Tmcdllr

I like the idea of turning the car around the other way, as was mentioned. It would be cool if they could run one side forward and the other facing backward...freefalling on that tower facing down sounds like a rush! Restraint modifications asside, would it even be possible to do that given the design of the car?

Why did they change Jet Stream to use only 1 drop instead of both?

I don't understand something..if the seats are rocking because something hasn't been tightened yet, why would they rock even more if they were empty? Wouldn't it be the other way around because of the added weight of bodies in the seats?

I agree with Robb. If it's going to strap you that much financially, then save your money and don't worry about it. Bring some drinks and leave them in a cooler in the car...probably much cheaper that way. I personally don't see anything wrong with this policy and don't usually get one anyway because then it's one more thing I have to carry around with me all day, but I don't mind paying the ten bucks when I do get one, especially if it's a hot day and I know I'll get good use out of it. In fact it's nice they are even doing it in the first place...you know they really don't have to. This is kind of like nit-picking on something that doesn't seem that important.

^Agreed. With proper inspection, maintenance, testing, and operation an accident resulting in death is pretty much extremely rare. However, there is no way to protect against a person's lack of common sense and disregard for safety rules. I am in no way suggesting that is what happened here and I am sorry for the girl, but you'll find most ride accidents are the direct result of someone being careless and stupid...and that's unfortunate.

I admit I am partial to CGA...it's only 15 minutes from my house so it's my home park and I am a former employee but every season I make it a point to make the hour + drive to SFDK at least twice because it does offer different things, so I get the best of both. But, SFDK does have a bizarre layout. I always thought it would be really cool if they could build a coaster that went over the lake.

I agree Top Gun is short like the rest of the coasters at CGA but it is far from average, it is a very intense inverted coaster. Invertigo is different besides being inverted it catches the train smoother, has better restraint padding, and is more forcefull at the bottom of the loops than Boomerang. As far as rapids rides go, BOTH parks have one and they are both fun although I seem to remember you get a little wetter on the one at SFDK. If I were looking for longer coaster rides then I would go to DK. The only problem I have with DK is the layout..it is not one big circle like CGA but I guess that doesn't matter much.

I forgot about Kong, yeah that one hurts. It's wierd too because the train is really long and going through the inversions is strange. Speaking of bad coasters...I think Grizzly's days are numbered.

Boomerang is painful but still fun. My favorite part is when it catches the chain on the second lift....man that's rough. Invertigo on the other hand catches the train pretty smoothly on both lifts, a vast improvement over the Boomerang. Invertigo does have a bit of roughness to it but you don't feel it as much I think because Vekoma had the good sense to put extra cushiony padding on the OTSRs so when the headbanging starts it's much less painful. Plus if you sit at either end of the train you really feel the G's at the bottom of the loop, etc. My favorite seat is the second to last row on the end of the train facing the first lift. After being pulled up it at the beginning before it lets you go, you are at the back of the train facing down so when the train is released you get the bonus feeling you would get going over a 'first drop.' Both parks are worth checking out if you can do it. Both parks are unique in their own ways and if you can only do one, no matter which one it is, it will be a day well spent.

That is a good point James and between the two, Flight Deck is intense but Medusa is a great, smooth, and much longer ride. I agree...for quality coasters go to SFDK. Although on a personal note, between Boomerang and Invertigo, Invertigo is more fun especially if you sit in one of the 'blackout' seats on either end of the train.

I agree also it is kind of a coin toss. Stand out rides at CGA would be Flight Deck *ugh* Drop Tower, Demon, Invertigo, Vortex...a stand up that beats you to hell, and the water park. Plus it's a slightly larger park. At DK you have Medusa, V2, Tony Hawk if it' open, Roar...a thousand times better than the woodie at CGA, and maybe Boomerang and Kong as standouts. Plus DK also has a small animal park with tigers and such which is pretty cool. I think CGA has a few more flats and some shows plus a Sky Tower as well and a sky ride to get you to the back of the park. Both have similar water rides but CGA also has a log flume. I guess it all really depends on what you are in the mood for.

I agree it's not likely it would be wood because of that but at the same time that hasn't stopped parks from building wood coasters in earthquake prone California before. If they did decide on a wood coaster it would have to be built with lots of extra support as required which would make the project more expensive than if it were built in another state. But "no inversions" and "family coaster" sounds like it's likely to not be steel eventhough a steel coaster can fall within those lines. Considering what happened with the lift hill shifting on Psyclone after that quake, as I understand it, and the extra maintenance required by a wood coaster, you have to wonder if MM would risk building another one...if they feel it's worth it then that's what we'll see. I would hope they have learned from their mistakes and this time if it is wood it won't just be something that was plopped down at the last minute but instead a very well designed, thought out, and well built ride.

What is a Raven Simones

Because MM has a unique collection of coasters I would guess the 2009 coaster would hopefully be unique as well. A clone would be fine but I just don't see that happening...a great big GCI would rock...who knows at his point.

I believe the reason the lifts slow down at the top of some of the SF coasters is because it is supposed to highten the fear/anticipation element.

Fantastic explanations! Thank you very much!

^^I agree they should pivot and I was surprised to see that but maybe the wheels are so close together that it wont matter and dont they give a little anyway? Its also possible the old design may have been able to move too much which could have contributed to some of the jerkyness in the seat rotation and this new, tighter design could solve that problem. I am not a coaster designer but there has to be a good reason for the change. We will find out when it is running.

^If they change it that would be a pretty good name.

^^I find that odd too. A place as big as it is now, built around basically you could call it a mountain, you would think there would be maybe several transportation rides to get you over the mountain and to many sections of the park. OE is great for getting you up and down the front of the hill but there is nothing to get you up and down the backside or from one end to the other. My home park, CGA, still has a sky ride and although it is a smaller park, its great to be able to ride it when you dont feel like walking from one end to the other. With Metro gone, it would be nice to see a skyride, perhapse, be put in to take you over the mountain to the backside or even one to take you from one end to the other. Instead of a thrill ride next time, I would be happy to see one of these put back in. It really makes no sense not to have one there.

According to the Carowinds thread and their website, CF changed theirs from flight deck to Afterburn, and a cool new logo with it Certainly a better name but why not CGAs too? Yeah they both have different layouts but basically they are both Top Gun coasters. Apparantly the Afterburn mistake that appeared on the CGA website was meant for Carowinds.

What about Hulk? Hulk uses high speed drive or 'pinch' wheels to fling the train up the lift. Maverick uses LIMs. Doesn't California Screamin' (built before Maverick) use LIMs on the lift?

Stealth at PGA was the worlds first flying coaster. Where was the first Invertigo installed?

^But then what about the operators on the other side of the tower? Dont they have an E-stop button also or is there only the one at panel?

"Ride op heard snapping and could not reach E-stop" Why? That sounds odd. Arent they supposed to be at least near that button at all times during the ride cycle just in case something like this happens? If the op wasnt near it and could not reach it then where was he/she? Could not reach it or not paying attention?

The new paint scheme is sweet. It would have been really neat if the x rails were a different color, say maybe yellow or white or some other color to make a good contrast against the red, just a thought. I always liked how the rails were two different colors but that is just me and it does look really good with only the black and red. Ideally if everything was perfect the trains would match and it would be all the colors everybody wanted it to be. But thats not how it is and to me doesnt really matter because when I ride it again I will be enjoying it for how it rides and wont be concearned with colors and such as I am flipping upside down and having a good time.