S&S Sansei Discussion Thread

http://m.news.hjnews.com/allaccess/logan-company-s-spinning-roller-coaster-promises-unique-experience/article_252562fa-013f-11e4-85f2-0019bb2963f4.html?mode=jqm_gal#&ui-state=dialog

 

April 2014 - Coming to a US park!

Do you have a link that is not the mobile version? It's coming up all weird on my desktop and won't let me read the full article.

non-mobile link: http://news.hjnews.com/allaccess/logan-company-s-spinning-roller-coaster-promises-unique-experience/article_252562fa-013f-11e4-85f2-0019bb2963f4.html

Logan company’s spinning roller coaster promises unique experience

Herald Journal

By Kevin Opsahl

Engineers at S&S Worldwide in Logan may dub their newest project the “little brother” of its counterpart, the 4-Dimension, but don’t be fooled — the 4-D Free Spin is set to provide an unmatched suspended experience.

The $7 million ride — with a speed of 38 miles per hour on a 1,265-foot track — is currently undergoing prototype testing at the Logan plant on 2500 North, not far from the highly successful Zip Line creation. By April or late May of next year, the 4D Free Spin will debut at a yet-to-be-named amusement park somewhere in the U.S.

The Free Spin earns its distinction from its “big brother” 4D — which debuted at Six Flags in 2002 — because the “free spins” the eight-passenger ride induces are not mechanically controlled, explained Mike Worley, senior mechanical engineer. Riders are suspended off to the side of the coaster track, where the seats spin independently.

S&S wants to make “a more family-friendly ride with more variability where with each time you ride it you get a different experience,” explained Worley, when describing the 4-D Free Spin.

The Free Spin ride thrives on natural dynamics — and even personal interaction with the movement of a person’s feet — to invoke spins. But the 4-D Free Spin is using old technology in a new way to help control some of that.

S&S Coaster

The Eddy Current technology is usually used to help slow the roller coaster to prevent an uncomfortable experience — but S&S is testing it to help “force or retard spins,” Worley said.

“No one has a vehicle like this or is using the spin technology in this way,” he said. “As far we know it is the first of its kind.”

Rich Allen, CEO of S&S Worldwide, explained how the company creates ride concepts and then markets them for amusement parks to purchase.

Allen said a common misconception among the general public is that amusement parks come up with the concept ideas for specific rides, when actually, the opposite is true.

“They kind of wait for manufacturers to bring things to market,” Allen said. “We come up with these that we think parks and the general public would like. What we want to do is say, ‘OK, we think this will be fun … but is it really going to give the kind of ride experience that we want?’”

S&S Coaster

A prototype, like the 4-D Free Spin model that S&S is testing now, is one way to test that concept.

“Once we prove to ourselves that the ride is going to deliver the experience we think we want, we take that concept to the market and we put together our information, go the industry and see who would be interested in owning it,” Allen said. “Fortunately, this is a high-tech-high thrill ride and we’ve gotten a lot of interest in the industry and it’s been purchased by a significant park ground.”

Allen noted that S&S pioneered the concept of having rotating seats on the outside of an axis.

“It’s radically different from other coasters that would be in the park,” Allen said of the new 4-D. “I’d classify this as a high-thrill family coaster; I wouldn’t call it an ‘extreme coaster.’”

The S&S CEO also talked about the emerging trends in the roller coaster business. Many parks are showcasing the biggest, fastest, heart-stopping ride — oftentimes accompanied by a sign warning people with heart problems not to ride it — as a centerpiece of their entertainment.

S&S Coaster

“Amusement parks want to drive attendance. A lot of what you’re expressing is marketing,” Allen said. ”It’s kind of like Halloween and going into haunted houses; you want to hype the extreme and parks always try to one up each other … If they’re going to open the ride they’re looking for something they’re going to market above their competition.”

S&S Worldwide is also known for other high-speed coasters and towers.

The Space Shot tower ride is known for its rapid 4-G vertical launch before dropping into a breathtaking negative 1-G descent.

The Screamin’ Swing “excites riders with the feeling of wind in their face and 0-G floats similar to riding a roller coaster that is diving toward the ground,” according to the S&S website.

The 4D Free Spin will be installed at a major U.S. theme park around April of 2015.

Hmmm... any guesses? They do reference Six Flags in that article because of X2. Hmm....

Maybe fiesta texas

I honestly don't see Cedar Fair jumping to install this prototype in one of their parks. I'm going with a SF park.

What about Great Adventure?

The 4D Free Spin will be installed at a major U.S. theme park around April of 2015.

Hmmm... any guesses? They do reference Six Flags in that article because of X2. Hmm....

Oh, come on, Robb, we all know you know where and you're just messing with us.

I'm calling Canobie Lake. So there.

Fiesta Texas makes sense given the clues they've been dropping: their new project flipping into high gear, the hints that RMC have something to do with it (apparently it uses their I box track), the heights of the balloon (the ride is 150-200+ ft tall according to S&S's adverts), the inference that it is going to be something different and special. Given the length of the project he quoted for 2015 it sounds like the 10 inversion model (or a custom one) is going in, surprisingly short for such a tall ride, with a max speed of less than 40 mph.

So we're looking at a 150 foot- glorified zacspin? I'm intrigued.

What about Great Adventure?

But they reference the installation occurring in April 2015. If they mean opening (instead of installation) it will not happen at a Six Flags park. Especially SFGAdv, which has not opened a major ride in April in years.

Hopefully this S&S will make one as insane as... well, Insane!

How about Kentucky Kingdom? Jk, They said a major park. I also see it coming to somewhere like Fiesta Texas with all of the hints they've dropped.

It's probably a long shot but maybe this will replace the Good Time Theater at CP.

I have a strong feeling this coaster will appear at a Six Flags park in Texas next year.

I remember a few years ago that the CEO of S&S said in an interview that Six Flags loved the 4D technology, only they thought they were to expensive at the moment.

I bet my ass that it will open in a Six Flags park!

Maybe it will be indoors and be at SFOT.

^Is that theater large enough to fit a 150 foot coaster inside of it?

I'm hoping for Six Flags Fiesta Texas. It would be a nice addition to the park! We could hope for Silver Dollar City, but not sure if it would be a good fit for the park. We can hope though.

^Is that theater large enough to fit a 150 foot coaster inside of it?

If it has a Zac-Spin type layout I can see it fitting there (If it was torn down of course).

Kentucky Kingdom is not exactly major but I see it as a good park to put it at. I mean the first Chance Hyper GTX was installed at Kentucky Kingdom and they do have a history of buying prototypes under Hart from Vekoma in the 90's. Maybe.

If it ends up being SFFT I'll make the journey. I feel like it's a park that's just one more unique coaster away from being able to justify the trip. And it's the only major park in the Southwest I haven't been to yet.

If it ends up being SFFT I'll make the journey. I feel like it's a park that's just one more unique coaster away from being able to justify the trip. And it's the only major park in the Southwest I haven't been to yet.

Ditto, agree completely. I've considered going there several times and if they were to get this or really one more of just about anything it would for me tip the scale and convince me to travel there.

^Is that theater large enough to fit a 150 foot coaster inside of it?

 

If it has a Zac-Spin type layout I can see it fitting there (If it was torn down of course).

I think he was aiming for replacement of the theatre. I doubt it's that tall. It's almost certainly shorter than Mantis, which is of similar height (almost 150ft.) The theatre itself is probably not even 100ft tall. I don't know, though.

EDIT - stupid me, didn't read Magnumfreak saying it would be torn down. Yeah, if they put something there, it would be torn down.

I'm going to agree with those saying SFFT. SFOT, and SFGAdv are just too big of parks to put something with such a small rate of people per hour into their parks...

I'm going to agree with those saying SFFT. SFOT, and SFGAdv are just too big of parks to put something with such a small rate of people per hour into their parks...

SFMM installed Green Lantern... since when did Six Flags care about capacity?