thrilladdict

I don't think many people have serious "issues" w/ the new style B&M vest restraint but they don't seem to make much sense in a world where every other manufacturer is capable of making lapbar-only rides that invert. Dive Machines are an exception, I don't think hanging on the lapbar would feel comfortable for everyone (though it would be wonderfully terrifying), but other than that I wish they'd just ditch the vest. An invert like Banshee might not necessarily need a restraint like an inverted GIB - you aren't hanging on it at any point.

I've only ridden two RMC's so far but I look forward to riding all of them eventually, especially Medusa. Goliath: Easily my favorite coaster at SFGAM. The height, speed, and interesting elements always have me laughing the whole time. I think I share everyone's normal complaint re: length though... that extra speed could have led to some great airtime hills if they had maybe down and back the structure one more time. Twisted Colossus: Unfortunately I never got to experience a duel but the ride was great. I didn't mind the break in the middle of the ride on the 2nd lift like some seem to. For me this one felt a little too much like being on a "bucking bronco" when I rode in the back seat... like everything was constantly pulling me with no sustained segments of heavy g's. The sustained undulation had a weird effect on my enjoyment of the ride in comparison to Goliath and what I see from some of the other RMC designs.

My favorite used to be the Myrtle Beach Pavilion's old log flume. The long, usually pitch black tunnel underground that led up to the first small hill was always a ton of fun as your log slid down a ramp with increasing speed. Now that the Pavilion is gone I have to go w/ Dudley Do Right's, it's a blast, although I do miss how the drop used to launch you out of your seat before they re-profiled it. It's understandable though because bruised tailbones are no fun.

The incident makes me wonder if Carowinds will ever be able to build over the 340ft. height limit of the SkyTower. Has anyone ever heard anything mentioned by park officials on the topic of their height ceiling? I'd imagine the FAA would be particularly careful about approving anything taller if the SkyTower was already (partially at least) implicated in this crash.

Hey all, This is my first post after years of lurking but I thought everyone would find this little bit of history to be very interesting... This morning on Howard Stern's SiriusXM show Stephen Colbert revealed that his father and two of his brothers died in a plane crash in Charlotte because the pilots were busy discussing Carowinds as they flew over the park. More details can be found in the link below but it basically boils down to the cockpit recorder revealing that the pilot's were trying to locate the Carowinds Skytower in foggy conditions which led to them ignoring other instrumentation, ultimately killing 72 people. As a result of the incident a "Sterile Cockpit Rule" was created that bans any discussion within a certain distance / altitude of the landing site. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Air_Lines_Flight_212