bill_s

And some truly groundbreaking news: Shortcut path is open between Dominator area and the kids area. Make a beeline to Woodstock Express. Smoking area there is currently gone, though wasn't a popular one. And the new RMC track looks impressively big and solid too. This seems like a pattern, to lay track at the bottom of the lift very early, must help reinforce it at the base. No trick track this time. Looking a bit more at their methods, it makes some sense they're building it slowly and stretched out with a small team. While the track pieces are large, compared to a steel coaster it's more a bunch of small pieces bolted together.

I appreciate the additional testimonials. Yeah I did forget one Boldikus post.

^^-- I got that he was saying pie on his face (probably). But it was a good enough segue to get in a slightly deeper. One thing I wouldn't argue is that with a fast lift, if you change it but nothing else you will be able to feel the difference, even if the speed number change is small. Another thing I didn't think about, in my example of a weightless environment coaster you can still get ejector airtime ( -G's), or is it then ejector gravity? P.S. had to look to remember which thread this is.

Roller coasters are basically physics, which is primarily math. Example: You know what "Gs" actually mean? That's how many times the acceleration due to gravity (9.81 m/s^2 or 21.94 mph) the coaster will reach. It's NOT the same as velocity. The reason you get airtime is because you're getting the opposite; negative acceleration due to gravity. One of the reasons why Skyrush is so fast despite the drop being smaller than many other hypercoasters is because the cable lift will already yield a higher amount of KE to add on to the existing drop. Conversely, of the reasons why dive coasters are always slower than hypers despite similar drops is because the amount of KE at the top is near zero thanks to the holding break. Actually not a very good explanation. You get airtime because it lets you fall with the acceleration of gravity, or pulls you down even faster. If there wasn't normally gravity, airtime would be the norm. If there were still coasters, I guess we'd rave about the ones with the most gravity. The speed of the lift has a minor effect on ride speed. Using a free fall calculator, a 10 MPH lift increases the theoretical max. speed from 77.35 MPH to 77.99 MPH, that's all*. But then, I didn't feel like there was anything faster about about Skyrush's drop than other hypers either, except being over quicker. The speed of the ride is due to to no other part going near as high so it never slows down. * I can check this for conservation of energy easily, 10^2 + 77.35^2 = 77.99^2 . Since kinetic energy varies as velocity squared, 10 MPH just isn't much energy.

The vests aren't new, the new thing is they just retracked the whole thing. Sounds like no improvement. So, was it the normal roughness of going through a bunch of tight elements, or does it still have that SLC extra vibration, sort of a boingady-boingady-boingady-boingady shake to it? So far there's no useful info on the actual results, the grannys had never ridden it before, and those saying it's better own the place.

NO No no no no! 2 reasons. Firstly the footers do not match it at all. Secondly, for RMC to pull that off using wooden supports, or even the steel ones, it would need to be twice the height. They do more roll based inversions, rather than loop based ones. This will not happen at all. Sorry. This will either be a corner or overbank turn. I was thinking a less loop based one but it still doesn't make sense because then it doesn't turn much, but if there's any other way of getting an inversion and turnaround that's still possible. However, I don't buy "it doesn't match the footers", I think it's likely they'll add footers, I can't see them tying themselves down that close, especially if they don't want to alter the second turn that much. If there had been more to tear down in the first place, I'd say it's a big change for sure. Note they tore down the the first curve first and then took down the fence around it, as if it wasn't to make working easier but that it would have been in the way of the ride. As it has a turnaround between the lift and drop, yeah the inverting drop is a good bet.

That doesn't sound like RMC's style. So far it looks like the second turn will be similar to the original, so surely the first turn replacement will be different. At this point they have a clean slate. Overbanks come in different kinds, for example the first turn on Dominator is just a smooth flowing banking of a high speed turn, but the other kind such as on MF or B&M's Hammerhead turn (Nitro) are elevated to slow down the coaster. The lift would have to be well over 100', maybe even 150', to justify a curve like that the same width as the original. I could see a 90 degree or so turn like that to make room for an inversion or something, although it still doesn't really work. Some of the more complex ideas suggested might work, but I haven't seen an actual RMC yet. I'm thinking a wave turn or even something along the lines of a new RMC Cobra Roll. So far there's no evidence of inversions, but they may be holding that back (the half constructed lift on Mean Streak also appears intentionally delayed). There's steel ledgers on the middle hill of the backstretch now and it's clear this thing is going to be intense. The hills go up maybe 10' higher than before -- not enough to really slow it down -- and I had to make a second pass looking from Grizzly to decide that the hill is pulling up as of the last ledger about 3' above the ground. I don't think they'll have to dig a hole but the track is going right down to the ground. Considering these three hills were floater air before, we might argue what ejector air is, but clearly this defines it. And that's before increasing the lift hill!

Couldn't agree more!! Now, yes -- but once July is here you're better off taking off a month. Max. crowds and heat.

I got gorgeous sunset ride on Nitro but also rode it the first time at night which was awesome and slightly scary -- did that when I got into town on Sat. so I could end the Sunday on the other side of the park. I know that if I have the choice, I don't even bother with Apollo's Chariot until after dark. The B&M hypers can really use that extra edge to go from underwhelming to great. But the lake makes for great sunset so Nitro has that too.

I was wondering if it might be even earlier, so I don't think that's unlikely. Parks can use some free publicity early June or last 2/3rds of August. While an announcement may cause some to wait until next year, I'm convinced that it also gives the park a short-term boost immediately (and that I305's announcement drew in more people than actually opening the thing).

Flashback stuck showed up on the crawler text at the bottom of Fox News channel Sat. night.

Wild One may be a little overrated, although actually I'm surprised anyone here likes it. The way "out" is hands in the air without a care but that's a sure way to end up in pain on the way "back". It's a pleasingly strange and funky coaster. The out section of Rebel Yell is bigger and better (and sometimes races) but the "back" part doesn't do much more than get you back to the beginning,

^^-- that makes it expensive, essentially, not worthless. It could save you over 6 hours in line perhaps on a day that .. you should just turn around and go elsewhere or maybe even home.

^^-- yeah that's kind of the first half of the Maverick element, except the level of banking of the curve isn't needed for the curve itself because it's so slow. It concludes with a half loop instead too. The Maverick element was essentially a 240 degree inverting roll, it didn't even have to make it through 360 because the initial and final rotations came from the attached curves. A sort-of example would be Alpengeist's final roll, it follows a roll in the opposite direction and is essentially a roll in the middle of a straight section rather than coming out of curve and continuing the debank. It curves and banks to the left, rolls counterclockwise, and then curves to the right. The curves are part of setting up the roll, it's definitely not a roll stuck between 2 curves, and the roll is zero-G(-ish) with altitude changes as well. This could have been more what Intamin had in mind for Maverick but not in a way that worked out.

^^--Check out the heartline rolls on Volcano, you can purely see the track looks like it was wrapped around a long thin cylinder. Arrow and Togo needed the pipeline design at first to build a heartline, but Togo managed to do it with regular track with Viper. But with any 2-wide or 4-wide seating, the ride heartline doesn't go through anyone's heart, it goes between the center riders (unless they make a mistake). Thus, between the rotation speed and the width, B&M's zero-g rolls aren't very zero-g in the outer seats. The right seat pulls to the right and the left to the left, due to centrifugal force, or as I may bastardize a term from orbital mechanics, the tide (especially on the dive coaster trains). Maverick's removed heartline was very weird, they were banked over 70 degrees for a turn and instead of it returning to flat and then banking the other way, it just twisted around the other direction. The whole element probably lasted about a half second as well. I think this could be done in a rideable way, but it would need to be stretched out and include curvatures in the vertical dimension. Maverick couldn't be modified to that extent. Does anyone know of a case anyone's pulled this off?

Went to the park Sunday and was an excellent choice. Between the bad weather up to then and Mother's Day crowds were low. Actually it didn't look sparse to me, just not mobbed, but the rides themselves weren't that crowded. Partially because the park has some capacity and probably because there were more moms and kids than groups of ride warriors. In planning, I was concerned that the break in the weather could cause a crowd but didn't happen. Then it turned out so beautiful I was concerned again. It did rain lightly a little later and got cooler and windy, but in other words a great spring day. As a time to go, the only flaw was no night rides, late in the year is the only time to get some and it not actually leave a park late. My most OMG single ride in this park remains my first night ride on Storm Runner. But I've been noticing a couple years I haven't taken full advantage of springtime crowds, or the lack of them. Part of the planning was that a shorter opening day would allow doing it as a day trip from Virginia and still be there at open and close (and Sunday would help with traffic through NOVA). I didn't quite make it at open, half an hour late at least. Then I stayed too long towards the front of the park, possibly the longest lines there all day, thinking I was getting some jump on the crowds. Great Bear didn't have that many people but then it's not actually that close to the front and it was running 1 train for at least the morning. Then went to Fahrenheit and got a walk-on and 2 rerides! This was the most painful wait, consistently an hour most of the day, during my other visit 6 years ago (I think it was). Probably should have gone on to Laff Track but I forgot about that. Not sure it was open when I first passed it, later I know it was because it had a Line, I opted no. Wildcat was rough of course but it is very wild. Airtime bump at the end of a curve? Wacky. Not exactly like Roar at all, I can see now. Rode 3x in a row going past one way and front row shortly later. Rode the Wild Mouse this time, I liked it. The bars across your path with the dips under them, crazy and a little scarie. Lightning Racer was again wonderful. Lightning does usually win, Thunder did once, looked like Lightning's lift was faster to me. But the losing side is always better on racers, if it's a race at all. Rode Comet finally, once in the morning and once later, it's mild but was kind of fun. Still the most intense thing I've ridden with buzz bars (though seat dividers and belts) since Rebel Yell had them. Noticed the old fashioned skid brakes and lots of fresh looking wood. The biggie for me was of course Skyrush. My 2 morning rides I wasn't sure what to think yet. Seemed like something between El Toro and I305 and having ridden both more it didn't seem to add that much. Later I had a lot of fun on it. I think a thing I like about it is it doesn't seem huge, just overpowered, but then that could be so much I305 talking. The ejector air is definitely over the top, if it had all the speed with a little less pain it wouldn't diminish the enjoyment but it would be less funny. Every row is good and really doesn't change it that much, but as even the front has stronger ejector air than any other coaster's back row I did prefer it. The restraints I found a lot more comfortable than El Toro's when not being ejected, but maybe they don't hold me down as well and make the forces seem even stronger. The trains are huge and cool and if I ranked coasters, the wing seats would probably be the thing that edges this above other Intamins. Without any need to belittle anything else, Amazing ride. In a small space, great setting too, sandwiched between 2 classic rides no less. (Re: the preceeding question, they had one row chained off but I have no idea if this is typical.) Rode Super Dooper Looper once for a break in the thighcrushing, nice fun ride but how far things have come. One flat ride, the Whip. Haven't ridden one before but I'm guessing this isn't a good example of this classic. Big cars, more like The Washboard. I did watch the new drop towers and it probably would have been a good time to try a drop tower again with their "choose a thrill" triple towers. These are air-powered too, only the biggest one does the regular wait-for-it HOLY SIMULATED MECHANICAL FAILURE!! thing. I decided I didn't have time to think about it, do or do not. Then I went through the zoo exhibit instead. After my 10th Skyrush ride, it was getting late and time for the final spurt. Another ride on Great Bear showed again how variable my experience of B&M inverts goes, first ride earlier (2nd row L) was meh, now with 2 trains running mostly empty went for the front row and it was HOT. So much so, had to reride twice 3rd row. (Add:) This may not be the best "ride" of the inverts but the setting is excellent; I had been checking out the supports over the creek earlier. Never did see them run more than one train on Storm Runner but by this point got a reride anyway, then went around and got a front row and front row reride to end the day with the sun touching the horizon. Awesome but definitely a weird ride, especially the Flying Snake Dive -- a big pop of ejector going into a corkscrew is just bizarre. Tip: unless you're in the season pass parking, the tram is always less walking, despite what the operators say. It wasn't running when I arrived but my feet thanked me for the gamble on the way out. Great riding day at one of the most fascinating parks. On my previous trip I did get night rides and water rides were running including the fantastic Coal Cracker. But this time I rode nearly twice as much, 35 times by my best count.

I305 is definitely ejector, when the ride is clearly pulling you down faster than gravity that's what it is. Floater is tricky or almost impossible to do for every seat, but with ejector everyone just has to hit the restraint, equal force unnecessary. What it doesn't do is make me laugh at how ridiculously it does it, I thought the ejection was obvious but maybe not obvious enough for some. That it is outdone in ejective force by a few other Intamins, Magnum, and presumably RMCs (none of which existed when I305 was built), does not change the definition of words. A lot of parks don't have any of those. I'd really like to know why everyone always says SkyRush hurts their legs. I've ridden SkyRush many times and I have never gotten off it in pain. I pretty much always ride in the front row, too. Front row is the mildest, I was able to keep my arms up on one ride in front row and 20 MPH winds without feeling like my legs might get ripped off. Front row on Skyrush is like you added an extra car to El Toro and sat in the very back row (if you magically smoothed it as needed). (I was going to wait until posting in the Hersheypark thread to say that but you forced my hand.)

^^-- it won't be the 2nd largest or 3rd tallest coaster in the park, so it wouldn't be expected to be everyone's 1st or 2nd. Or maybe it will be the new extreme and you can then go ride I305 to relax. As to I305, now I've ridden Skyrush (more later), I don't even know if I call I305 "extreme ejector" anymore, it's merely authentic ejector, which is more than most parks have, plus you're moving a lot faster too, especially compared to most of it on El Toro which is also extreme, just not Skyrush. Skyrush shows I305 could have been a lot more extreme, and yet maybe just as well as is. If the trim was taken off the ejections could be the strongest on the ride, but then the twisties would be vicious, so really just a little less trim would be fine. Maybe they figure it balances the extremeness a bit, once you're going to brake just do it. I do think it's been running slower some, one ride a few weeks ago it seemed the trim barely hit... In conclusion, again I find it hard to really rank things they're all unique and have their own to offer. I305 feels a lot larger than Skyrush, not as much El Toro.

^^-- I think KD is going to be more concerned with variety from their other coasters than to other RMCs. A wood coaster with inversions is most obvious. The biggest difference from other RMCs is, as usual, the starting point. The technique is looking a bit different already.

I laughed at some of the stuff too, but anyone who's watched TV, spent much time on the internet, or even just this forum should know that just because it's funny doesn't make it right. If for some reason you have a valid reason for something, should you compromise because people made jokes about it? I'm not advocating vertical video, people with minimal experience with other computing devices should be told it tends to suck and they're probably doing it for no reason. I'm saying this is a strange case to complain about it because it really was one of the few possible exceptions, a tall, narrow ride; it made sense to casually shoot a phone video that way and it was probably for the best when it became a very serious video. If it sucks for us on Youtube too bad. I thought it was above average for coverage of a ride accident in a faraway place.

I expect that to whoever is investigating this accident, the main thing is the video was all in-frame without being tiny, and happened at all. They can go through it frame by frame and zoom in.

Are possibly brakes then lowered by a cable, or magnetics used with a mechanical final lowering section? It almost stopped elevated and then dropped to the final stops. Notice how you hear a motor at the end of Zum. As to vertical video, if you anticipate displaying the video to a general audience no just don't. But for shooting a tall narrow subject on a phone screen for viewing on a phone screen it makes sense. It wasn't like they expected that to happen.

The OP's first plan showed it's possible to ride many of the largest coasters in the country in 3 days if you don't care about quality of experience or cost (or the realities of air travel). BGW has no place on it, I mean KD and Carowinds are on the same day, with more time on the road than both parks combined. Many of the other proposed trips aren't very practical either. One realistic 3 day trip I'm looking at, maybe next year, would be to go to Hershey, Kennywood, and Knoebels. Kennywood is just too far to do by itself, the other 2 parks make the trip work. This is coming from Virginia, basically KD. Not sure if I'm really up for all that, even. Another for me would be Dollywood and Carowinds, preferably as .5+1+1+.5 days with 3 hotel stays, but if I do those parks it will more likely be 2 days with one night. A compromise between enjoyment and numbers would require pairs of parks fairly close to each other, for example BGW and KD, 2nd day Hershey and Knoebels, last day GrAdv (+Dorney if you want the numbers, or head to Morey's and stay 'til midnight). For me some of those parks are better as dedicated trips since I'm in the middle, and more distant pairings I haven't really thought about.

When it's hot and/or I have to get to the bathroom, that stretch going back from Gotham to Superman and Batwing feels like crossing a desert.

^^-- with the current forecast for cloudy and cool, expect to ride your ass off.