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Wooo! IMAScore for Orion.

We had a thread titled: "Ask Kings Island a Question." It has been on hiatus for some time, so we are going to start over with a new thread to get new questions and answers. After we get like 5 questions I will lock the thread until we get them answered and then start up again, keeping the question and answer time a little more organized than before. I did pull questions from the old thread and got answers from Chad Showalter to get us started in this thread. Enjoy, and start asking your questions in this thread. Please only 1 question per post. 1. How far in advance was Vortex and Firehawk's demise planned before it was announced to the public? Answer: In both cases, the tough decision to remove these rides was not known too far in advance. So many things go into determining if an attraction has reached the end of its service life. Once that decision is made, we do our best to make sure that guests have as much advance notice as possible to get in their last rides. While it’s not always possible, we were glad that there was plenty of notice for most to get their final rides in on both Firehawk and Vortex. A little known fact is that Firehawk almost closed with no notice in 2018, due to a challenging repair that needed to be made. But park officials didn’t want that to be the end of the ride’s legacy. So, the maintenance team stepped in, working day and night to make the necessary repairs. The park moved forward with announcing the ride’s closing at the end of the 2018 season. 2. Does the lake where Vikings Fury is ever get maintenance,and does Vikings fury get yearly maintenance? Answer: All areas of the park receive ongoing maintenance including the lake where Viking Fury is located. Viking Fury also receives annual maintenance as specified by the manufacturer’s recommendations. 3. Now that the season is over, can we get a list of ridership for the coasters? 2019 and total? Answer: We will eventually release those numbers, but we have not done it yet. Stay tuned. 4. Despite the coaster being indoors, has Flight of Fear ever been repainted? Answer: Not yet. Because Flight of Fear is indoors, it is not exposed to weather elements like an outdoor coaster would be. Because of this, it is not necessary to repaint it as often as other coasters in the park.

I've sent the final manuscript into the publisher! There is a possibility that the book will be coming out in April instead of May.

May I ask why it matters so much? Im not trying to ruffle feathers. I just don’t understand why it’s a big deal whether a fence is added or not. Historically the park has often erected a wooden fence to shroud areas from view of the public. Sometimes for esthetic reasons, sometimes to mask what’s going on behind them. Just to name few - when KCKC was torn down, a wooden fence was added. Same for King Cobra, Xtreme Raceway (I think it was called), Kings Mill Log Flume, Food stand in Rivertown (pre MT), Sunshine Turnpike, and most recently Firehawk (Probably more but all I can think of right off the top of my head.). Back in the day - during the original Run of Winterfest - entire areas of the park were masked by wooden fencing to deter guests from accessing closed sections (rear of Rivertown, Coney Mall, Wild Animal Habitat etc) If I were to guess, Id expect them to put a wooden fence up along the midway from Rivertown to Coney Mall. If nothing else, to hide a currently unattractive area of the park (not to mention build mystery.) It would (or will) be a loooong fence to cover all that area - however. My prediction is it’s probably shocking to see the large plot of land sitting empty. It would make sense if they had to remove a lot of trees and foliage growth to demolish Vortex. They likely destroyed a lot of the soil under Vortex with equipment. That having been said, I would think they’d want to at least attempt to mask the vacancy and disturbance to the landscape. If you’re concerned about being able to see the site - there’s always the view from the Tower. But the park has been pretty clear that nothing immediate will be happening in its spot. (Make no mistake, however, something IS going to go in that area.) But bottom line - if they do or if they don’t, it’s not a big deal. At least not as big a deal as many on here like to make things out to be from time to time. Just sayin’

If the park was so concerned about people videoing testing, maybe they should have thought twice before signing off on a 300-foot coaster. That they built such a highly visible ride, then expect us to just look away when it starts testing again, is one of the most ridiculous things I’ve heard in a while.

I think the video was disrespectful to the park but who said this was even a a member of KIC.

Why does every topic have to end up discussing things like this? The park doesn't like it, but people do it. If you're super mad about it, don't watch it. KIC doesn't support it, but Facebook and YouTube will never care. It was pretty sad to see the station completely demolished like that

My question: When did the planning for Orion start and was it always planned to start in the Firehawk area?

We saw Orion testing from the Little Miami Trail today which was very close to the ride and I will tell you that it was absolutely flying through the elements. It was even going much faster than I anticipated through that huge turnaround. A very nice surprise. I hope it's like this when it opens.

Let us always remember. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

A quote from the article I can't agree with more! If KD wants to stay in the game and not be left in the trails of BG which most people already find the more supreme park in the area they need to strategize a game plan for the next decade. "many folks feel that Kings Dominion needs to replace Volcano with a major coaster if they hope to compete with the incredible investments Busch Gardens Williamsburg is currently pursuing."

Have you ridden an S&S 4d Free Spin coaster? I've ridden 3 of them - and they are terrible. (I only rode the last two for the "count.") If... and that's a big if... Kings Dominion is getting one... then shame shame shame. Not of CF quality. Shaggy

I have permission from the copyright holders of every photo included in the book.

It was not done with permission. So for those who continue to ask why the park doesn’t do offseason tours and exclusive events anymore. This video is your answer why. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I think expanding PS into a CS would get thematically confusing. I also don’t think there is enough room to expand that much. When Carowinds transitioned it’s kids area, the quality of the entire area improved. The same seems to be the case for Michigan this season. In my opinion, the park wouldn’t really have to add much in terms of new attractions to generate buzz — maybe a soft play structure under the cover of the old theater, and a small coaster or a few family flats. Replace the grill and ice cream stand with a full sized restaurant, refurbish Boo Blasters and the flume, and you’re done. Just my little dream.

It's On YouTube, very beautiful shots and wonderfully edited!

Much larger and it stays in the element a lot longer. Basically everything about it is bigger.

Keep us posted on when it will be available and where we will be able to get copies of the book. If you want some additional information on this book, be sure to check out the latest KIC podcast!

You mean "filming" right?

Tresspassing is wrong, and more importantly illegal. However with that being said, it is not worth getting all personally worked up about. People make bold decisions all the time. As I recall we used to have members fly in planes above the park just to get ariel shots. Having some random nerd fly a drone over the park isn't going to affect you all as members of this site and as general park goers. I'm sure the park is looking into the origin of the video to identify the individual who tresspassed. Just follow the rules and look out for yourselves and everything will be okay.

I’M DISGUSTED AT HOW MANY WAYS KIC AND ENTHUSIASTS MANAGE TO BREAK RULES. THE PARK LAID OUT VERY SPECIFIC RULES, AND WE COMPLETELY FUDGE IT UP. Note, I’m not using caps out of anger, but rather to draw attention to a single point everyone misses, we really need to respect the park. Honestly, we love the park so much that we have our own site discussing the park, but unfortunately, some get so obsessed they need to break rules to feed their greed for information. Mods, @IndyGuy4KI, is there anyway we can do a zero tolerance policy?

Probably will be like Banshee where we don't really have a nickname for it. Honestly, if anything probably Onion since it's already a meme lol.

Why would anyone think dip on a ride is a good idea? Has no one seen The Sandlot?

If you look at the POV of Orion at the apex of that turn, the horizon appears to be beyond vertical, whereas the turn on the coaster in China does not appear to reach 90 degrees.

One could argue if they had the event then someone wouldn't feel the need to trespass.... ...um wait yeah someone would still do it...

Standard retail price will be $17.95.

Will Kings Island be doing a big celebration for their 50th anniversary?

It's hard to predict how that element will feel since it's new for a B&M. The only thing I could see is that it was going very fast through it. I'm expecting some vertical floater into some lateral floater airtime.

Watching the test video: more evidence Orion is gonna haul from start to finish. The sideways turn looks very fast, and then the 200+ foot turnaround is taken at speeds near or above what Millennium Force takes during its first overbanked turn. And that is with the 170+ foot sideways hill before it to burn off speed, with a drop that is the same height (300 foot drops for both)! Orion may only be a 60-second ride from the top of the lift to the final brakes, but it should be a pretty darn intense and epic 60 seconds.

Congrats to @TheFloppyDisc for this gorgeous picture of the rainbow over Gatekeeper at Cedar Point.

To be honest, I'm hoping that they will build a big wooden fence next to The Beast's station. It deserves permanent privacy.

Can we please be nice to each other on here? It seems like we have this kind of argument every month and it's getting annoying.

I took this picture of a groundhog near The Bat, it came right up to my camera!

I'll be working at KI this year at the Eiffel Tower, hopefully I don't have to kick people out, but I won't be afraid to call security if they break the rules (like spit over the side).

I agree. I don't ride it often, but it's a fun ride and the younger crowds seem to love it. It doesn't make sense to remove it based purely on taste. Also, it's a family-friendly coaster and the park could use more of those, not less. I wouldn't mind a new theme, but I also think could utilize more of the land behind it and it might not stick out so much.

Wait... You mean it wasn't already themed to a junkyard?!

Yes, congratulations TheFloppyDisc, that really is an amazing shot! Also, thanks to everyone for sharing photos...it makes the off-season seem to go by quicker.

I would hope the entrance would be across from the BLSC entry area. This accomplishes several things. 1. No exit by WS which can get congested. 2. Having a plaza in the middle means more interaction and photo ops with the ride.

I think the music on the testing video is stock music.

It’s Balok! Who else? You sir are not going to win any Star Trek trivia contests.

Coronavirus Care Center

Oh that was a little concept someone came up with.

This is the largest investment in the park's history and people have a right to be interested in seeing it test. Nobody is being TMZ, nobody is trespassing in the park. Again, it's such a massive ride, it's impossible to miss seeing it testing.

This again... -No there is no law against filming/taking photos from off property -Yes you can fly over the park -Kings Island saying pretty please don't do something doesn't mean it's law Lastly this would not repeatedly come up if the park was forward in the first place instead up being abstract. How hard is it to say, "For the safety of our team leading the construction we will be for the remainder of the build shut down our webcams, Thank you for understanding"

Google doesn’t need permission to take and publish pictures of your house, from the street or space. At this time the law is clear on this issue. Ethical issues are always up for debate.

And if they are in fact asking you to not record there 300 foot rollercoaster which can be seen from well around mason then they are in fact out of line.

Sure! As a reminder, the poll to vote for the name of the coaster closes at noon this Sunday, so vote while you can if you haven't voted. For the coaster itself, construction has not started yet. Construction is going to start at the end of May/ beginning of June and will be completed sometime in June. The concept is all worked out, its just a matter of time.

I took this picture at Sonic Temple in Columbus last year.

I think a Mack multi-launch would be great in that area. With Firehawk gone and now Vortex leaving, that's two large steel inverting coasters out of the park. I think that void needs to be filled, and would love something like Blue Fire at Europa Park or a Mack's equivalent to Maverick. I think that's a near perfect plot for something like that.