pianojohn

Since we have all heard about Kingda Ka's trouble as well as Dragster, I was thinking of rides that opened and had to be closed/demolished due to their poor design. Off the top of my head: The Bat at King's Island Windjammer at Knott's Hercules at Dorney Any ideas for other ones or flat rides that never quite worked? There was the one at Busch Gardens Williamsburg in Festa Italia. It was kind of like a Top Spin, but it never really worked right. I think it lasted a few years. John "gone and sometimes forgotten!" PS. How could I forget Drachen Fire! I worked at BGW from 1994-97 and even had a VA license plate with DRACHEN on it! I got to ride it in both incarnations: before and after they removed the mid course loop. It was a good ride, just not engineered correctly. I did REALLY like the low cut trains with the built in LED lights. And Rocket Rods! Duh! That was the ultimate bad idea!

I was at Busch Gardens Tampa yesterday (Sheikra ROCKS!) and then hit Cypress Gardens on the way home. It was dead dead dead. I rode three of the coasters, and I had to ride Galaxy Spin in the rain which sucked. Worse than that, they made me ride on the last seat so the car spun like crazy. I STILL feel nauseous. Puke!

VERY funny! Great job!

I hear ya! When I was working in Osaka in 2001, I visited ExpoLand, Festivalgate, Kobe Portopialand, Ikoma Skyland, and Nagashima Spa Land, all in January and February. I remember it being SO cold at Expoland you could see your breath, and all of the fountains were frozen. There was snow on the ground but none falling that day. And riding Orochi (the B&M Raptor Clone) in 20 degrees is NOT fun!! John "Brrrrrrrrrrrrr"

Wel, I will be up there in a few weeks to ride them myself! I am not saying ALL Six Flags woodies are crap, but most of the ones I have ridden (Colossus, Psyclone at SFMM, Twisted Twins and Thunder Run at SFKK, Rolling Thunder @ SFGAd, Texas Giant at SFOT, Roar and Wild One at SFA, and Georgia Cyclone at SFOG) were all pretty rough and in need of some basic maintenance. I will reserve judgement on SFGA until I get to ride Viper and American Eagle! John "who is looking forward to SFGA in a few weeks!"

Wow. That is so sad but again, in perspective to the lives lost, it seems really insignificant.

Well, I can always tell a Six Flags woodie from almost any other woodie in the following ways: A Six Flags woodie is usually faded with chipped paint The rails are rusty It runs like crap. ie Rolling Thunder, Psyclone, Thunder Run, Roar, Texas Giant, etc Is that what you meant? John "who doesn't care for Six Flags woodies"

Hmm....I have seen all of them except 6-8. The only ones I would see again in my opinion would be Star Wars, Batman, and Charlie. The rest...ehh..not so much! John "who likes his movies with SOME substance...just a little anyway!"

My friends went last year on the Friday before Labor Day (a year ago today!) and they basically walked on everything. They also sent me pics from their camera phone of the empty que lines for Magnum, MF, and Raptor. I hate them. John "who worked at the Point for 5 years but it was pre-MF and Dragster"

Anyone ever been on a coaster that you thought..."hmm...I may not make it back to the station!" Here are my experiences: The last time I rode the Cascade Park Comet in Pennsylvania back in the mid 80's. The coaster sits in the woods, and you had to lean right and left to avoid being hit in the face by branches. Also, the last drop into the gulley was probably a 50-60 degree angle, and when it dropped, the train just pitched you up into the lap bar. I remember holding on for dear life until the car reached the station. The only other time was on Apollo's Chariot on Easter Sunday 1999. I had just completed my 10th ride and was sitting on the brake run opposite the station. We came to a stop and sat there for awhile. I then noticed they let another train leave the station. I didn't think about it until another train also left, and the 2nd one had not yet returned. I was now freaking out since I knew there was not enough room on the brake run for two trains, and I was afraid there would be a collision. I then saw one of the trains stopped on the lift hill. Apparently, the main controls were struck by lightning, and all three trains were stranded on the track: one on the lift hill, one on the mid course brake, and my train on the final brake. As we sat there waiting to be escorted off the train, it started to rain. Then pour. Then thunder and lightning. NOW I was scared as lightning was striking all around, we were all soaked, and locked in a train with LOTS and LOTS of metal track and supports. FINALLY, they let us out row by row and we all ran into the station, soaked, but glad to be out of the storm. I guess it could have been worse if we were stuck on the lift or half way through the ride. Anyone else? John "who doesn't scare too easily now on coasters"

Geez, my mistake! I say the word "Parking Lot" and get the 3rd degree! I guess I should have said it would have been nice to have the coaster IN the park as opposed to being outside the grounds. For example, I love the way the GASM is built around the lake. I just like being on coasters where you see trees and such as opposed to cars ENTERING the parking lot. Clearer? Either way, I am sure it will be a fun ride.

Yet another parking lot coaster! The design looks cool, but when I think about Apollo's Chariot and the beautiful trees you can see from the top, I can't help but think the view won't be that great on this one. Then again, I will reserve judgement until I actually ride it!

At the 1984 ACE Convention, we got to walk the lift of the Flyer at the Toronto Exhibition. It was pretty cool but kind of scary too! And during the auction at Idora Park in Youngstown, OH the same year I got to walk part of the Jack Rabbit, known that year as the Back Wabbit! Hmm...also got some pics and walked around Drachen Fire at BGW when it was still under construction back in 1991. And now I am always "backstage" at WDW when performing at the parks. THE VIP room at The Living Seas is awesome, as there are a few large windows that look into the tank, and the piano I play is clear plexiglass!! I also got to play a special event at the Great Movie Ridein the Gangster Room. It was cool walking through the ride up to that point and then sitting there with all the scenery around while the guests had cocktails and appetizers!! It is still cool to walk the tunnels under the Magic Kingdom! Oh, I also got a backstage look at Rio del Tiempo (sp?) at EPCOT when it broke down. We had to manually push our boat backwards and exit before the big Fiesta scene at the end!!

If you can afford it, GO TO AUSTRALIA! I went in 2000 and would go back in a second! The people are awesome, the US $ (at the time) was about 2:1 to the Australian dollar, and the weather was perfect. Keep in mind that their summer is opposite the US summer. Sooooooooo... for them, summer starts in September and goes until about March/April. I was lucky enough to visit Dreamworld, Wonderland, and a small indoor park in Brisbane that is no more. I also got down to (I think) Luna Park in Melbourne, but they were closed the day I was there. They had a very old side friction coaster that I was dying to ride. Oh well, another time!! PS. I also bought my weight in Australian import CD's....OH JOY!!

Hmmm....I would say Blackpool and Alton Towers and almost everything else in Europe! I have done Australia and Japan but have never been to Europe!

Great TR! Makes me wanna brave the heat and crowds and go to IOA tomorrow! Nah, I'll wait 'til after Labor Day and have both parks to myself!

I would think that several chains may buy several of the Six Flags parks rather than one chain buy the whole lot. For example: Cedar Fair could get the big ones: SFMM, SFOG, SFGA, and SFGreat Adventrure. Paramount may pick up a few, Busch could get SFSTL since their headquarters are there. Just a thought.

As someone who actually rode that ride at Ikoma Skyland in Japan, I don't remember it being all that rough. It was like a mini Jumbo Jet, with decent speed and banking. I will have to look at my videos from that day to see if I took any on ride footage!

Nope, and they need to! The line has been averagin 80 minutes, and you KNOW there are lots of empty seats going to waste!

So, what if no one comes forward to buy the parks OR worst case scenario, someone buys all of them and then turns around and closes them all for the land they are built on. Any thoughts about what we would really lose if all of the Six Flags parks closed? Seriously! I was thinking about all of the top ten coasters in the country, and not one is at a Six Flags park. (Ok, maybe Supermen at SFNE, SFDL, and SFA, but they could be moved to a park that would take care of them!!) I, for one, would miss the history of the park chain, but since it was bought by Premier, the parks have gone so far downhill that I cannot remember a time when we did not complain about them. They took a successful chain, added WAY too many smaller parks, slapped the Six Flags name on them, and basically watered down what was once a reputable company into one that is the laughing stock of the industry. Discuss among yourselves...

DAMNIT! Once again, I will be out of town doing a show in Virginia Beach. Oh well, have a blast! And if you are near BGW, gimme a shout!

How about this: if you come to a ride you aren't sure about, and you have read all of the warnings and signs, DON'T RIDE IT! Geez!! Remember all those cool one-of-a-kind signs at Cedar Point for each ride? They were all replaced by boring, VERY wordy signs which lists all of the safety requirements and warnings.

I remember back in the 80's there was an incident at the one in Chicago where the car went up the shaft but did not move forward at the top. It then dropped straight down, injuring the 4 riders. They closed all the Intamin FreeFalls until they could figure out why it malfuctioned. I think I remember cutting out an article about it when it happened. The next time I am home in Cleveland, I will look for it.

My sentinments exactly! I went to Dollywood for the first time this summer and I will definately be back as often as possible! The landscaping reminded me more of Opryland, but the attention to detail and excellent food are Busch Gardens Williamsburg-esque!

Funny story: when I was working at Cedar Point back in the 80's, we used to have rock groups come to the park all the time after performing in either Cleveland or Toledo. My friend Jackie was stage managing one of the shows at the front of the park. A group of guys approached her and asked if they could rent out the park for the day. She said she didn't think so. Then one of the guys said "But we're from Skid Row." Jackie had never heard of the group Skid Row, and thought they meant skid row, as in homeless! They told her they were a famous band. To shut them up, she said, "Well, I am more of a Barry Manilow fan myself!" They were not amused, but I was and still am!