thedrop Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 Gonna give it a go when the fair comes next week! Looking on youtube there is a lever on the outside to lock the cage when loading & unloading. Wouldn't it be fun to ask the ride op to keep the brake lever locked, loads of inversions I heard slipping brakes are common on rock o planes & this might hold the brakes tighter than i can by hand? I don't care for controlling the cage i just want inversions But if I get too dizzy would i be able to unlock the outside brake lever from inside the cage? Does the rock o plane have operator controlled speed, i see on youtube some are slow & others fast the cages even flip without the brakes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mechanic Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 I'm pretty confident that just about anyone will have figured out the dynamics of the ride about 1/2 way through the ride cycle. Don't overcomplicate it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angry_Gumball Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 (edited) Basically Rock-o-Plane is essentially a ferris wheel, if you want it to run that way. Pull the ring toward you, your cage will lock/not free rotate. Release it and you're free rotating again. A skilled rider can lock themselves into a position as they make way around so that getting the initial flip upside down is easy. Even more effort is needed if you want to begin flipping while at a standstill (It is a major upper body workout I will add). A rider can also utilize that brake to lock/release and keep themselves inverted during their ride (which I've done). It's all about experimentation. FYI, the Rock-o-Plane I've ridden was the one located at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Edited March 4, 2013 by Angry_Gumball Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cal1br3tto Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 Rock-O-Planes I've had varying experiences on the 5 I've ridden. Worst: I kept rocking the pod, but couldn't remember the technique for flipping (could've partly been the ride's fault as well). Best: forceful cycles where I'm flipping continuously with my head forced against the ceiling. I've also had the ring get stuck so no matter what I did, the pod would stay upside down, or only rotate very slowly. I don't have any advice, but good standard technique will certainly get you places! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedrop Posted March 4, 2013 Author Share Posted March 4, 2013 angry_gumball thanks but i know how the brake inside the cage works my question is about the other brake lever on the outside of the cage for loading & unloading. The brake in the cage needs to be pulled all the time to keep the cage locked but the brake lever outside doesnt. The ride op pulls it once and the brakes stay on like a car handbrake. Best: forceful cycles where I'm flipping continuously with my head forced against the ceiling. Fuuuun I've also had the ring get stuck so no matter what I did, the pod would stay upside down, or only rotate very slowly. How did you get the ring to stick, that's what I want to try Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cal1br3tto Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 ^It just happened. It was at Lakeside, and the only thing I can think of that may have influenced it is that I immediately locked myself upside down during loading. Maybe that increases the chances of it sticking? No idea. I've also ridden the ones at Oaks Amusement Park (the crazy rides), SCBB (also excellent), Sandy Lake Amusement Park (perfectly decent), and Texas Joyland (had trouble on that one). And in the future, all other ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedrop Posted March 4, 2013 Author Share Posted March 4, 2013 ^It just happened. It was at Lakeside, and the only thing I can think of that may have influenced it is that I immediately locked myself upside down during loading. Maybe that increases the chances of it sticking? No idea. Cool, gonna have to try this! I bet you got alot of hang time when the ride was unloading Anyone else got the brake stuck? can you unstick it if you get too dizzy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cal1br3tto Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 ^I actually had to circle around an extra time during unloading! It was supposedly operator error, so I'm going to assume it wasn't my fault in any way...but I can't be positive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedrop Posted March 5, 2013 Author Share Posted March 5, 2013 ^I actually had to circle around an extra time during unloading! Cool fun!! Is it as slow to unload as it looks? Must have been upsidedown nearly a full minute! I'm gonna ask the ride op to keep the loading brake on & see if it holds. Which is more fun, lock upsidedown at the bottom or the top? I looove the thought of hanging upsidedown high in the air but it maybe fun to go thru the loading area upsidedown so you get some negative g's! I dunno if the rock o plane turns fast enough to pull strong negative g's? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfruge Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 I believe that the cage rotation only locks in place from the exterior to allow loading/unloading, and is only activated while the door to the cage is open. Once the door is closed, the rotation, or lack thereof, becomes the pleasure of the rider/s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedrop Posted March 6, 2013 Author Share Posted March 6, 2013 I believe that the cage rotation only locks in place from the exterior to allow loading/unloading, and is only activated while the door to the cage is open. Once the door is closed, the rotation, or lack thereof, becomes the pleasure of the rider/s. I dunno I was looking at this at 4:40 he puts the brakes on before he unlocked the door. you can hear it latch when he pulled the brake. it'd be alot of fun to ride it like this & a thrill to not be able release the brake Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcdude Posted March 6, 2013 Share Posted March 6, 2013 ^The only Rock-O-Plane I've been on is the one at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, so it's possible others may be different but I'm guessing they're all similar. On that ride, there isn't a specific loading brake, but instead there is an extension of the locking bar that sticks through a slot in the front of the cage. During loading, the operator will place this on a notch in the slot to keep the car from rotating, then they unlatch it (or it might be automatic...I don't remember and I haven't been back in nearly ten years) once the door is closed. Chances are it would end up coming off during the ride anyway, so I doubt you'll be able to get a locked ride. It may sound fun to just do continuous loops, but part of the fun of a Rock-O-Plane is getting the car stuck in unusual positions. They generally aren't the flippiest rides out there, but if you get good at applying and releasing the brake you can get a pretty intense ride out of them. If you just want to do loops, you'd probably enjoy a Kamikaze (aka swinging inverter ship) more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedrop Posted March 6, 2013 Author Share Posted March 6, 2013 , but instead there is an extension of the locking bar that sticks through a slot in the front of the cage. During loading, the operator will place this on a notch in the slot to keep the car from rotating, then they unlatch it (or it might be automatic...I don't remember and I haven't been back in nearly ten years) once the door is closed. Chances are it would end up coming off during the ride anyway, so I doubt you'll be able to get a locked ride. thanks I see how it works now gonna try anyway, if it does lock & I get too dizzy I could just pull the bar out of the notch right? If you just want to do loops, you'd probably enjoy a Kamikaze (aka swinging inverter ship) more. I dont care for these rides alot, too much swinging & not enough looping. Its so fast my stomach goes into my mouth every loop & when its full speed the force kinda sticks you in your seat so no hang time until it slows down. it gets sickening after a couple minutes. The rock o plane looks slower like it would give me hang time at the top of each loop & a bit easier on the stomach! I love hang time & if the brakes on the rock o plane will hold it will give me alot more hangtime than Kamikaze when its loading! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linearinduction Posted March 6, 2013 Share Posted March 6, 2013 Having Operated Lagoon's Rock-O-Plane for a couple of seasons, I can confirm that the Loading Brake and Door/Lapbar are not interconnected. The best way to start spinning is to pull back on the lap bar at the bottom and release at the top. I really loathed operating Rock-O, but I always did it with a Smile! -Sid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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