Six Flags Great America (SFGAm) Discussion Thread

[GoBears]

If there are 3 possible record breakers for this ride, my guesses are...

 

1. World's fastest wooden coaster.

2. World's steepest drop on a wooden coaster.

3. Most inversions on a wooden coaster.

[DanM64]

I am REALLY excited!! I was fine with a Premier launched coaster, as I really enjoyed Sky Rocket, but I feel like the park already has enough steel coasters. A big new woodie is a great addition for the park.

[cal1br3tto]

Wow, wouldn't have guessed something like that. Hope it's true! Not really a fan of this park, but there are still a few things they do right, and I'd be glad to go back for a project like this.

 

I like when parks with multiple wooden coasters keep on adding 'em (you could call this their fifth if so inclined). I wouldn't have expected a GCI, as Viper, though more intense than many of them, is basically in the same vein. Just be glad we're in an age where we can expect a 165' woodie to be by RMC or Intamin, rather than, say, TGG or Dinn.

[Jerrykoala2112]

The article was deleted, did anyone screen cap it?

[Sfgam_Bong66]

Website just went down for maintnaince. Everything should be back up now.

After reading that. I fully believe they have the chance to make the best wooden coaster in the world, lets see if they can fully produce. I would have never expected it but now thinking about it. That will look soo nice being the the back wooded section of the park, i wonder if they are going to extend out into the wilderness theater for this??

[sfgam#1]

I'm so glad were getting something that has potential too really stand out. I'm beyond ecstatic and shocked about it being a new coaster so soon.

[Vonni]

Of course I dont know for sure, but I wont be surprised if Wilderness Theater is removed, in fact I think it is highly likely.

[ZeroGravity55]

There has to be some type of construction going on that nobody can see. I don't care how fast RMC's crews are, there is no way they'll be finished with this ride by opening day, let alone June. There is going to be hundreds of footers that have to be poured and thousands of bents that have to be constructed.

 

Edit: If they do get it open by May, kudos to RMC.

[G$ Kurt]

Is 165 feet really tall enough to produce the worlds fastest woodie? I believe Outlaw run currently has that record. Now let me put on my crazy enthusiast theorist hat and say this, could this be the launched woodie we've been waiting for?

[ZeroGravity55]

Is 165 feet really tall enough to produce the worlds fastest woodie? I believe Outlaw run currently has that record. Now let me put on my crazy enthusiast theorist hat and say this, could this be the launched woodie we've been waiting for?

 

You have to take the terrain into account. Outlaw Run is 107 feet tall, but the drop is 162 feet.

[DanM64]

I'm not certain, but I would assume that the Village would only require them to state the height above ground, so the drop could very well be bigger than 165 feet. I guess we'll know for sure in a few days!

 

(I really hope it's RMC or Intamin)

[deathbydinn]

There has to be some type of construction going on that nobody can see. I don't care how fast RMC's crews are, there is no way they'll be finished with this ride by opening day, let alone June. There is going to be hundreds of footers that have to be poured and thousands of bents that have to be constructed.

 

Edit: If they do get it open by May, kudos to RMC.

 

While I don't know about footers, Outlaw Run went vertical early April 2012, and the last piece of track went in late September 2012, so about six months. Great America tends to aim to get rides open by Memorial Day, which is about nine months away. So assuming they start working on the ground soon, I wouldn't say a late May opening is entirely out of the question. Of course they will be working through the winter versus the summer and the terrain is different so I could be totally wrong and it could open in July, but OR is the only RMC coaster we have to go off of.

 

As long as it doesn't pull a Deja Vu and open in October, I'll be happy.

[ZeroGravity55]

If it's going to be the world's fastest woodie, it's going to need a drop bigger than 165 feet. At that height, the train would probably touch 65-68 mph. It needs to be over 70 mph to hold the record.

[ZeroGravity55]

There has to be some type of construction going on that nobody can see. I don't care how fast RMC's crews are, there is no way they'll be finished with this ride by opening day, let alone June. There is going to be hundreds of footers that have to be poured and thousands of bents that have to be constructed.

 

Edit: If they do get it open by May, kudos to RMC.

 

While I don't know about footers, Outlaw Run went vertical early April 2012, and the last piece of track went in late September 2012, so about six months. Great America tends to aim to get rides open by Memorial Day, which is about nine months away. So assuming they start working on the ground soon, I wouldn't say a late May opening is entirely out of the question. Of course they will be working through the winter versus the summer and the terrain is different so I could be totally wrong and it could open in July, but OR is the only RMC coaster we have to go off of.

 

As long as it doesn't pull a Deja Vu and open in October, I'll be happy.

 

They're going to be pushing it. If there are no footers, they're going to have to have that done by the end of fall. Concrete and sub-zero temperatures are not ideal. Don't forget, RMC had to go through and put on the top layer of steel on the track. Then pump it full of grout, so the track doesn't lose it's form. That's what they did during September through January, with testing in February.

[rizash]

Everyone seems to rule out the fastest wooden coaster record. Eagle on 127 ft hill 147ft drop on ancient tech does 66. If you have a monstrously long train and a lift chain moving fast you can have a train moving 10+mph over the hill. With a near vertical 175 foot drop and 10mph head start 74mph is easily doable. Plus there are also launch or boost possibilities. You never know. What theyll incorporate these days. Who knows... Ive always wanted a high speed dual speed lift hill to "throw" a train over the first hill. And technically you could include a lim launch or boost system in a wooden coaster, it just has never been done.

[Airtime&Gravity]

This news is a surprise, and if true, we could be looking at something that can be one of the best coasters in the world. I was happy with the possibility of just getting a Sky Screamer, but a great wooden coaster will be a great addition to the park. I like Great America's coasters, but they haven't added one that I try to visit every time since 1995. Having something on par with Outlaw Run or El Toro will change that, and it'll be interesting to see what the ride does given the, as of now, small area of land. Even with the removal of the theater, it might still require some creative thinking to get a coaster that tall and fast to fit in such a space.

[rizash]

I keep looking at the space availavble and Ive realized a few tough choices they had to make.. Either a crazy tight twisting multi inversion beast or a launched wooden coaster are the most likely possibilities. It makes me happy we wont have an el toro type clone because bull is similar style and theme and space restrictions. Airtime twisters arent my thing. This could be the most twisted extreme wooden coaster ever! If not then it almost certainly is a launched - and the first of its kind.

[DanM64]

^You have obviously never ridden El Toro. It is NOTHING like Raging Bull- it is a much greater coaster than Raging Bull could ever be. If they tore any current coaster out and built and exact clone of El Toro in its place I would be the happiest person on the planet. Yes, I am an El Toro fanboy, but it was the fact that the ejector air I had on El Toro was like nothing I could even describe to people that made me a fanboy of it.

 

There should be more than enough room for plenty of ejector airtime hills and a barrell roll or 2 . I really hope it doesn't break the wooden coaster inversion record. Having one or 2 inversions would be cool, but I'd much prefer more ejector air to a bunch of inversions.

[vacoaster09]

If it's going to be the world's fastest woodie, it's going to need a drop bigger than 165 feet. At that height, the train would probably touch 65-68 mph. It needs to be over 70 mph to hold the record.

 

 

Launch?

 

Fastest wooden but at 165 ft...hmmm... there must be an under ground tunnel or maybe they will be use the lower grade by the wilderness theater to have a larger drop. It would have to go more than 70mph to exceed the speed record.

 

If I'm not mistaken, Alan did say that these RMC coasters could launch... if so that would be a first record right there. That would be a huge and pleasant surprise... JUST TONS OF WOW Factor that would gain world-wide attention.

 

My guess at records would be:

Speed - fastest wooden coaster

Most Inversions or something like tallest loop on a wooden coaster or tallest inversion on wooden coaster.

Steepest drop on wooden coaster

[uwgbdork]

For 165 foot tall wooden coaster you are talking a Massive structure and footprint. I think if this will in fact be what's going in you could expect a Texas Giant Style/Mean Streak style footprint with it overtaking Camp Cartoon Network and possibly as far as the wilderness theater. Eagle is only 127 feet tall.... The structure and footprint are nearly an entire side of the park. Granted i do get that there are 32 years of engineering that have improved since that time but still will be Massive.

[vacoaster09]

Eagle also drops below grade.

[Rollercoaster Rider]

Maybe Steepest Wooden Coaster drop?

[Sammy*]

It would be nice to see one of thoose boomerang type woodies get built. It's just does not seem likely for something like that built in the states.

Edited August 18, 2013 by Sammy*

[ZeroGravity55]

If it's going to be the world's fastest woodie, it's going to need a drop bigger than 165 feet. At that height, the train would probably touch 65-68 mph. It needs to be over 70 mph to hold the record.

 

Launch?

 

The area is to tight for a launch. The launch is going to have to be stretched out do to the forces that will be put on the structure. I think we might be looking at one of the steepest lifts hills on a coaster, with a drop beyond 165 feet.

 

Edit: But then again, the whole launch idea would fit in with all this Six Flags YOLO crap.

Edited August 18, 2013 by ZeroGravity55

[CoasterLover]

I'm predicting the re-use of the "Goliath" name for this one...