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The Six Flags Magic Mountain (SFMM) Discussion Thread


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Just to go back to the conversation on the previous page... I'm curious: What makes some freefall drop tower's "freefall" sensation better than others'? Obviously some mechanically pull you downwards faster than gravity, but as far as the Intamin towers go, don't they all just mechanically detach the gondola from the tower and let gravity take care of the rest? If that's the case, how is it even possible for any of them to have measurably different sensations? Its just all 0G, right? (Obviously there is friction due to the ride rails, but I doubt there is much difference there between the towers...)

 

I'm just curious because there seems to be so many opinions based on what's better when, mathematically, at lest, they should all be pretty much the exact same....

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For anyone that went to SFMM during fright night last year: what was the best haunted house/maze/wooden hallway with smoke machines in your opinion and why?

 

To be honest, I was very disappointed with almost every maze there, with the exception of Aftermath. That one was a step in the right direction, and from what they said at WCB, it sounds like they want to move more in that direction with their new mazes. It just felt like the most "complete" maze between the scenery and the acting. Most of the other ones felt like an afterthought (i.e., throwing camouflage netting over a ride's queue and calling it a maze).

 

Willoughby's was interesting, although I didn't really find it intense. The gag right at the beginning of the maze was the best scare in it.

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^^ My personal favorite was Blackout. I just loved the execution of it. It was simple, no thrills, but it delivered on something that all mazes should deliver on ... being freaky.

 

Aftermath was also good. I really wanted to like Willoughby's and while the maze itself looks great, I didn't think the talent had a hold on the entire new maze yet. Hopefully this year will be different.

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^ That would be my guess too, the cars on Demon Drop are pretty hefty, definitely more bulky and heavier than the new gens like LL:DOD.

 

 

Weight (mass) has nothing to do with the rate or speed at which an object falls. I'd say the sensation is different on DoD because of the lapbar restraints. The old horse-collar restraints on older generations allowed your body to move vertically at bit more relative to the gondola so you felt that initial plunge a bit more.

 

Also if you compare to the S&S towers the reason those rides feel so much more tame is because they are not true freefall drops. On those rides the gondolas are permanently attached to the cables which creats a lot more drag and a totally different and more "controlled" free-fall sensation.

 

Will

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Just to go back to the conversation on the previous page... I'm curious: What makes some freefall drop tower's "freefall" sensation better than others'? Obviously some mechanically pull you downwards faster than gravity, but as far as the Intamin towers go, don't they all just mechanically detach the gondola from the tower and let gravity take care of the rest? If that's the case, how is it even possible for any of them to have measurably different sensations? Its just all 0G, right? (Obviously there is friction due to the ride rails, but I doubt there is much difference there between the towers...)

 

I'm just curious because there seems to be so many opinions based on what's better when, mathematically, at lest, they should all be pretty much the exact same....

 

It all comes down to your personal perception of the experience. Mechanically some may be different but it's how it feels to YOU that really matters, none of this other stuff really does at all.

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^ That would be my guess too, the cars on Demon Drop are pretty hefty, definitely more bulky and heavier than the new gens like LL:DOD.

 

The cars are going to fall at 9.8 m/s2. Max speed will differ between them if they were hitting terminal velocity, which I would guess they aren't. Other then that I imagine the only real difference in acceleration rate is going to be based on other influences (drag).

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For their next major coaster (maybe in 2016/2017), I could see them adding a coaster that queues where Deja Vu once stood and have a 350 ft. Giga-Coaster that travels down to X2 and back and filled with airtime. They would break the coaster length, Tallest non-launched coaster, Fastest non-launched coaster, and fastest non-launched coaster records.

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Unfortunately Magic Mountain tends to enjoy performing under-par to what our standards are as far as our coaster hypothesizing goes. So I'm just assuming that their 20th coaster will be a Vekoma Boomerang to fill Deja Vu's pre-existing spot.

 

I seriously doubt SFMM would be that cheap.

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^ That would be my guess too, the cars on Demon Drop are pretty hefty, definitely more bulky and heavier than the new gens like LL:DOD.

 

 

Weight (mass) has nothing to do with the rate or speed at which an object falls. I'd say the sensation is different on DoD because of the lapbar restraints. The old horse-collar restraints on older generations allowed your body to move vertically at bit more relative to the gondola so you felt that initial plunge a bit more.

Will

 

Actually it does have something to do with it. I mean, in theory, if there is no sort of drag, every single object will fall with an acceleration of 9.8 m/s per second, that's what we learn at school. However, in real life where drag exists (in this case air is the main source) if you have two objects with identical shape and size the heaviest will have the closest acceleration to 9.8 as the air that creates drag will make the same force on either but the heavier one has, obviously, a bigger weight which means it will be pulled towards the earth under the influence of a greater force so the drag won't be as significant as it is with the lighter one.

All in all, the acceleration has to do with the relation between mass and aerodynamics of the object. So even if Lex Luthor DOD has heavier cars than the first gen ones (as it seats twice as many people) it has a much larger area that gets in contact with the air as it falls so it ends up having an acceleration that might not be so close to 9.8 while the first gen ones nearly match that number and when the acceleration is actually 9.8 you will experience total weightlessness.

Having said that, we mustn't forget that the older ones fall for much less time so, as they hit lower speeds, the drag caused by the air doesn't get to have such a big influence as it may have on LL DOD that gets to a much higher speed.

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