Knoebels Discussion Thread

Three train operation. Line seems pretty fast when it is working. About 1 hour wait.

This is big. It's amazing to finally hear (and see, thanks to live updates you guys are doing) this ride is finally carrying people. Not just "testers" people, but "general public" people! Great for Knoebels, I'd love to visit their park someday!

Thanks John for the pics! They are GREAT!

What a great looking ticket for that ride (:

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Thanks for the awesome pics! Tweeted more of them!

I like the flight dials, nice little touch.

I wonder how long it will take it to valley? Only a matter of time with the huge emphasis on the weight limit...

Really liking the looks of the trains....anyone able to comment on how they ride. They look quite comfy!!

^Sometimes restraints look comfy because they're masking something sinister

Looks cool though, something fun to look forward to next time I visit!

^Sometimes restraints look comfy because they're masking something sinister

 

Looks cool though, something fun to look forward to next time I visit!

I only see a seat belt.....I was interested more in the padding on the sides and how well they (trains) handle the transitions and such. I like the way the Avalanche at KD rides and this looks pretty similar.

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You were right behind me in line...I'm in the black shirt in front of that kid with the green YOLO glasses.

Anyway, I was impressed with Flying Turns...solid, fun ride. I definitely enjoyed it more than the steel bobsleds that I've riddlen. I got in line at 1:45 and got off the ride at roughly 3:20. I'm glad I got there when I did because the line went almost all the way back to Stratsofear when I got off.

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You were right behind me in line...I'm in the black shirt in front of that kid with the green YOLO glasses.

Anyway, I was impressed with Flying Turns...solid, fun ride. I definitely enjoyed it more than the steel bobsleds that I've riddlen. I got in line at 1:45 and got off the ride at roughly 3:20. I'm glad I got there when I did because the line went almost all the way back to Stratsofear when I got off.

Flying Turns still going strong tonight! Wait time is about one hour....

Flying Turns is officially the Duke Nukem Forever of roller coasters.

Flying Turns is officially the Duke Nukem Forever of roller coasters.

Except this doesn't look like a monumental let down...

Now Orphan Rocker needs to open!

Judging by a recent TR by Jobe in this thread at Parkz which showed how the footings for the replacment scenic railway station intersect with the path of the track...lol nope.

I figured I'd give a more detailed review...was at work when I posted those pictures (sorry for the quality...was using my phone and was in a huge rush):

It's not nearly as tame as I was expecting. I knew they wanted to limit the design a little to make it more family friendly, but by the end of the ride you're actually moving at a decent pace, and the tightness of the turns create a solid sense of speed. The helix after the first lift was taken faster than I was anticipating, which is great. The ops were doing a really good job as well.

Overall I'd give it a 7/10. Much better than the two steel bobsleds I've been on (Avalanche/Disaster Transport) and a really solid "tweener" coaster. Not as intense as Phoenix or Twister, more intense than Kozmo's Kurves and Black Diamond, but family friendly enough for young kids to ride. Well done, Knoebel's.

Flying Turns is officially the Team Fortress 2 of roller coasters.

Fixed.

Put me in the category of people that really liked Flying Turns. We got to the park about an hour before they opened and only had about a 10 minute wait once 12:00 hit. Its definitely a family coaster but it's a lot of fun and gets pretty far up the sides on the first helix after the second lift which really took me by suprise. We only got on it once today but we'll be back tomorrow to check out the covered bridge festival and ride some more rides.

Oh, and this is totally off topic but I want to mention again how awesome StratosFear is. This little drop tower puts drop towers that are twice it's height to shame. We rode it at least 10 times today. If you haven't been on this style of Drop Tower do yourself a favor and ride one of then. It's insane.

As always we had a great time at PPP and can't wait to get some more rides in tomorrow!

The ride is outstanding in my book. It's super smooth and quiet. The comfort may be more than that of an Anton speed racer seat. It's amazing how Knoebels can move a line even for a ride that has 9 available seats.

Also, Phoenix is running faster and smoother than I've ever experienced.

I wanted Io wait until I read more reviews before commenting and I'm happy that the ride is getting great reviews. It's not very often we see parks try something unique and despite the very, very lengthy wait it appears the ride was worth it in the end.

It seems after all the jokes aimed at Knoebel's about the Flying Turns they are the ones with the last laugh.

 

It seems after all the jokes aimed at Knoebel's about the Flying Turns they are the ones with the last laugh.

They sure were patient in getting to the punchline. It's good that their patience has paid off.

I wonder how long it will take it to valley? Only a matter of time with the huge emphasis on the weight limit...

It's not going to valley, there's nowhere for it to valley. The weight limit is obviously to keep the center of gravity below the rider so that the trains don't fall over. (When you're watching it from the queue or wherever, it really doesn't look like it's going very fast [but don't worry, it seems much faster when you're riding it.])

Another item of note: below the station floor is a system of ducts to blow air on the wheels. I don't know whether it's to keep the grease warmed up in cold weather, or to keep the wheels dry. (Reportedly, they announced that they had no intentions of running it in the rain.)

I was interested more in the padding on the sides and how well they (trains) handle the transitions and such.

They handle the transitions very well. As you may be able to see from the pictures, there's an absolutely ridiculous number of articulation points. At times it seems like a car is almost 90 degrees from the one in front or back of it. With that kind of maneuverability, I'm surprised that they had to shorten it to three cars from the planned five.

Thanks to everyone for all the great reports and pictures!! I'm really looking forward to riding Flying Turns next year. I'm glad Knoebels stuck with it, this is exactly why I visit just about every year.