HolidayWorldFTW Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 People are currently walking outside to their cars from the maintenance buildings. I'm guessing it's done testing for the night. Yea a bit ago I was watching them out the trains back into storage in the maintenance building. I'm surprised they tested at all not only on a Sunday but in Easter as well. The level of sacrifice they have in order to give us this amazing coaster is phenomenal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanobieFan Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 Very true. It's a family run park though (correct me if I'm wrong) so maybe they had extended family come watch their coaster. In all seriousness it takes a lot of commitment to do that. Kudos to them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HolidayWorldFTW Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 Very true. It's a family run park though (correct me if I'm wrong) so maybe they had extended family come watch their coaster. In all seriousness it takes a lot of commitment to do that. Kudos to them! Yup they are completely family owned and operated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tidecat Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 Since today is Easter, I will say that a themed Easter section in the park could be alot of fun for the kids and have some fun coaster themeing too. Perhaps Holidog's Funtown could be re-themed as Easter? I'd think a New Year's section of the park would have some possibilities - you could theme a ride after the ball drop in Times Square, but anything with a "time" theme could center around time travel or even the future. I'm not sure there's much to work with beyond that, although Valentine's Day might be possible. Mardi Gras has a direct tie-in with Easter. Any theming ideas for Columbus Day have been usurped by The Thanksgiving section. All of the other major holidays would be duplicating Fourth of July. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanobieFan Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 Problem with Easter is it's different for every religion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dar Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 I wish they wouldn't do auctions for first rides. It's not really fair for people on lower incomes that might want to ride. I think a fairer system would be a simple raffle for the first train and then limited edition charity merchandise for just the first day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajfelice Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 I wish they wouldn't do auctions for first rides. It's not really fair for people on lower incomes that might want to ride. I think a fairer system would be a simple raffle for the first train and then limited edition charity merchandise for just the first day. While many all of us (including me) do not have the disposable income to throw huge wads of cash at a minute long coaster ride, for those that do, they are supporting an incredible cause: Give Kids the World. Everyone wants a chance to ride a new coaster first, and a really neat way to organize that excitement is to auction the limited seats for a good cause that the park collects zero profit from. Yes, it stinks some of us don't have the money to win a seat, but at least the money spent on those seats is for a great cause that is light-years more important than who gets to enjoy Thunderbird first. Not everything in life is fair to people of all incomes. Sad, but true. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fidelity Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 Not everything in life is fair to people of all incomes. Sad, but true. Quite true. We are a family of a moderate income. On May 14th, 2013, we learned our daughter has leukemia. This is not a sob story. Our, then seven years old, daughter has fought hard to beat the hand life has dealt her. When we were down in Kissimmee, FL, we saw families/individuals who were fighting for life and enjoyment amidst less than stellar circumstances. Good luck to those trying to raise money for Give Kids the World, because they do amazing work, which I can attest to firsthand. I love Holiday World, because they are one of the only parks I know of that allow families to visit multiple times after visiting Give Kids the World, although I know they are doing it not out of some sort of ulterior motive. I look forward to visiting in early June, because I think the park has an amazing relationship between generating income and doing in so in a way that is maybe not as crass as other amusement parks, which is not a knock on those parks either. Thank you to the park, and we cannot wait to see you on June 17th and, perhaps, June 18th of 2015. Good luck with the season and good work with your first adult steel coaster. I don't want to get too sentimental and mushy, but my daughter talks about your park nearly everyday and is so happy that she is 53" and does not have to worry about being big enough to ride Thunderbird. Thank you forever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raven Maven Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 ^ Thank you for your kind words. We're so glad to host your family this season! To all: By the way, our auction page is also set up for donations. If you're not available for the First Flight, or if the bids are too high for your budget, there's a place to make a donation to Give Kids The World. You'll never regret it! Thanks, Paula Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midgetman82 Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 If I had enough money to go around, I would definitely be donating! I wish the highest bidder all the luck, and am glad to see Holiday World supporting such a great charity! Also, I'd hate to impose, but would there be a way to change the webcam view of the maintenance shed left towards the barrel roll or adding a new view? Some people have been trying to get a good view of the train coming towards the brakes by shifting the camera lots. The maintenance shed. The barrel roll is offscreen 'just' out of view to the left of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dar Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 I wish they wouldn't do auctions for first rides. It's not really fair for people on lower incomes that might want to ride. I think a fairer system would be a simple raffle for the first train and then limited edition charity merchandise for just the first day. While many all of us (including me) do not have the disposable income to throw huge wads of cash at a minute long coaster ride, for those that do, they are supporting an incredible cause: Give Kids the World. Everyone wants a chance to ride a new coaster first, and a really neat way to organize that excitement is to auction the limited seats for a good cause that the park collects zero profit from. Yes, it stinks some of us don't have the money to win a seat, but at least the money spent on those seats is for a great cause that is light-years more important than who gets to enjoy Thunderbird first. Not everything in life is fair to people of all incomes. Sad, but true. I agree to a point, but I still think selling raffle tickets for $10-$20 and donating the proceeds along with specific limited edition merch for the first day with all proceeds going to charity would be not only a fairer system, but I bet they would make a lot more too! How many enthusiasts are going to buy more than one mug or shirt? Not to mention the scalpers that buy loads and sell on on eBay! I wish them all the luck in the world with the launch, I just wish they'd release a full POV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneOfTheWills Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 Since today is Easter, I will say that a themed Easter section in the park could be alot of fun for the kids and have some fun coaster themeing too. Perhaps Holidog's Funtown could be re-themed as Easter? I'd think a New Year's section of the park would have some possibilities - you could theme a ride after the ball drop in Times Square, but anything with a "time" theme could center around time travel or even the future. I'm not sure there's much to work with beyond that, although Valentine's Day might be possible. Mardi Gras has a direct tie-in with Easter. Any theming ideas for Columbus Day have been usurped by The Thanksgiving section. All of the other major holidays would be duplicating Fourth of July. I've always said a New Years section would be great. The ball drop is a given with a drop ride. Maybe even a dark ride that time travels through history and the future. Those are fun ideas but I've always thought a giant ferris wheel themed like a clock would be fun, too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ccron10 Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 I wish they wouldn't do auctions for first rides. It's not really fair for people on lower incomes that might want to ride. I think a fairer system would be a simple raffle for the first train and then limited edition charity merchandise for just the first day. While many all of us (including me) do not have the disposable income to throw huge wads of cash at a minute long coaster ride, for those that do, they are supporting an incredible cause: Give Kids the World. Everyone wants a chance to ride a new coaster first, and a really neat way to organize that excitement is to auction the limited seats for a good cause that the park collects zero profit from. Yes, it stinks some of us don't have the money to win a seat, but at least the money spent on those seats is for a great cause that is light-years more important than who gets to enjoy Thunderbird first. Not everything in life is fair to people of all incomes. Sad, but true. I agree to a point, but I still think selling raffle tickets for $10-$20 and donating the proceeds along with specific limited edition merch for the first day with all proceeds going to charity would be not only a fairer system, but I bet they would make a lot more too! How many enthusiasts are going to buy more than one mug or shirt? Not to mention the scalpers that buy loads and sell on on eBay! I wish them all the luck in the world with the launch, I just wish they'd release a full POV I don't think it would be fair for the charities it would be helping as it would bring in less donations for them especially if one person can only donate $10. Not to mention that it would be more complicated than by going the way of top 32 or so donors who raise the most get to ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZeroGravity55 Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 A couple of new things to share today about Thunderbird. First, a short clip of the zero-G roll and S-Curve from HW's Facebook [fbvideo] [/fbvideo] Next... A webcam photo of Thunderbird testing at night! From The Speed Demon's Twitter: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeromyL Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 OMG we need a night off ride video really bad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B&MIntaminGCI Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Thunderbird's roar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike541x Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 So far Thunderbird looks very promising, and I can't wait to get some night rides on it this summer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brassinthegrass Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 It would be awesome if holiday world would allow us to do a glowphest on this thing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rwilliam62521 Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Still wondering what the 2 generator/Power trailers are for. Did the park's new sub station have problems with ThunderBird's power draw? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikejenkins1 Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 FYI, they are testing now. I have watched multiple launches.... Sweet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theredskull84 Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Watching test runs on the ThunderbirdCam! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrygator Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 I wish they wouldn't do auctions for first rides. It's not really fair for people on lower incomes that might want to ride. If someone is concerned about not being the first rider, they have psychological issues that are deeper than their monetary issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jray21 Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 ^Totally agree! I think it's great that they are raising money for GKTW. It's such a great organization, and such a great move on the part of the park. The ride looks really nice and I can't wait to ride it someday! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneOfTheWills Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Still wondering what the 2 generator/Power trailers are for. Did the park's new sub station have problems with ThunderBird's power draw? I'm curious if the power draw was more than the sub-station could handle on the regular. The flywheels are supposed to relieve that "pressure" on the system. Maybe TB was a little more power hungry than the designers prepared for. I did happen to spot a semi flatbed full of transformer and sub-station parts headed south near my area this past weekend. Could have been going anywhere... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZeroGravity55 Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 Finally got that shot I wanted a few pages back. Looks like they might be testing into the night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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