kailisun98 Posted October 24, 2013 Share Posted October 24, 2013 I was doing a research project on roller coasters and stumbled upon this in RCDB. According to RCDB, apparently, Air @ Alton Towers is not the first flying coaster. It is actually Skytrak at Grenada Studios in Britain. The ride was made by Skytrak International and featured trains similar to Zamperla's Volare flying coasters. http://rcdb.com/2380.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rollercoaster Rider Posted October 24, 2013 Share Posted October 24, 2013 Ummm..... Stealth at California's Great America was advertised as the Worlds First Flying Coaster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted October 24, 2013 Share Posted October 24, 2013 Hmm--interesting, but that looks like one painful ride. You could chip a tooth on that bar in front of your face. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnome Posted October 24, 2013 Share Posted October 24, 2013 I always thought it was advertised as the first B&M flying roller coaster. Stealth was operating in 2000. Air didn't open until 2002. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ernierocker Posted October 24, 2013 Share Posted October 24, 2013 Just noticed the OP said Air and not Stealth. So, the answer to the thread is that it wasn't. Â And that Skytrak ride shouldn't count as anything other than a one-person torture device. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rollercoaster Rider Posted October 24, 2013 Share Posted October 24, 2013 I always thought it was advertised as the first B&M flying roller coaster. Stealth was operating in 2000. Air didn't open until 2002. Â Air was the first B&M Flying Coaster but VEKOMA made the first flying coaster in 2000. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarlaKoaster Posted October 24, 2013 Share Posted October 24, 2013 I can't remember Alton advertising it as the 'first' but that's not to say they didn't. Parks often are economical with the truth when it comes to advertising their rides. You could say the same about Oblivion bearing in mind Ultra Twisters existed before Oblivion did. Â They definitely didn't advertise it as the "World's first B&M flying coaster" because, to 99% of people that would mean absolutely nothing ("what's a B&M" etc) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wes Posted October 24, 2013 Share Posted October 24, 2013 They did advertise it as the world's first flying coaster. Â http://web.archive.org/web/20050528203708/http://press.altontowers.com/release.asp?PRID=36 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterfreak101 Posted October 24, 2013 Share Posted October 24, 2013 ^I think the justification is that the Vekoma Flying Dutchman models are 'laying' coasters that allow you to fly, while the B&M models are pure flyers. It's theme park marketing, but I suppose they have a bit of a point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wes Posted October 24, 2013 Share Posted October 24, 2013 ^ Yeah, that must have been their thinking..but Alton's marketing has always been sensationalist so it all makes sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted October 24, 2013 Share Posted October 24, 2013 They did advertise it as the world's first flying coaster. http://web.archive.org/web/20050528203708/http://press.altontowers.com/release.asp?PRID=36 And they also marketed Nemesis as the "first" even though Batman came two years before it. Oh, Merlin... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted October 24, 2013 Share Posted October 24, 2013 They can change their advertising to say "Chuck's first flying coaster." That would be accurate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moose Posted October 24, 2013 Share Posted October 24, 2013 This is far from the worst of Merlin's marketing hyperbole. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kailisun98 Posted October 25, 2013 Author Share Posted October 25, 2013 Apparently, the coaster company that built this only built ONE coaster in their entire existance... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Linn Posted October 25, 2013 Share Posted October 25, 2013 They did advertise it as the world's first flying coaster. http://web.archive.org/web/20050528203708/http://press.altontowers.com/release.asp?PRID=36  And people thought Six Flags and Cedar Fair were bad with throwing "world's _______" around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noporian Posted October 25, 2013 Share Posted October 25, 2013 Doesn't six flags do that stupid world's _____ (insert ride type here) stuff? Â Like this seems like something that big companies do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kailisun98 Posted October 25, 2013 Author Share Posted October 25, 2013 Through my 3 years in China,I have discovered some claims that are even more insane. A ride op at Jinjiang Action Park tried to convince me that their Giant Inverted Boomerang was designed by China and is the only one in the world. I was like, how stupid does he think I am. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
booink Posted October 25, 2013 Share Posted October 25, 2013 Wow, this flying coaster looks A LOT like one of the funkier coaster designs in RCT3 ! It's called the "mini flying suspended coaster"... Anyone else noticed they look alike ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KingRCT3 Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 Actually, all of the RCT3 rides are based on either real attractions or real concepts. Â Look, it's a real reverser! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
booink Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 ^That is pretty cool, I never knew if the reverser rides ever existed ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xmeister Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 Looks like a more painful version of the Zamperla Volare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrygator Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 Hmm--interesting, but that looks like one painful ride. You could chip a tooth on that bar in front of your face. Â The bar was actually made out of chocolate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackdude101 Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 Air was the first flying coaster made by B&M. It's a prototype just like Oblivion at Alton Towers was the prototype for the Diving Machine models. Â Also, fun facts: Â Air is the shortest B&M roller coaster (65.62 feet) and the second-slowest (46.60 mph). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coaster Joe Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 Premier Rides tried selling a solo coaster Skysurfer concept back in the early 2000s. Can't find a picture anywhere but it looked like a better take on this idea. Â I've always been intrigued by Air. Count me as an opponent to pretzel loops and other sustained high-G maneuvers on flyers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kailisun98 Posted October 26, 2013 Author Share Posted October 26, 2013 Looks like a more painful version of the Zamperla Volare. I remember seeing on a british coaster enthusiast website that the guy who designed the ride was the first to ride it and got a back concussion. It also says that it constantly broke down and had many bugs. I'll try to find the link and post it later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now