imagineerz

US CA: X2 CO: Cyclone FL: Montu IL: Goliath IN: The Voyage KY: Lightning Run MO: Outlaw Run NV: Speed - The Ride NJ: El Toro NY: Turbulence OH: Diamondback PA: Storm Runner TN: Mystery Mine UT: Wicked International Italy: iSpeed Sweden: Balder

This section is the crux of the issue. Because Maverick has to send out 17 more trains to get to 1,200 pph, that means that there are 17 more chances for guest intervention to decrease capacity, and even if it's a short delay, that can easily build up over time.

I blame that challenge as a primary cause for a lot of my childhood emotional outbursts.

I was at the park last Thursday, and we were at Laff Trakk within 10 minutes of opening and we waited around half an hour, and by the time we got off the queue was full, which means a 60-90 minute wait. But after that we ran straight to Fahrenheit and it was a walk-on.

Gotcha. Then I'm assuming there isn't much concern about the concrete's chloride content over time?

So this is a pretty specific and detailed question. But for those of us who aren't materials engineers, here's some background first. Most, if not all, coasters use concrete footers. And these footers are often reinforced with steel rebar, due to concrete's terrible tensile strength. However, because steel is not a naturally occurring metal, rather a refined version of iron ore, it is thermodynamically unstable. This means that it wants to return to its natural state, iron oxide, also known as rust. This is where we get "corrosion." Because the makeup of concrete can, in essence, serve as an electrolyte, rebar in concrete can easily corrode. There is a two fold problem here: 1. The more the rebar corrodes, the less structural integrity there is, and 2. Rust is exponentially bigger than steel, which leads to concrete cracking, leading back to problem 1. So here's my question: How do ride manufacturers prevent corrosion in concrete? Of course, there are solutions (ie cathodic protection), but they tend to be decently expensive, and in the example of cathodic protection, even if only one anode is placed in each footer, the amount of footers can lead to insane costs. Anyone know any more?

Even if the train was only traveling at, let's say around 45 mph, we also have to consider the possibility of the other train. If the other train was traveling at any speed in the other direction, then we have to add that onto the crash speed because relative to the empty train, the loaded train is approaching faster. And I'm just using 45mph just based on the 53mph top speed, frictional loss, and the air hill trims. But if the other train were moving in the opposite direction of travel at 5-10mph, the speed of the crash just became 50-55mph. Of course, the converse is true, so if the trains were traveling in the same direction, then the relative speed difference is decreased (in this example, it would be between 35-40mph instead). Of course that's probably not what the media meant, it's just something to consider in any collision.

Here's the deal with Beast. The part of the ride between the shed and the second lift is really what changes so drastically. Because it sprawls out so far into the forest with no lighting, you get a serious sense of out-of-control speeding through the woods if you ride at night. During the day, it's just alright, primarily because it's trimmed so much in the shed. When you can see everything around you and really judge your speed, you realize the ride is just lackadaisically putzing around during that back section. But at night, it really feels like it's flying through that part of the course. And the double helix finale is great no matter what time of day.

Thunderbird became #410 for me last Thursday!

Oh sweet Jesus I look so displeased

Pshhhhh we all know Media Day was really about Crow's Nest

Thanks! Amazingly, apart from the group photos and the second barrel roll photo, all of the pictures I posted were taken with my phone.

Now that I've finally recovered from yesterday, after a total of nine hours of driving and fourteen hours of ride time, I can finally bring you guys a quick report of yesterday's festivities! Overall, Thunderbird is a solid addition to the Holiday World lineup. The plaza looks fantastic, Crow's Nest feels like an integrated part of the expansion, instead of seeming like an afterthought in the 4th of July. Anyway, Thunderbird is easily the best Wing Coaster. It has a very athletic yet graceful pace that feels so natural, very much like the Wing Coaster was always supposed to be like, and the launch itself is incredibly powerful. It feels WAY faster than what they advertise, and the speed carries throughout the course. The snap at the top of the immelman gives a pretty good pop of airtime on the right side, and the s-curve gives some air on the left side. That said, the outside back right seat is far and above the best one. But forget the seats, forget the layout, forget the launch that feels like you're being pulled into Jupiter's atmosphere, the big news here are the restraints. The vests don't lock. THEY DON'T LOCK. Rejoice! And now for the bad. Ish. Yes, the trims are now active on The Voyage, and they do have an effect on the ride experience. The triple down isn't as good as it usually is, and the return leg isn't as insane as per what we're used to. But it's still fantastic. Now that I've written this I realize that I'm actually still way too tired to function so I'll leave you with the photos. Thank you so much to Holiday World for inviting TPED@Purdue to join in on the fun, and thank you to Robb for being so chill about a bunch of college students bombarding you with questions at once. The best way to start a day after enduring a four hour drive from campus Huge thanks to the team at Holiday World! We had an amazing time!

I'll be there with TPED@Purdue. So excited to be at the park, but dreading the drive.

SHHHHHHHH DON'T CURSE IT

The CityBus system is all jacked up today, busses are stacking and not leaving on time, so now I have to walk a mile and a half (one way) to the engineering buildings, when it's 8 degrees, 20mph wind, and high humidity. Oh, and yesterday there was no heat or hot water on campus. That was fun.

But you can not afford them a lot unless you are rich because they are really expensive. Being responsible with your money and saving for what you want to do is not ''being rich''. THIS. 100% THIS. I am by no means rich. The only reason I could afford paying out of state tuition is because of scholarships. I may work on campus as a cooking instructor, but I only teach two classes per week. And because I'm working for the university, the pay is pretty poor. Oh, and I have to pay student loans. The key is knowing how/where to spend your money, and trying to figure out what expenses you KNOW you might have. I knew that getting FL was a possibility, so I made sure that I could afford it two weeks before fall break. Yes, it's a huge luxury to have, and it is pretty expensive, there's no denying that. But considering that I was able to have a day full of pretty much nonstop riding instead of having to wait for hours on end, I wouldn't have done it any other way.

Well this certainly took way too long for me to post. Got my first visit to the park on the 11th, and WOW it was crowded. After waiting an hour for Stunt Coaster, one of my friends and I decided to forgo our broke-college-student roots and splurged on Fast Lane. Worth it. So worth it. We got almost 20 rides in while the other few people who came with us got five. I won't go on about Banshee, it's been covered to hell. Solid ride, end of story. The ride that made the trip for me, surprisingly, was Racer. We got three night rides on each side, and it was just incredibly fun, yet it still has the charm of a classic woodie. The only gripe I have about the park is with their sorting for Fast Lane and the standby queue. Different employees on the same rides were incredibly erratic and inconsistent on how many FL people would be let through at a time, if at all. What was a 5 minute FL queue for The Beast at 9 PM suddenly became a 45 minute line at 10 PM because the employees rotated positions. But all in all, I enjoyed my time. Oh, and this happened: NERD SHOT So I really shouldn't complain at all.

Yes it does. Fail on Yahoo's part!!! Fail on the journalist's part for their "excellent reporting skills," more like! The article is actually from CNET Clicky: www.cnet.com/news/4d-batman-roller-coaster-tosses-you-to-gotham-and-back/ But they call the park "Six Flags Fiesta Texas" later on in the article. Still amusing nonetheless.

If you watch the Xtreme Waterparks piece they say that the park DID consult professionals, from multiple fields, and almost all of the predictions and calculations that were made by these engineers and physicists ended up being inaccurate (which I'm assuming was due to the tyranny of both fluid and aerodynamics).

It's not conventionally pretty to my eye either, but if you want to do 250+ and stay ON the surface of the Earth, you shape the car exactly how the wind tells you to. And you do it with a smile.

That was like experiencing a four hour tooth extraction without any novocaine

I recently got back into podcasts thanks to the oh-so inefficient CDOT construction project that I have to drive through to get to school . As of now these are the ones that I like to listen to (in order of preference): Gadgettes: Girls talking about gadgets (prepare for sore sides with this one) It's a Thing: Completely unscientific trendspotting CoasterRadio.com Buzz Out Loud: Tech, pop culture, and how they translate into our lives Wait Wait Don't Tell Me! Adventures in Design: Graphic design Car Talk TWiT: Weekly tech breakdowns

Cedar Fair: Maverick Six Flags: El Toro SeaWorld Entertainment: Montu Merlin: Raptor Herschend: Outlaw Run Universal: Revenge of the Mummy (Orlando) Disney Parks: California Screamin' Parques Reunidos: iSpeed Palace Entertainment: Sky Rocket