from Cedar Point to Indiana Beach (4.5 hours) and stay at the park the remainder of the day. Day 6: Drive 5 hours Indiana Beach to the St. Louis City Museum, do the museum in the afternoon and evening, and then drive to a hotel near Six Flags St. Louis for the night. Day 7: Six Flags St. Louis. Day 8: Get up earlier, drive from Six Flags St. Louis to Silver Dollar City (3.5 hours) and do Silver Dollar City the whole day. Day 9: Drive to Magic Springs and Crystal Falls (4 hours) and visit the park the rest of the day. Day 10: Drive back to Jackson, MS. (5 hours.) I honestly would recommend to try to get someone to go along with you, particularly so you can drive in shifts.

If you are driving all the way up to Ohio and back and have enough money to do a big trip, I would recommend something consisting of a bit of the Deep South as well as the Midwest: Day 1: Drive from Jackson (assuming you live in or near Jackson) to a hotel near Six Flags Over Georgia (5.5 hours.) Day 2: Six Flags Over Georgia Day 3: Drive from Six Flags Over Georgia to Lake Winnepesaukah (2 hours,) spend the afternoon there, and then drive to Pigeon Forge (2.5 hours.) Day 4: Do a bunch of random crazy stuff in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, you won't regret it. Day 5: Dollywood. Day 6: Drive to Beech Bend (4.5 hours) and visit the park for the afternoon, then drive to a hotel near Holiday World in the evening (2 hour drive.) Day 7: Holiday World. Day 8: Drive to Kentucky Kingdom (about 1.5 hours) and visit the park for the whole day, then drive to a hotel near Kings Island at night (2 hours.) Day 9: Kings Island. Day 10: Drive to Cedar Point (3.5 hours) and stay in the park for the day; you might want to get up really early and get to the park when it opens, get up later and stay there for the afternoon and evening. Day 11: Cedar Point for a second day. (It can be done in one day with the fast lane, but I like to stay for two.) Day 12: Drive from Cedar Point to Indiana Beach (4.5 hours) and visit the park for the remainder of the day. Day 13: Drive from Indiana Beach to a hotel near Six Flags St. Louis (5.5 hours.) Day 14: Six Flags St. Louis. Day 15: Get up earlier, drive from Six Flags St. Louis to Silver Dollar City (3.5 hours) and visit the park the whole day. Day 16: Drive to Magic Springs and Crystal Falls (4 hours) and visit the park for the rest of the day. Day 17: Drive back to Jackson, MS (5 hours.)