bill_s

Social distancing without enforcement/grouping depends on crowds. 1000 person limit BGW was very nice with little enforcement, maybe partially due to being mostly BGW-going adults not just the packing; good w/ current rule. At Great Adventure I was passed in line by a couple of kids due to not walking fast and tight enough before even getting to the temperature check tent. SFA was 2nd best due to crowd control measures and moderate crowds. KD was safe but annoying.

Several comments here imply that no one here realizes the trains were already replaced by Premier in 2006 either. As to improvement, lapbars would help, even with comfort collars, but I wouldn't expect any other difference.

Big Bad Wolf was a true example. Having the big lift halfway through the ride will really do it. Wild One is good fun on the "out" but tries to hurt you good on the "back". Runaway Mine Train at Gr Adv, due to a lackluster first half. Other coasters try hard to have their second half keep up, but coasters go downhill.

I get a survey only when I go to GrAdv, asking how was my visit to SFA on that date! That said, I think SF is great chain, and went up a couple notches this year. Also their move in recent years towards surviving and not taking a lot of risks is vindicated.

Ideal: Virginia parks proceed to kick ass and I feel no need to travel. Optimistic: Lightning Rod and Steel Curtain, both first park visits. Realistic: Pantheon, LR, November Days again at GrAdv.

I think that once anyone who wants it can get a vaccine, that might be sufficient. That may mean a need to repeat vaccinations later though, since it will still be "around".

As SFA was my home park for a while this year, I actually learned to ride Firebird and like it a lot. Didn't at first. Just rode it today, still decent. You can actually get a little hangtime in the loop in rows 4 and 5 -- not 6. Don't recall that on Bizarro. Ride left or center. There's still a bad headbang spot in the corkscrew, or if in the front, continuing some past it. Force your head hard against the seat for that and the hate goes away. I don't have the "be tall" option so can't vouch for it. Good visit today, rode almost twice as much in half the time, on more coasters, as KD las

The one time I rode the GNE during the day, I found it sluggish and the roughness more noticeable. At night it was bonkers and, at the time, I didn't consider it rough for doing what it was doing and its speed. It always seemed faster than Mind Eraser at night maybe due to something with the temps, humidity and sea salt. Near misses were plenty visible and the feeling of coming to the top of the lift over the beach was unmatchable. However this was at least 20 years ago, when I was younger and more GP, B&Ms weren't everywhere, and they had just painted the ride orange after its original pi

KIngs Dominion FoF runs 2 trains. The brake was intended to allow 3, but after they figured out that doesn't really work, later models didn't have it. However I think the brake is necessary for the coaster to run as originally designed, with the first half total insanity, a slowdown at the top accompanied by space sounds and atmosphere, the curves later not too intense, and a bit of hang in the final corkscrew. I used to far prefer it over JJinx, but have noticed while Jinx has a weaker launch, you do come out of your seat some going in and out of inversions, so while the end is still too fast

There's a lot of air that's called ejector but is more like floater with bumps. You get launched fast out the seat and may hit the restraint hard but probably wouldn't come out of the car, just bounce around painfully. This is certainly impressive but not at the same level as maintaining a sustained negative G. Such elements have shorter bursts of airtime due to eating vertical momentum faster than gravity, or require higher positive G's to impart the necessary upwards momentum. The wheel and restraint systems must be able to handle all of this.

There are people that have reported here using Apple watches to measure G's and about -2.1 G on Skyrush has been measured. I think restraint discomfort on that ride is more a factor of needing perfect restraints than the restraints are particularly bad. A big advantage of ejector airtime with sustained negative G's is every row can have airtime, even if varies by row it's there. Getting perfect floater on every row is impossible on long trains. So while it doesn't seem desirable to push the envelope any further, ejector (or "lifter" may be more specific) air will become more common.

That makes one less old coaster to RMC ...

I don't understand what was unclear about either statement. RMC could retrack every pothole with Topper and should due to warranty. But they can't Ibox every pothole only. Topper track is currently called wood. That has it's own appeal, a matter of expectations and records, beyond how it may or may not ride.

Coaster should still be on 5 year warranty. However, while RMC might have to do necessary retrack, Dollywood wants to avoid the problem soon recurring. That's probably kind of simple to calculate the extra cost of, except it can't switch between track types constantly, so who pays for the I-box bits between the parts that would be retracked? The idea of Topper being able to be called wood is seductive. Maybe RMC originally hoped to move up gradually, but then I-Box took off. Looking again at the cross sections, Topper is hybrid track. The use of a single steel box for b

It's a good event but a long trip and you have good parks in PA if they stay open. However, actual social distancing is better at BGW !