Woodie Warrior Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 From the Thunderbird microsite: Since 2013, Holiday World has partnered with the St. Louis design firm PGAV Destinations to create enhanced theming for the world’s first theme park. PGAV took the Thunderbird name and coaster design and created the visual theming of the legendary bird’s powerful flight through farms and forests of southern Indiana. So the theme of the ride isn't the Thunderbird leading the Pilgrims to the New World. The theme is that the Thunderbird that saved the Pilgrims is now flying over Indiana. At least that's what I think it's supposed to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HolidayWorldFTW Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 I'm so so so excited to ride this! I got the name right... Thunderbird! Hahaha but I must confess now,,, I found the trademark application for it when I first posted that name on here( they were SNEAKY). This ride was NOT for the enthusiasts this ride was all about us GP and fans of Holiday World who have been BEGGING for YEARS for this type of ride! They went way beyond my expectations! It's going to look beautiful in the park! The theming is just fantastic and the whole rode experience looks just absolutely amazing! Thank you SOOOOOO much Holiday World! You just sold another season pass for next year! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midgetman82 Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 The coaster looks superb to me, especially for being Holiday World's first steel roller coaster (and I believe their first ride to pull inversions!). The layout looks plenty fun for what a wingrider could do, the theming the station looks looks to be pretty good (and love the touch up in memory of Will), and it's great that the area towards Hyena Falls will be getting quite some love. Definitely worth the walk back there, if not more-so than before. Seriously can't wait to try it out next year! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manic Monte Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 A launch is exactly what the Wing rider needed. This looks fantastic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodie Warrior Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 I'm so so so excited to ride this! I got the name right... Thunderbird! Hahaha but I must confess now,,, I found the trademark application for it when I first posted that name on here( they were SNEAKY). This ride was NOT for the enthusiasts this ride was all about us GP and fans of Holiday World who have been BEGGING for YEARS for this type of ride! They went way beyond my expectations! It's going to look beautiful in the park! The theming is just fantastic and the whole rode experience looks just absolutely amazing! Thank you SOOOOOO much Holiday World! You just sold another season pass for next year! I have to disagree with one thing you posted (even though I agree with the rest): This ride was for BOTH the enthusiasts and the GP. Both groups have been asking for a steel, and even though some enthusiasts don't seem to be open to changing their minds about wing coasters, many enthusiasts (like myself) like wing coasters and are super excited about this addition. And the entire campaign was targeted at the enthusiasts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZeroGravity55 Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 (edited) Now that I'm off work, I'll give my full thoughts on Thunderbird. First off, OneoftheWills, kudos man. Not only did you call the name, but I believe you called the wing coaster over month ago. For those complaining of force, ride choice, and length, come on. We've known for quite a while now that wing coasters do not provide the intense experience some of us are looking for. Unfortunately, we're a small portion of the million plus guests that visit the park every year. This ride will be a hit and will bring people in by the masses to HW. As for length and capacity, 5 cars per train seems kinda low, but you have to remember, there is no lift, and the ride is barely a minute long. Capacity won't be as bad as what you think. Now length wise, could it have been a little longer? Maybe, but who cares? I rather have it be short and sweet than have the thing slowly crawl through another 500-1000 feet. As I said earlier, I'll pass my judgement when I ride Thunderbird. Am I gonna go in thinking I'm getting Batman like forces? No. Am I gonna go in expecting the best steel coaster ever? No. These wing riders seem to be the perfect fit for these middle of the road parks who want to provide thrills, but also keep it family oriented (Dollywood and Holiday World). I couldn't be happier that my home park is building one. For those people who are saying HW over-hyped this thing. I'm sorry, I didn't realize they could over-hype the biggest single ride expansion in the parks 68 year history I have to say, this looks to be the most elaborately themed ride HW has ever done, and I hope that this trend continues. Finally, I love the tribute to Will Koch. I'm sure he's looking down right with a huge smile on his face. I'm glad the park is taking his dream, and making it a reality. This could not have been his only dream, I'm sure there are many more. I look forward to the park making those become a reality as well. Edited July 25, 2014 by ZeroGravity55 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinM Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 I just wanted to weigh in with a guess as to why they are employing a flywheel. (I have an electrical engineering degree, so it's at least an educated guess.) As most of us know, any sort of magnetic launch requires a very large amount of power in a very short amount of time. I suspect that Santa Claus Indiana's connection to the power grid might not have enough capacity to safely accommodate the spike that Thunderbird will require. (The park has to account for a worst case scenario. If they were to create a spike when the rest of the area was already drawing a lot of current, they could cause a blackout.) Many parks build their own power substations, but Santa Claus is relatively far from a major city, which would make the cost of running extra power lines to the closest power plant(s) VERY expensive. ($1 million might get you 2-3 miles of line) The flywheel gets "charged up" at a relatively constant rate, and is able to release its energy into the LSMs very quickly, creating the necessary spike without greatly affecting the grid. And I must say, I got a little teary-eyed at the "Will power" bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midgetman82 Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 These wing riders seem to be the perfect fit for these middle of the road parks who want to provide thrills, but also keep it family oriented (Dollywood and Holiday World). I couldn't be happier that my home park is building one. For those people who are saying HW over-hyped this thing. I'm sorry, I didn't realize they could over-hype the biggest single ride expansion in the parks 68 year history I have to say, this looks to be the most elaborately themed ride HW has ever done, and I hope that this trend continues. Finally, I love the tribute to Will Koch. I'm sure he's looking down right with a huge smile on his face. I'm glad the park is taking his dream, and make it a reality. This could not have been his only dream, I'm sure there are many more. I look forward to the park making those become a reality as well. I'm with you on many things here. Being that this park is the second-closest to me, I couldn't be more proud for the park on making such a big and unique investment. The coaster looks like fun, and if the reviews for this coaster go even remotely on-par with the ones I hear from Wild Eagle (with obvious differences), then this coaster's sure to be a winner for Holiday World and their visitors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aCoasterStory Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 I just wanted to weigh in with a guess as to why they are employing a flywheel. (I have an electrical engineering degree, so it's at least an educated guess.) As most of us know, any sort of magnetic launch requires a very large amount of power in a very short amount of time. I suspect that Santa Claus Indiana's connection to the power grid might not have enough capacity to safely accommodate the spike that Thunderbird will require. (The park has to account for a worst case scenario. If they were to create a spike when the rest of the area was already drawing a lot of current, they could cause a blackout.) Many parks build their own power substations, but Santa Claus is relatively far from a major city, which would make the cost of running extra power lines to the closest power plant(s) VERY expensive. ($1 million might get you 2-3 miles of line) The flywheel gets "charged up" at a relatively constant rate, and is able to release its energy into the LSMs very quickly, creating the necessary spike without greatly affecting the grid. And I must say, I got a little teary-eyed at the "Will power" bit. That being said, Paula did mention on the podcast tonight that they paid for a new power substation to be installed across the street from the park & thought it was interesting that none of the enthusiasts noticed it with as anal as they were being with investigating the footers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wes Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 From the Thunderbird microsite:Since 2013, Holiday World has partnered with the St. Louis design firm PGAV Destinations to create enhanced theming for the world’s first theme park. PGAV took the Thunderbird name and coaster design and created the visual theming of the legendary bird’s powerful flight through farms and forests of southern Indiana. So the theme of the ride isn't the Thunderbird leading the Pilgrims to the New World. The theme is that the Thunderbird that saved the Pilgrims is now flying over Indiana. At least that's what I think it's supposed to be. what Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodie Warrior Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 From the Thunderbird microsite:Since 2013, Holiday World has partnered with the St. Louis design firm PGAV Destinations to create enhanced theming for the world’s first theme park. PGAV took the Thunderbird name and coaster design and created the visual theming of the legendary bird’s powerful flight through farms and forests of southern Indiana. So the theme of the ride isn't the Thunderbird leading the Pilgrims to the New World. The theme is that the Thunderbird that saved the Pilgrims is now flying over Indiana. At least that's what I think it's supposed to be. what Lol I'm a little confused on the themeing too. But whatever. It's a shiny new coaster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HolidayWorldFTW Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 I hope they are ready for the attendance increase this will bring them lol. Kinda a good thing they expanded the water park so much before doing this thing! They have their planning game on point! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markysharky17 Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 It looks good but I don't think the launch will improve the wing coaster experience. I'm hoping Holiday World will pull a Banshee and have a kick ass B&M. Not to be part of the hate crowd but just my opinion. And I also think that if it was a B&M invert it would have been more kick ass. We will just have to wait till we ride it to see how it is.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdventureJack Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 (edited) WOW that was fun to watch! Holiday World just does it right. The Theme Park Industry needs more of what HW just did this past summer. That is what parks should do, not just release the plans in one night over FB or on Youtube, but instead get you pumped over a long period of time. The 66 days of hints were awesome and then this amazing press conference and the progress cam, gosh I wish every park did announcements like this... but I guess that is just what separates the great parks. I can't wait to ride this one guys! Edited July 25, 2014 by AdventureJack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tmcdllr Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 They could make a show out of this, called "Orange is the New Track." Nice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilrider Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 Why are people saying this is a family thrill ride at 60 MPH and 140 ft. height? I believe this should be considered a thrill ride, period. The height restriction will be lower than an average thrill ride, but this is a thrill ride at a family park. It does stand alone as a thrill ride for sure, but the 60 mph launch, while still fast, does not make it overly intense for many younger riders, so that is why I still say it is a thrill ride the family (who are tall enough) can enjoy. I also think that is what HW was shooting for. I do not think "family thrill ride" has to be viewed with a negative connotation in all cases. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinM Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 I just wanted to weigh in with a guess as to why they are employing a flywheel. (I have an electrical engineering degree, so it's at least an educated guess.) As most of us know, any sort of magnetic launch requires a very large amount of power in a very short amount of time. I suspect that Santa Claus Indiana's connection to the power grid might not have enough capacity to safely accommodate the spike that Thunderbird will require. (The park has to account for a worst case scenario. If they were to create a spike when the rest of the area was already drawing a lot of current, they could cause a blackout.) Many parks build their own power substations, but Santa Claus is relatively far from a major city, which would make the cost of running extra power lines to the closest power plant(s) VERY expensive. ($1 million might get you 2-3 miles of line) The flywheel gets "charged up" at a relatively constant rate, and is able to release its energy into the LSMs very quickly, creating the necessary spike without greatly affecting the grid. And I must say, I got a little teary-eyed at the "Will power" bit. That being said, Paula did mention on the podcast tonight that they paid for a new power substation to be installed across the street from the park & thought it was interesting that none of the enthusiasts noticed it with as anal as they were being with investigating the footers. Interesting. It is quite possible that the flywheel/LSMs need to be supplied with a different voltage than the rest of the park, which could be the function of this substation. I have doubts that the grid can support Thunderbird's launch every single time without the use of the flywheel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midgetman82 Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 Why are people saying this is a family thrill ride at 60 MPH and 140 ft. height? I believe this should be considered a thrill ride, period. The height restriction will be lower than an average thrill ride, but this is a thrill ride at a family park. It does stand alone as a thrill ride for sure, but the 60 mph launch, while still fast, does not make it overly intense for many younger riders, so that is why I still say it is a thrill ride the family (who are tall enough) can enjoy. I also think that is what HW was shooting for. I do not think "family thrill ride" has to be viewed with a negative connotation in all cases. Plus, I think Voyage might still deliver a more intense ride experience than this coaster might. While it does loop largely and launch, it'll most likely be more re-rideable. I think any kid who's brave enough to try the Voyage (and meet the height requirement for Thunderbird) will be brave enough to try this. Besides, isn't Voyage taller and faster with a smaller height restriction anyways? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WildStangAlex Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 Many parks build their own power substations, but Santa Claus is relatively far from a major city, which would make the cost of running extra power lines to the closest power plant(s) VERY expensive. ($1 million might get you 2-3 miles of line) The flywheel gets "charged up" at a relatively constant rate, and is able to release its energy into the LSMs very quickly, creating the necessary spike without greatly affecting the grid. And I must say, I got a little teary-eyed at the "Will power" bit. The Rockport Power plant is 20 miles away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZeroGravity55 Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 I just wanted to weigh in with a guess as to why they are employing a flywheel. (I have an electrical engineering degree, so it's at least an educated guess.) As most of us know, any sort of magnetic launch requires a very large amount of power in a very short amount of time. I suspect that Santa Claus Indiana's connection to the power grid might not have enough capacity to safely accommodate the spike that Thunderbird will require. (The park has to account for a worst case scenario. If they were to create a spike when the rest of the area was already drawing a lot of current, they could cause a blackout.) Many parks build their own power substations, but Santa Claus is relatively far from a major city, which would make the cost of running extra power lines to the closest power plant(s) VERY expensive. ($1 million might get you 2-3 miles of line) The flywheel gets "charged up" at a relatively constant rate, and is able to release its energy into the LSMs very quickly, creating the necessary spike without greatly affecting the grid. And I must say, I got a little teary-eyed at the "Will power" bit. That being said, Paula did mention on the podcast tonight that they paid for a new power substation to be installed across the street from the park & thought it was interesting that none of the enthusiasts noticed it with as anal as they were being with investigating the footers. Interesting. It is quite possible that the flywheel/LSMs need to be supplied with a different voltage than the rest of the park, which could be the function of this substation. I have doubts that the grid can support Thunderbird's launch every single time without the use of the flywheel. She said the power substation was specifically installed for the flywheel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrkstl Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 An observation - they just began advertising in the St. Louis market along with Indiana tourism. Doubtful that most people in the St. Louis area know what a B&M wing coaster is. I predict that Thunderbird will be a HUGE hit, and will attract a crowd from far and wide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ride On_17 Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 This coaster looks awesome. Way to go Holiday World for adding a coaster of this scale, especially a steel one! And way to go B&M for a launching coaster! And a launching wing rider, at that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronWolfman Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 Steel coasters don't ever require retracking. Goudurix does Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy T. Koepp Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 A ride named after my favorite High School beverage! I'm in! I'll be there opening day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronWolfman Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 Many parks build their own power substations, but Santa Claus is relatively far from a major city, which would make the cost of running extra power lines to the closest power plant(s) VERY expensive. ($1 million might get you 2-3 miles of line) The flywheel gets "charged up" at a relatively constant rate, and is able to release its energy into the LSMs very quickly, creating the necessary spike without greatly affecting the grid. And I must say, I got a little teary-eyed at the "Will power" bit. The Rockport Power plant is 20 miles away. That is still $6-$10 Million if we go by what KevinM says the cost would be, which would be a large portion of the current cost of the coaster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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