Goooose

I drove by and saw that they are still working on the dove loop a bit. And looking at the webcam, I'm seeing that they are starting on the second lift tower today.

Welp, there was a crackle of thunder around 12:30 just before their lunch break and they all went home for the day. The fog cleared up, rain stopped, and the overall afternoon conditions are better than this morning's. See you in June, Goliath.

Wow! So surprised to see the zero g stall track going in ahead of the lift structure. Looks cool!

Travel internationally, Americans. People in Europe maintain their high school/college-aged shape for the rest of their lives, for the most part. The point is, it is true. Americans are larger. They may not choose to be, but to act like its a disease is untrue as well, because any international travel whatsoever proves otherwise. We are overworked and eat unhealthily. Some bodies can handle it, and some can't. This is why I don't like to outright blame people for being obese, but it is consequential of their habits-habits made possible by our culture/society. It's good that parks are putting big boy chairs on coasters to allow more people to ride. Given that we do have a large public, we need to provide for larger people.

They aren't construction managers, and they aren't trained in public affairs. They hire an outside construction company. I don't care how large the corporation is--they do not specialize in construction. They specialize in amusement park operations. I am not angry that the coaster is a week behind schedule. I am a fan and so excited for this project to be complete! But that doesn't stop me from pointing out that construction always starts late at Great America.

Despite the weather forecast, nothing here yet. Damp conditions but no rain. Grrrr I'm looking at the vertical support structure they put up friday and the end of the existing lift and I just can't wait to see a new piece go in connecting them.

They do not intentionally delay their ride openings! Chain-wide they should plan further in advance and have construction out ahead of marketing but that isnt typically the case. In the case pf Goliath they waited until AFTER they already announced the ride to get construction permits with the Village. This is why no construction happened until-when? November? Also here is to hoping they can work in the rain. It isnt actually raining right now so I hope they remain on site and get done what they can, avoiding lightning this week!

As for me paying full price to get into SFOT, My bad for thinking i could buy a ticket online in the parking lot. Their website is flash heavy and iphone safari doesnt run it. Id already paid forparking so I wasnt about to leave to grab a coke can or some other promotional item. And after tax, yes. The ticket ends up being 79 dollars ar least. As for this discussion over suing the park, lets keep in mind that coaster enthusiasts span all ages and walks of life. Not everybody understands or deals with legal matters in their life or stage in their life. For that reason I'd like to play moderator for a moment and suggest we move on from this discussion rather than continue to harp about this. Good thing the lift is going up so we have something exciting to talk about!

I went to Six Flags Over Texas. Paid 20 dollars for parking and tickets were in the high 70s. Batman, mr freeze, and titan were closed. Can I sue them? Parks do not have market rate/fluctuating pricing. If the value was fluid youd have to pay 150 dollars on an empty day because you are getting more rides in and 25 dollars when they are at maximum capacity and you are only going to get 1-2 rides in. If a ride is closed it doesnt matter why and you cant sue them. If the ride is super faulty though the park can sue he manufacturer in much the same way a real estate developer could sue a builder if they go pver on construction or it costs more money or there is financial loss- like a leasee walked asay because the delay caused a breech of contract. Nonetheless for all we know goliath will be open on time or a week late. And that the first drop will go up by saturday.

Doubtful. Not if media are attending for free, then they can make them wait as long as they want.

Is that a roller coaster I see shapin' up on the horizon? Look at the first drop!

Look at the exit of the dive loop. Look how close those footers are to the track! How is that thing going to pass a pull-through? Is it the camera angle or are those actually too close to the track and will eventually be removed (are there to hold structure together while complete support system is incomplete)? This is going to be SCARY.

HOLY CRAP! Finally someone gets out there who knows how to use a CAMERA. Looks so amazing and Im glad people can finally see it in this level of detail. And now we can see how theyve extended the station. Made the existing structure a roof over a portion of a wider platform. Ill take it!

I doubt it to, but I have spoken with reps from the park as lately as 3 weeks ago who said "hopefully may 24" and in more recent conversations this date was never adjusted. I highly doubt it though, unless they test the ride 24 hours a day for 1 week instead of here and there over the course of three weeks. There was a month between the nod of approval from the zoning board, which gave Great America confidence that the project would get legal approval to build, but was actually not, and led immediately to an announcement of the ride. They still had to secure proper building permits. They couldn't start construction until a month or two after the zoning meeting. Meanwhile, they had a social media campaign running for two months before the initial zoning meeting. They should make an effort to start seeking building permits in July rather than in the fall, and if they want, keep the announcement day and social media schedule the same; the time that goes by between the village board meetings and an official announcement is prime suspense-building time for us geeks and a great way to get the excitement stirring. They have had rides open by opening day in the past; I attended Superman's opening. But it is rare around here and it is risky due to our unpredictable weather conditions.

First drop track is going in! At the exit of the drop/entrance of the tunnel.

When you dream in coaster POVS

Goliath's lift will be 45 degrees.

The station's turret was just painted white/off-white. #slownewsday

The lift is 60-70 feet already. I thought this was a support section for the lift and just structural, but that steep piece has track already mounted to it. a forum user over at sfgamworld posted photos from the parking lot of the lift and dive loop. Also I think I saw something on screamscape may have been the same photos.

Helix looks SOOOO FUN! The pacing, elements, speed, and the way it interacts with the environment like a classic mine train coaster! You never see anything like this! bravo.

Screenshots from the video. There will ne soo much air on the hill and even into the break run. Heres the link again WATCH IN 1080 P! ITS SO GOOD!

WOAH this hasn't been shared yet and this looks like it is from a week-a week and a half ago, but still, it is the most up close and personal look at construction I have ever seen! I imagine this will peek everybody's interest in Goliath! Check it out!

Is Kings Island attendance really higher? Great America is about ready to explode its so crowded. I used to go every day in the early to mid 2000s and it was empty all summer long. Now its packed every single day. I think the waterpark helped with attendance. Imagine how much money they could have made if it was a second gate that whole time. About Brandon, I was surprised to see him leave before Goliath opened! Oh well, congratulations to him on the promotion. Very young guy and he just landed an amazing job so that's great. Not many people can say that! Maybe he will be back for media day/opening day. And by the way, drove by the park today again on Washington and Milwaukee rd. The lift hill is maybe 60 feet in the air already and tracked, though it is hard to see on the cam. Also, it looks like the track leaving the dive loop is up. I saw track exiting that corner and twisting to the left. I don't know what else that would belong to but when I look at the webcam I don't see it. Hopefully we get another drone photo update or video soon! it is Friday, after all.

The ride looks massive and magnificent from outside the park now, especially along washington street near milwaukee ave. Hard to photograph though behind the trees so I ran over to a nearby baseball field and stood on the bench to capture a new angle for everybody. Sorry its grainy, had to zoom on an iphone.

Eek... sounds like a problem. And knowing six flags, its especially sad because they are so good at creating problems and not so good at resolving them. I don't know who thought it would be a good idea to mess with that coaster in the first place. There was a perfectly good B&M across the park with a color scheme ready to go!