fyrfyter

Going to be tough to see until the sun angle increases and we lose some of the glare.

Looking at the pic, They probably left the tree as a general reference point. It looks like it’s literally right in line with the rest of the structure. Seeing as how there are buildings between the beginning of the ride, and the end of it, it’s a simple vertical reference for the general area things need to head that is above the buildings. Sometimes you use what nature already provides for as long as it is feasible.

I hope we don’t get another wooden coaster out of this. It will just be a waste of Vortex’s demise. I am also tired of B&M. Pick another manufacturer who can do something different and change it up. Steel with 6 inversions again, or better yet, 7!

I don’t think they can install the next lift hill piece yet. I think they have to work equally from both ends. Even though not my expertise, it would make sense that they have to install this as an arch, the top of the hill functioning similarly to a keystone. From a height aspect, it would make sense to start building the backbone of the drop now, while smaller cranes can still be used. In the Fury documentary, they had both the lift hill and the drop going up at the same time. At one point they had a crane holding each end of the track, the final top and a gondola for workers to bolt it all together.

I hope they don’t replace Vortex with another B&M. We didn’t have any before, now we have plenty. I’d rather see a different manufacturer come in. See something else with a different design and feel.

It also says that S&S doesn’t own all the Arrow patents and designs. So if a specific part is needed, it could be part of the problem.

I don’t think the front location is prime for much of anything. I don’t see either ride being removed anytime soon. Invertigo is only 20 years old and Vekoma is still in business, unlike Arrow. I do think The Vortex site will get reused. I think the next site after that one will be where The Bat is. It was installed in 1993, so it will be 30 years old in 4 short years, which means it’s next on the chopping block. Not to mention, still plenty of area out that way for a bigger, better replacement to go.

I’m going to throw this out there. It may not be a popular opinion, but... Why give all this fanfare to Firehawk going away last season and Vortex is barely a blog post? One of these is definitely better than the other one. This just seems very poor handling of an iconic ride, whereas half the people you talked to hated Firehawk. I guess this just tells me there is nothing in the immediate future that will replace it.

They flubbed in the original post saying 45 people had ridden it... I certainly hope so...

Someone needs to learn to proofread... it says in 33 years 45 guests have ridden it.. naw, really?

The cranes don’t really hold pressure, they just position the piece. If you have never seen it done before, the erecting company uses metal pins to get the bolt holes to line up. Gravity and compression hold the pieces down while tensive strength allows it to get stronger as all the parts are bolted together. I wonder what grading of bolts is used to put it together? Grade 8 makes sense, but I don’t know if there is a higher grading than that.

I always wondered about this. I figured it had to be lengths as a 600+’ chain would be ridiculously long and tough to manage. Shorter lengths attached together makes more sense.

There were 4 large cranes in the video clip that I saw for the topping off- 1 holding up one end of the track, one holding up an end of the lift hill, 1 to move the last piece in place and 1 more with a cherry picker basket with 2 workers and tools to hold them in the air to bolt it all together.

The documentary said it required 7 cranes at once to finish the lift hill of Fury. I doubt they can do it with fewer than that.

Probably the day before they go bankrupt...

I have 2 thoughts for tomorrow: 1- they actually put up the first section of lift hill. 2- they don’t. They continue to stage lift hill segments and work on attaching the netting and catwalk as well as assembling and moving supports. I can see both as potential options. I think 1 is way more likely as the lone support is a sail in the wind right now. Adding the track to it will give it more structure and strength.

I’d say as many as they can till they hit max height/capacity on the crane. It will all depend upon how fast the lift hill gains altitude.

Maybe. I remember in the Fury documentary that they said it took 7 cranes at once, three of them being huge to do the lift hill. One for the piece, one to hold the track and one to hold the workers.

I’m guessing until they can get the lift hill cranes and all the lift hill pieces they won’t start on it. It has to me the most expensive part of erecting it. They can continue to work on the station, brake runs and transfer track. That probably requires a lot of little bits and pieces to make it all work as well as wiring and mechanical systems.

Depends upon the cement and what it’s used for. Was it cement or concrete? There is a difference.

Like I said before, you can fudge the numbers any way you want. What it looks like and what it really is, is all that matters. Removal of rides is what will stick in everyone’s mind going into next season. Half the park gone = immediate reduction in price or nobody will go. A packed half will result in less people as well. People want space, not have to be stacked on one another. I’m betting the attendance loss will be around 50%. That 50%, plus a reduction on the admission price is a net loss all around. I suspect the seasonal margins are thin enough, that this has to fly within a year, otherwise it won’t happen at all. EDIT: This reminds me a lot of another closure, where rides were removed and a “promised” water park expansion never happened... That park closed as well for many years...

Maybe there’s a flag on the lift hill... maybe KIO needs a 30 foot flag on the lift hill...hmm

This will either work or it won’t. It’s that simple. If they don’t do a major expansion of the water side over this winter, they are done for. They don’t have time to slowly work through 2020 to get where they need to be. The park will never survive an already short summer season where more than 50% won’t come because there aren’t any rides anymore.

You’re not. There’s a standoff distance listed in the Fire Code as well as the NFPA 1123 guide for fireworks. It depends upon the size of the shell used as to how far the minimum distance is that the “crowd” can be. Anything closer or in close proximity must be shut down during the fireworks display and 20 minute “cool down” after the display is over. They could always move the launching location elsewhere...

There are a number of valleys where those pieces could go.