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It's worth noting that there are 11 chairs in the photo, plus one coffin. There are 12 adult coasters in the park, so if one is dying, there's a seat for each of the survivors. The kids (coasters) aren't big enough to attend.

Word from under the Black Hat is that Kings Island will announce the retirement of Firehawk in the coming weeks. At this time this is just rumor. Firehawk joined Kings Island for the 2007 season where it was moved from the now defunct Geauga Lake. This Vekoma “Flying Dutchman” allows riders to have a unique face down flying posture while riding. It is the only flying coaster in the state of Ohio.

Very interesting... If the speculated 2020 giga is actually coming, I think I just realized my prediction for where. Firehawk has seemed like a remarkably complex ride for a seasonal park for me for a while, but since it's lasted this long, I figured it'd be around for a while. But if you'd told me the Vekoma Flying Dutchman at Kings Island wouldn't outlast the one at the dumpy Six Flags near DC, I wouldn't believe you. Because I'm too cheap to pay for a locker, the emotion I associate most with this ride is fear that my stuff will fall out of my pockets. It's never been a must-ride for me, but I've got friends who love the thing. A number of them also liked Son of Beast, though, so maybe they're just wrong.

I doubt it. I suspect it’s the whole get concrete work done before winter sets in. It’s not impossible to do in winter, but is more difficult. I am guessing the landscaping part will wait until Spring. EDIT: More thoughts that come to mind- They’ll need local fuel storage if the cars are gasoline. There’s an entire department that deals with just this both underground and above ground tanks. Lots of fire code items to deal with as well as the fuel itself. Whatever maintenance area they have to build for the cars. There’s a lot that still has to happen for this ride. While they can physically build it in a relatively short amount of time, the background stuff is going to take the longest to deal with. Employee training for this ride will be a huge deal especially if they have to hire a few small engine mechanics to keep it all running.

If anything there's only signs of Vipers staying around even longer with MM taking the time to update the braking system. Also heard Vortex still gets near a million riders if it doesn't actually reach it. Now you don't ever really know for sure but honestly the more I think about it the more I don't think it's Vortex. Didn't Vortex JUST get new wheels, brake parts, and refurbed footers THIS YEAR? It doesn't make much sense for me to remove it after all that. not to mention the oh so wonderful "new" sign

No idea what is leaving, but I cannot possibly imagine them removing Vortex without letting everyone know well, well in advance to get many rides in. The younger folks here might not feel that way, but some of us remember the hype before and as it was being built. It was a big freakin' deal, and still stands in one of the most photogenic spots in the park.

They set up this scene with this sign to do just what is happening on here now. Creating buzz and talk about the park. That is what good marketing plans do. Get people talking about the park, and sparking interest. They may not want to tell people what ride is leaving just yet, so that people have to guess, and spend more time riding all the rides, and thus spend more time in the park, and in turn spend more money at the park. (Which judging by the crowds tonight, there were quite a few people spending money at the park). Also, keep in mind that on the last Cedar Fair conference call, it was mentioned that they will continue to evaluate what rides are becoming costly to maintain and remove them when necessary to save on maintenance costs, especially if a ride is no longer marketable.

I am leaning Firehawk as well, due to maintenance reasons, but will admit Vortex is getting really old and its popularity is dropping bit by bit every year (though I'd still be surprised to see it going before some of the other, less popular Arrow loopers that are still hanging around). WindSeeker could be another option but it doesn't take up much space, though at over 300 feet tall it easily fits the "big" bill. Though depending on which one does leave, affects what I think will replace it, though TBH for WindSeeker I can't think of anything ATM. We have good evidence the 2020 project is gonna be a B&M thanks to leaked documents. If Firehawk goes, its location is prime for the long-rumored Giga coaster, and they can expand the X-Base area with a gift shop, restaurant, or even the much requested bathrooms. Though Firehawk's spot is VERY open, so pretty much anything B&M makes could technically fit there. For The Vortex location, it's a little more cramped. A Giga may not fit, you have Racer and WindSeeker (if that sticks around) on 1 side and Diamondback and eventually Mystic Timbers on the other. The spot is large enough for a Dive Coaster, Floorless, or Wing Coaster though. TBH I could see a Dive Coaster working very well in that spot, have it face the Eiffel Tower and Diamondback before the drop and you have a epic view. Though I imagine with almost everyone thinking "GIGA!" everytime, if we got one of those 3 options people would still be miffed. Heck, they'd be miffed if it was a Giga just because it's likely a B&M ("BUT I WANTED A RMC T-REX GIGA!!!"). I feel really bad for VortexBFForever though. From what I have gathered, she loves all 3 of the rides this "hint" probably suggests are getting removed. Also, I am curious why they would tease a ride removal like this, you would think they'd just be straight-up like: "Yo, we are removing (Insert Ride Here) at the end of this season, ride it as much as possible during Haunt 2018 before it goes." And then have a Mean Streak-esque funeral on closing day of Haunt.

I like the way you think!!! Makes sense to me.

They just repaired a lot of footers on Vortex and got a new sign. Plus, it's one of the last great Arrow loopers left standing and a classic. Doubt it.

Site site grading alone was an engineering marvel. It literally is built into the side of a hill. The reason why the old ride rotation idea never came to full fruiting in the industry was that they figured out that the cost of moving a large ride ended up being comparable to just getting a new one.

In the words of the internet: "BIG IF TRUE." If this is true, I'm both surprised and not surprised (is that a thing?). On one hand: this coaster hasn't been around all that long (not just in KI terms, but in its overall lifespan as well). It's a crowd pleaser, a relatively fun ride, and popular. On the other hand: it's a maintenance headache, complex to operate, has terrible capacity, etc. Wonder what the reasons could be and how that will affect the other Vekoma Flying Dutchmen at Carowinds and Six Flags America. Heard a rumor once that Paramount Parks was so amped on Stealth at PGA that they essentially told Vekoma: "get some more ready for other parks." Then, Stealth debuted as the maintenance nightmare that it was/is and they went back to the Dutch with: "not interested anymore" while Six Flags was more than happy to buy anything at a bulk discount thus grabbing the other two. Also heard that Firehawk was able to be erected at Ki easily because its current spot was always going to be "its" spot, or that it would've gone where Backlot/Antique cars resides/resided. Heard something similar for Nighthawk/Borg Assimilator - that it was able to be placed so easily because one was always "slated" to go there. Would love to hear if there's any truth to that. Someone here knows.

Send Firehawk to Michigan's Adventure

KI does have 12 flat rides though.

If this means anything... KI without Firehawk would still have 4 "hanging coasters", so I don't we'd be getting another one... And from my experiences on Superman: Ultimate Flight at SFGAd, they're not even that reliable! *for a B&M*... IMO Firehawk is in a location that wouldn't really get in the way of a giga, or at least, I don't think it would. It's a good amount of track condensed into a relatively small footprint.

I’d be very surprised to see KI remove a Vekoma Flying Dutchman for a B&M Flyer. To me it makes zero sense to remove a Flyer just to add a Flyer. Although more reliable B&M flyers also have crap capacity.

Ok after thinking through this some more, I am starting to think that this could be WS instead. Firehawk is not really something that anyone could consider "big" by coaster standards. And the use of the word "air".... Wind - air - wind - air - wind - air - wind - air... Who knows?...we'll just have to wait and find out.

I agree, it doesn’t make sense to me either...except for none of my family consider it a must ride when we go...but by the definition I think you might be onto something. Firehawk just doesn’t seem to fit the teaser...but maybe it’s Mustang Sally all over again!

Remember now, lines don't necessarily indicate ridership

I merged the 2 threads. Lets keep speculations here!

My reaction to this... Out of NO WHERE!

"The air is eerily calm"... I don't know about you, but to me that phrase basically confirms this is about Firehawk...Obviously we won't definitely know until then...but to me that pretty much spells the end for one of the 3 Flying Dutchmans ever made. I fully understand the reasons for it leaving, and understand why it should go, but I can't help but to be truly saddened by this. I was 9 when it came to KI. I basically grew up with this coaster, and even though its bad capacity made it hard to get on, when I did, I really loved it. Assuming this is true... 'Twill be missed...

Construction updates!

I was never a fan of the placement of Firehawk at KI. It is kinda hidden behind the FOF building. A ride that that needs to be on display where everyone can see what makes it unique. Also while standing in the queue the area just seems dead. FOF is inside and adds no kinetic to the area and Firehawk dispatches so slowly it has the same effect. You just feel detached from the rest of the park back there. When i rode it as X-Flight at Geauga Lake it was front and center. I could be seen from the parking lot and also very well from the area of the park it was placed.

Pros and Cons to Firehawk Pros- Its a unique ride that gives a fun riding experience. It's in a cool section of the park that compliments Flight of Fear. Cons- The lift hill is extremely loud, you stare up at the sun for what seems like an eternity, capacity is horrible, its down more times than it should be, and the line for it is horrible. Like what @Gordon Bombay said, I'd be surprised and bot surprised if they did away with it. The Flying Dutchman model has become pretty obsolete ever since B&M made their own flying model. If something better were to replace it, like a giga, I'd be fine with it leaving. Sorry to all the users that are named after Firehawk

Interesting, if it gives it's last ride this year, it might be related to the 2020 project.

For the most part that is true. The only difference as I was told it is that it was going to be placed on the old King Cobra site before Delirium came along. One way that you can tell Firehawk was not originally designed for the spot it is in now is the height of some of the concrete footers. They needed to be built up because the supports are not long enough for the current placement of the ride. The development of what would become X-Flight and Batwing was far enough along before Paramount cancelled them that the ride was in the manufacturing process and promotional materials including souvenirs were being produced. The ride that was coming to Kings Island was also going to be called Stealth. I thought the sister coaster was going to Kings Dominion though not Carowinds.

^ I mean, if we're going to call it a 2-9, better go all out: it's 2-9 electrical with.

That would be funny. Is that possible @malem? It could say, "KIC is 2-9, our admin are working hard to get this fixed for you!"

I’m just pushing what I’d like to see. Wishful thinking in my part...lol. I guess I’m just being opto-pesimistic...

A dive coaster would go pretty well in place of Vortex. It could follow the same lift hill path dive under the midway, loop over the path back into the ravine.

That was for the VIP party. It was Kristi from Blood Drums last year.

My gut says Firehawk. It’s just such a maintenance nightmare, the trains could be sent to Carowinds to keep Nighthawk going for a while longer. But I could see it being Vortex, while it is reliable, it is getting old and has not aged well. It also has a very prominent location which could be well suited to a replacement coaster. I would be shocked if it was WindSeeker.

Here’s what concerns me about this list. Vortex lost 60k riders per year. Extrapolate that out another 4 years. That puts it down another 240k riders. That puts its annual ridership around 760k. That’s a problem for a large expensive coaster. It’s on par with Firehawk and BLST.

Never say never. If it’s not popular, the point is moot.

The definition for a Vortex is: a mass of whirling fluid or air, especially a whirlpool or whirlwind. So wouldn’t “The air is eerily calm” teaser fit that better?

Hmmmmmmm.........bet you Cedar Point's next coaster is a B&M flyer.

I will head that way soon.

Dang it would be weird to not see Firehawk around. However, I can totally understand why they would choose to remove it. I'd still miss it though as it's a pretty fun ride.

It was under the Eiffel Tower, where Dance of the Macabre is now. I never experienced it, so a description from someone who did would be appreciated by both of us.

Riding Mystic Timbers during Winterfest

Well, now your earlier post makes perfect sense...lol.

^Can you blame them, though? No need to reinvent the wheel. Best practices are best practices. And the food service is miles ahead of the large competitor in Mason.

As someone who has frequented this site since 2006, I think I can say that the vast majority of us enjoyed having Terpy on the site and miss him and his unique humor, wit, and sarcasm. A jerk he most definately was not.

This, unfortunately, has been a long time coming. It is with a heavy heart that I tell you that I am moving on from KICentral effective immediately. Over the past 14 years, I have seen this web site grow from a second place fan site to a media powerhouse. We crashed through the glass ceiling of being just a "fan site" and because a legitimate source of Kings Island and amusement industry news. Although I am grateful for the professional experience that I have gotten from this site, I am more grateful for the friendships that I have forged over the years with many of you. This goes from Dane, my former business partner and one of my best friends of 14 years, all the way to the many of you that I met as recently as this past season. Many times this KICentral Universe that you guys formed felt like family and these forums felt like home. We are a Universe of thousands upon thousands of people. We are all different ages, different races, and of different backgrounds. We are all only united under one unified banner: a love for Kings Island. Through all the ups and downs, I still feel like Kings Island is a great park and is run by even better people. We are fortunate to have such a wonderful place to create memories. Why am I stepping aside? Unfortunately due to a constraint in my personal time the growth of my own personal business I simply can not serve as an asset to the team any longer. Recently we appointed two new staff members: malem and IndyGuy4KI - which is a decision that has worked out fantastically. Their ambition and passion for the site has breathed a new light into the forums and as a result of this it became the perfect opportunity to pass the torch. Thank you for taking to time to read this, and thank you for a wonderful 14 years! Ryan aka BoddaH1994

That beach is the reason CP exist, before it was "America's Roller Coast" the park was known as "Queen of American Watering Place" (Also a title of a must read for any CP fan.) It is stil popular today with the resort guests, I don't see the beach going anytime soon. The area highlighted by Planet Snoopy would be difficult to use, the historic convention center (not that CF cares to preserve history), coral courtyard, food service office, employee cafe, part of the administration offices, and food warehouse. However the Ocean Motion spot is available there. I cant see putting in a ride on the Hot Summer Lights Midway without the removal of Wildcat as circled. Inside the games is the Merch Warehouse, and in between Mean Steak and Gemini is the Planing and Design office but there is room around that one. Finally, the pavilions up front. The one immediately next to Raptor is for catered groups, but doesn't see much use now a days, but the front ones are for public use and are jammed packed every day. Removal of those would not sit well with many park goers. LHP, and Camper Village are very popular and even though occupancy has been down at the Resorts, they are not going anywhere. They make money for the park, and help out attendence. EDIT: Fixed Quote Box

Stand-ups hurt period. I don't think the legs were made to withstand 3 to 4+gs of force.

Mean Streak is many things. A twister is not one of them.