Bolliger&Mabillard

www.myspace.com/flextasmic checkout my summer 2007 photos!

I rode a razor scooter down the parking hill at Universal studios...and almost died BEST.RIDE.EVER.

Tatsu seldom uses that second station due to staffing. that ride at full capacity requires nine operators, not including a breaker (which is important because of those meal violations). This is a number based on a panel operator, and four people checking on either side. Even with two stations now, this ride does not see 9 operators at one time. This is just a theory, but if parks invested more in staffing, people would not be as irrateable while waithng in line, thus, likely to return. I went to Cedar Point in 2007, lines are two to three hours long, but the crews are efficient, so you can't get mad at the park or operators, because they're holding up their end of your visit. Now if you wait in likne for three hours, get up to the station, and see some orange tag texting on their phone or some guy trying to ''pull numbers", it gives the park a bad image, and give the guest a bad experience. Add that to the already understaffed attraction and it is a recipie for disaster.

QFT The amount of ADULTS who cannot work out how to pull a bar down on Vampire at Chessie is astonishingly high... Especially when they've seen it happen several times before People can stand at the loading gates, watch the people who get on before them get on the ride properly, and get on two cylces later and screw it all up. It's one of those things that come with the territory.

I have an on-going arguement with one of my friends that Tatsu has a higher capacity with 2 trains, one station. I tell him that ride should never use just one station, unless it only has one train. Here is why. Tastu has a circuit cycle time (from upper lift to block brake) of about 40 seconds. from block brake to tranfer/waitings, is another 15 seconds and the lift is takes about 25-30. With that said if you dispatch a train (Train A), you cannot advance the next one (Train B) into the station until "A" clears, so A is out of the station, then you advance "B". Then it has to park. Then the chassis pins have to unlock. Then the seats have to move from "flight" to "load". By that time train A is coming out of pretzel and you are not even physically able to load a train yet. If that train had a seperate spot to go that would speep things up, wouldn't it? (Station 2) I know that 2 stations help out drastically because I know that ride like the back of my hand. My friend does not. How this relates to X and the current topic. There will always be unknowns in the world of loading procedures. There is always going to be someone in line who can see a train sitting in transfers who says "Why aren't they running that one?", not paying attention to the fact the fiberglass covering is missing or that row two and three have no seats on them. I'm sure that the park did not invest so much money in this ride so far to have it all flop. We will see an increase in the dispatch intervals, reliability, and safety. As for the operation? I loved being at Tatsu, and I showed that through my work, however it's hard to get a 16 year old kid who is just working there to make some extra cash for the prom to get as excited as I was. So that's one thing that will be around for a while.

I thought that this would help to load/unload intervals. Here is how. One solution to this problen is just building a downward stairway under "the bridge" where load and unload meet and use that as an exit. That way you can unload and load both trains at once (use gates at current unload as queue gates) This way you will always have one train ready to go

As a Lakers fan I say they will at least reach the finals. Being realistic I say It's anybody's game, As for the east, I see Orlando playing the upset-underdog. I'm not saying they're going to the dance, but they have been severely underrated this season.

The Lakers have swept the Denver Nuggets and wait on the outcome of the Utah/Houston Series. The San Antonio Spurs await their trip to the Big Easy. Tracy McGrady is likely doomed to another "first round out". It makes you think. Who in the west has what it takes to go all the way? Here are a few key factors to consider in the 2008 playoff race. *Despite critisizm earlier in the season of the team's GM, questioning the will of the team owner and fellow teammates, Kobe Bryant has emerged and taken this team to the next level, only this time he's getting the young guys to buy into it. Their record of 57-25 ensures them home court advantage throughout the western conference playoffs. *Chris Paul has taken his New Orleans Hornets and carried them on his back to get the francise the furthest they've been since leaving the eastern conference. The city of New Orleans needs a spot of sunray peeking through the loom cloud over their exhausted town. The Hornets are proving to be just that ray. The home crowd is behind them 200%. Look for them to give San Antonio a very up tempo, physical series. *The Utah Jazz can seal the fate of the Houston Rockets as early as Friday. Tracy McGrady has not answered the call of leadership to take this team, or any team for that matter and guide them to a playoff series victory. No one is expecting him to do so now. Utah plays at a fast pace, they share the ball, they are willing to make the extra pass, and have strong bodies in the post. The Jazz are the likely team to advance from this series and face Los Angeles, and would be much to the delight of any NBA fan to see the matchups these to teams will go with. As if Houston advances, they might just take joy in the fact they won one playoff series and take joy in that. I say the Lakers can make a strong push to the finals, but we've seen the last series sweep. The competition will be much tougher, the talent and poise of teams left are at a higher level, and much more is on the line. Let us not forget that the defending champion Spurs still appear to be firing on all cyclinders and still play championship-style ball. Who do you think will emerge victorious from the west?

From Organix up to Rising Down, The Roots rank #1 on my list of bands.

3.75 is the cheapest i've seen since i came home from school today.

I used to work at Magic Mountain, and before that I worked at Knott's Berry Farm. I was a ride op at both parks. I work at Target now as a backroom stocker, but will probably go back to Knott's some time in June, or if not then Haunt for sure.

I don't see this effect getting off the ground at all, but then again it is not my choice to make. My main concern is that with temperatures rising above 100 degrees in the summer, pyrotechnical effects don't seem like the best.

Knott's Ghost Town Is easily the most themed area in that park. There are many of us park enthusiasts who would love to see that area remain the way it is. However, being the land-locked park that it is, something has to go out in order for something new to go in. I dont believe much more of Ghost Town will be removed or altered...at least for a few more years. I think we'll see Ride supports OVER Ghost Town before anything else is removed or altered. There are many people who would disagree with doing this, but you have to keep in mind that it's much harder to sell nostalgia at 50 bucks a visit than to ride Xcelerator, Sierra Sidewinder and Timberline Twister as much as you want. Cedar Fair is a business, and bussinesses like to make profits. Rides and shows bring in crowds, looking at some stuff...not so much.

That fire effect in the summer? Scorcher! Es muy caliente!

Yea. Inverted Impulses have those height limits because the floor does not drop.

What is the height limit? Alton Towers has some pretty strict height guidelines to follw and they have 3 B&M's.

This is the first time i tried posting a poll so I had to figue some stuff out.I have it up now. Riddler's is a close second, but Batman's more of a classic

With 8 (yes count them 8) coasters in the state of California, each creating a different riding experience, which would you say rocks the most?

Question 1: I read how you make the sacrifices to go on trips. One thing you metioned is that you don't go to movies, so my first question is, "Would you spend money to see a movie ABOUT roller coasters?" Question 2: (More theme park related) Why is it that Sea World San Diego is the only Anheiser-Busch park without at least one B&M attraction? Does it have to do with zoning or something? or is it just that the park itself just hasn't invested in one?

Yes. as of 4/26/08 PE has begun testing. The first three attempts were rollbacks but now it is running beautifully

Too bad what happened to Double Loop (moment of silence for Double Loop) I rode Dominator in 2007 and it was surprisingly smooth, much smoother than Scream!, but then again having worked for both a Six Flags and Cedar Fair park I know the differences in maintaing rides. Dominator gets a longer rest as MM still operates on weekends in the off season.

Viper at SFMM still holds the record for tallest vertical loop at 144 ft. Whch was also my first inverted coaster, or first coaster period. I love the ride now, but when I was 9, my head did not peak over the OTSR's, so it was a head bashing 2 minutes. Now (since I'm a lot taller) I can ride that thing all day

This ride looks really cool so far. I am keeping my fingers crossed that SFMM's 2009 coaster is a GCI. I mean Six Flags St. Louis has 8 coasters and three of them are wooies, but for a park to have 16 and just Colosus? Colosus isn't even that great.

If it is a racheting restraintthen you can expect that from time to time. ANyone who has ever ridden any of the Deja Vu's now that they will be in between clicks now and then. No real danger...just don't play around with that seat belt!

I'm sure Dark Knight will be ready for Memorial Day. That's just a norm in the theme park world to open rides on Mem. Day Weekend