Skycoastin Steve

^That could very well be in maintenance mode, though, which just opens another can of worms, so no need to get into it (unless for some unexplainable reason they were operating in maintenance mode).

^Did it not?

My point is, there's no way in Sam Hill the ride dispatched without that little blinky "lock restraints" button being pushed. Whether there was some malfunction mid-ride is what the investigation is for. And I believe I already said most coasters can't be dispatched without the restraints being locked, the only exceptions that I've ever seen being kiddie coasters that have manual locking restraints. Even old Arrows (and at least the boomerang at Alabama Adventure) that have manual locking restraints have a photo eye at the exit of the station that makes sure all foot pedals are in the locked position before it allows the ride to keep cycling. Obviously something malfunctioned, but remember this post when the investigation finds that "the ride was working properly." Just like they did in Louisiana.

^But by all accounts, this is a park (and a country) that follows safety procedures. So we can rule that out. And a coaster can't be dispatched with unlocked restraints. So we can rule that out.

^Some form of retracking happens on a yearly basis during the offseason (and in small parts during the season). It'll never make a difference because of the trims and the PTCs.

^But I bet the restraints were locked, as I said they had to be.

For anyone that thinks it could have been operator error (not checking the restraints), it's impossible on just about every coaster ever built to dispatch a ride without the restraints locked. I think the only exceptions are kiddie coasters that have manual locking restraints.

To clear things up, a BIG part of the "no camera" policy is tied to intellectual property. It's like pirating a movie. Sure, the movie might be available several places (just like ride POVs), but it's not an approved version. Years of planning and construction go behind every attraction, and parks don't want some Joe Blow recording them illegally, just like production companies don't want their films being passed around for free. There's admittedly plenty of gray area there (what if you're filming from the ground?), and I've even heard of parks not allowing people to film rides from the ground. As an operator, any time that I noticed someone had snuck their camera/phone on the ride and successfully filmed it, I stood there while they deleted the footage off their device. If they refused to delete it, then they were held in the station and security was called. Obviously safety is the #1 priority behind "no camera" policies, but don't forget the intellectual property part of it. As far as loose articles are concerned, anything extra that's on your body and isn't regular clothing is a loose article. Glasses, hats, iPods with earbuds, phones, cameras, jewelry, etc. are all loose articles (even if they are in your pocket, down your shirt, etc.). Each ride at each park has a different policy regarding these loose articles, usually dependent on manufacturer and company policies. Every park I've been at has a "no earbuds/earphones" policy on the larger coasters, simply because it's a strangulation hazard. Is it likely that you will get strangled by your iPod? No. But is it possible? Yes. And that's why the policy is what it is, eliminate the possibility of accidents, no matter how improbable. Now other rides might have "no glasses without a strap" or "no earrings" requirements and/or recommendations (you see coasters with OTSRs recommending no earrings on occasion, Maverick comes to mind), but as I said before, that all depends on manufacturer requirements. Hope that helps.

^The impulse (whatever its name is now) wasn't a bad ride to get dumped with. However, Demon Drop and Invertigo are just pathetic rides to get saddled with.

^Absolutely! I really wish DBH was at another park, the airtime was completely freaking nuts on that ride. I really think it had some of the best non-prefab airtime I've ever felt on a woodie.

^^CP's marketing department can put out whatever they want and 98% of their guests wouldn't question it. If they still want to call themselves the "Coaster Capital of the World," they easily can. They've set enough records and have enough high quality coasters to call themselves that, they don't need the most coasters to do it. And they aren't going to relocate a beat up, piece of sh*t ride just to tie Magic Mountain. That's a play out of the Six Flags playbook, and CP just won't do it. Not to mention, once again, that they aren't going to relocate a piece of sh*t Vekoma to their park. It would be like if you had a collection of Ferraris and Lamborghinis and one day decided to throw in a '72 Ford Pinto with broken windows, no engine, and rusted fenders into that collection.

Let me say it again since we STILL don't get it....... ahem............................ CEDAR POINT IS NOT GETTING INVERTIGO. CEDAR POINT WILL NEVER INSTALL A USED VEKOMA SHUTTLE. IF YOU EVEN REMOTELY THINK OTHERWISE, YOU NEED TO STOP SMOKING THAT STICKY ICKY.

Hambone: Regarding Rhino Rally, it used to have a water portion where the truck would drive onto a bridge and then the bridge would "float away" down the river as if it had collapsed and then the truck was in "mortal peril." However, the water portion was a maintenance nightmare and it is no longer a part of the ride. The canyons that the water portion went through are now being used for a the turn-around section of Cheetah Hunt. Now all they do for Rhino Rally is drive you around, tell some bad jokes, let you see a few animals up close, and return to the station.

^I guess none of the 58 rides at CP that aren't coasters count. Nor does the resort.

KD getting this ride would be a HUGE surprise, and a pretty head-scratching move if you ask me. They really don't need it, at least nowhere near as much as a park like Michigan's Adventure. By the way, I can't say it enough........ CEDAR POINT WILL NEVER HAVE A VEKOMA SHUTTLE COASTER

After reconsidering, I guess KD is a slight maybe, but Valleyfair and Michigan's Adventure still seem like the most logical choices. I forgot about Valleyfair already having an impulse, which means it could fit in better at MiA. I just don't see KD getting yet another coaster after getting Dominator and 305 in a three-year span.

^According to rcdb, there are 162 operating Wacky Worms worldwide right now. http://www.rcdb.com/r.htm?nm=na&st=93&lo=282&ot=2

The High Five woodie has gone vertical! Courtesy of TGG's facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/#!/thegravitygroup

Winterized parks just look cool. The GP needs to see pictures of parks in the offseason, that way they understand what goes into closing and reopening a park for the season. But then again, that could backfire, and they could say, "OMG! THEY LIKE TOTALLY TAKE THE RIDES APART, THERE'S NO WAY I'M GETTING ON THAT THING NEXT YEAR!!!!"

I've worked at two parks with relocated boomerangs, both were nothing I would describe as reliable. In fact, I wouldn't even have a remote consideration of calling them reliable. But Nighthawk takes unreliable to a whole 'nother level. The gear box is what kept it out for months, but there might have been a total of 5 or 6 days in the season before that in which it didn't experience any downtime. That ride just needs to be melted and sold off. But I digress.

I wouldn't say that. Nighthawk was down continuously from mid-July till early October this past season, and is in a dead heat with Carolina Cobra (the boomerang) as the most hated rides by Carowinds maintenance. I know for a fact the operations manager wishes that ride was never built. But yeah, I guess it's doing just fine.

I'm not sure if the few of you were being sarcastic or not, but there's a better chance at Obama and Palin running together for pres/vice pres in 2012 than there is of ANY major Vekoma even SNIFFING the midway at Cedar Point. Some of you people need to ingest a little dose of reality. Paramount didn't want to expand this park, and Cedar Fair doesn't want to expand this park. Read between the lines a little bit. Edit: And as far as which park it goes to, there really aren't many viable choices. I think we can eliminate CP, KD, KI, Carowinds, CW, and KBF right off the bat. WOF has a Boomerang, so it won't go there, either. That leaves Valleyfair, Michigan's Adventure, and Dorney. All three would make sense, but I don't think we'll see it at MiA since they just got Thunderhawk. Dorney also just got a relocated GL coaster, so Valleyfair would seem to be the most logical choice.

^ Genuine audible laughter.

Thanks! I worked really hard on that photo, so please excuse the watermark I just added. I want to make sure no one steals it. Bastard!

^Stunning shot you got there!