signaltwo

Well I believe there's some Will Ferrell screaming at you.. or is it just my mind? Doesn't anybody notice this? I feel like I'm taking crazy pills!

Never ridden Bizarro, but audio makes everything better. It is AMAZING how much your rides on screamin will vary if you get a music free train as opposed to a music train. If the audio is EVER broken on SCreamin I insist on riding it again, because it makes the experience MUCH better! On board audio can improve a ride experience, but when the audio is only clearly audible on the lift and brakes and sounds scratchy and fuzzy, continuously dropping out throughout the rest of the ride it's a different story.

It's definitely a different job. You'll probably got trained on at least 3 rides throughout the season if not more. Somehow I managed to only get trained on coasters so it's certainly possibly to only get the "big" rides. I'm sure you'd have fun sprinting all day

I don't work at Magic Mountain but I'm assuming its job fair will be pretty similar to Gadv's job fair. There will be a ton of people in hoodies, jeans, t-shirts, you name it. But like the poster before me said, it's always good to look your best and make a good impression. Be friendly and express interest in the job you applied for, ask questions pertaining to your responsibilities as a ride op. Oh, another important thing to remember is that the job fair will be PACKED. Just be ready to wait, and wait, and wait before you're called. Gadv was my first job as well and I think my interview last season at lasted a total of 5 minutes. I'm afraid to know how long I was waiting for. I was asked a couple questions relating to the department and asked more basic questions about working as a team, being a leader, why I wanted to work for them, etc. It's pretty simple but don't automatically think you have the job just by showing up. Do your best, be confident, relax and I'm sure you'll be attending a ride in no time. I would say coaster, but don't assume that either.

Hornes is the manufacturer, good name huh? http://www.hornespleasurefairs.co.uk/extreme.php# Palace Playland looks like a cool little park. It looks better than most of the small ones around here anyway, actually having decent flats certainly helps.

Well it's not really hidden, at all, but it definitely fits the left over category. I'm going with SFGAdv Chiller's station, observatory (even if it has been rehabbed and closed) and queue line. All still there, waiting for you... (cue Tower of Terror music).

Who else wants to come togother? That suspended kiddie coaster looks awesome, for a kiddie coaster anyway. If only there were more of them!

11/20

The live webcam feed is now available on the Green Lantern construction page. Of course at the moment it shows nothing but blackness and a few street lights, so you'll just have to wait until the morning to see anything worth looking at.

I agree with you. I'd have to say Batman at SFGAdv, that first three inversions almost always make me gray out, like the previous poster said. And then the following corkscrews throw you around like a rag doll. Even slamming to a stop on the brake run is pretty forceful. Also, although Batman's neighbor Nitro is probably one of the smoothest, floater filled coasters I've ridden it's upward helix definitely packs a punch.

The Omnimovers must get a pretty high throughput too, Spaceship Earth's line could be wayyyy out the door but that line will be constantly moving.

This just made my -entire- week. It could be the best single statement about the craptacular efficiency of certain parks... However, I do recall the ops at Demon at SFGam being some of the -fastest- moving people I've ever seen- keeping three trains loaded, dispatched and returned without stacking. R.D. In all fairness Arrow loopers are probably the easiest trains to load and check, no seat belts, nothing extra. That was one of the main reasons I liked working GASM at SFGadv. I'd hope they'd be getting plenty off roll-ins. Otherwise something is not right at that platform.

The more accurate way to do it would probably be to do use on of the formulas above, but the "guesstimated" way it is done at rides is by using the turnstile. Either you take the number off the turnstile itself, or take the number off the turnstile counter in the rides operator booth. Assuming the counter has been reset that is, I know we lost our counter key for a few days so at one point we started the day with a number of 15,000 or so. Thank whoever invented calculators. Anyway, for hour 1 you would put down whatever is on the counter. That's how many people have come through the turnstile. For example you have 800 guests come through during hour 1. During hour 2 you have another 900 guests come through. The counter however will only display 1700. All you would do is simply subtract the first number by the total. For hour 3 you would add the first two hours together, and subtract the total by the first two hours. There is your total for hour three right there. You add each previous hour together, subtract it from the total being displayed on the counter and you'll have your hourly total. After getting your turnstile hourly total, you would also add non-turnstile guests to the number. Those guests who board the ride using an exit pass or staying on with a certain, platinum, ridiculous, thingy. Usually that number stays in the 20-30 range for my ride. Single riders lines are generally the type of thing that looks better on paper than in reality. If done correctly it can be wonderful, if not however it can be a nightmare. First off, you'd need assigned seating like Disney does. You'd have the seat filled before the train even starts loading because the single rider would be waiting with the standby line rider at the airgate. Rock N Roller coaster is pretty good at this (not saying single rider is quick, they just fill empty seats well when available). At parks that allow riders to choose their own rows you wouldn't be able to fill those empty seats early, everyone would have to get on and only after the gates have been closed would you be able to start filling seats. The ride crew could be using this time to check the train but instead are still working on filling the empty seats, it would just add time to check the train and dispatch it. It's much faster on most rides to just "load and go". All the added time of reopening harnesses, opening gates, rechecking the train wouldn't be worth it. It'd be quicker for everyone to just wait for the next train to pull into the station.

Hopefully will be going to the Bamboozle this year. I'll be on the lookout for Senses Fail and Streetlight Manifesto. Two completely different bands but I'm hoping to see those the most.

Yes, SFGadv's Runaway Mine Train has a 44" height limit.

"Sureeeee, it's this big red button here on the corner. You can press it yourself if you'd like " I'm sure that'd go very well.

^They probably just say that to keep the GP off them, I don't know how many times I was asked working at Six Flags if the restraint on the coaster was the only thing keeping them in. The ride has four (two of which that are in plain view to the guests) restraint mechanisms. Or commitment to paranoia maybe. If only most GP knew how to buckle their own seatbelts I'm sure the ride crew could fly through checking the train and just give a quick tug on the end of the belt.

^^ Ah okay I see, confused myself a bit there. At least this is only half a name change!

Isn't that the only name change Green Lantern had?

Haha I saw that one too, the questions on Yahoo Answers are get pretty ridiculous.

One from when I was operating Superman at SFGadv: Guest: Can we ride sitting like this? (in station before the train was raised to flying position) Me (in mind): Sure you can, on the other side of the park at Batman ;D

The ride was probably in manual mode being run by maintenance. Kingda Ka train's can be moved with open restraints but only while the ride is in manual when they are being transferred off the track.

Ah ok thanks, who knows maybe they started using it less because of how many people know about it. Sounds like one of the questions from when I got interviewed for Six Flags. I can see how some people would enjoy that sort of interaction with the guests more, I certainly wouldn't mind getting a role like Merchandise at all. I'd just prefer Attractions, I'm already used to the being cooped up in a station part of it ;D

I'm thinking of doing the College Program as well, it won't be until at least next year but it's still in my plans. I am however curious what this famous space mountain question I've been hearing about even is. Anyone care to enlighten me? Also, do you think having experience in working in a theme park and working in the rides department will help at all in getting an attractions role? I know it's highly requested so I wouldn't expect it.

That's what they should be doing already, if anything supervisors should be cracking down on managers who allow their crew to run so slowly.