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The Firehawk back-story...


Shaggy
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I  have some interesting bits  to add to this as well.  I got a coaster book a while back called 'Roller Coasters- A Thrill Seeker's Guide to the Ultimate Scream Machines' by Robert Coker. Its a hardback that goes over the basic history of coasters and delves into the many type and even includes worded POV's of a few notable rides (some include GhostRider, Beast, Volcano: The Blast Coaster, Son of Beast, and Millennium Force to name a few). 
 

The section on flying coasters is centered around Stealth (the book came out in 2002) and goes a little bit into the development.  Turns out the Dutch equivalent to NASA, NLR -the Netherlands Aerospace Centre, and a few other major contributors to such sciences from where Vekoma has their HQ, were all apart of the Stealth project. 

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Interesting. If it would have came and went in the KC location, We wouldn't have Banshee. Or at least not in it's current form. And as a somewhat confirmation of the story:

fh.png

 

It's almost like Firehawk was designed for that spot... because it was. The one time Google having the old SOB imagery up being beneficial. lol

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Shaggy, your history knowledge of the park may be able to dispel a rumor that I once heard about Screamin' Demon in that it was a similar situation where Kings Island has wanted to build said coaster, and during the process decided not to go through with it, so their actual coaster went elsewhere, and ended its life in Angola Indiana as Afterburner, and somewhere in that stretch of time, KI ended up actually buying what would be known as Screamin' Demon from another park... 

Not sure the validity, but it was a neat story when I read it... 

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I have not heard anything about that.  Screamin Demon opened at KI.  To my knowledge, it never ran at another park, prior to opening at KI.

Thanks for the interesting read Shaggy! 

The last few years that KCKC was around, it was certainly showing its age.  I just wish that that plot of land would receive more attention than just as a Haunt that is open for a month and a half.

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Re: Those curious about Screamin Demon - here's the blog I write detailing it's entire history...

https://www.visitkingsisland.com/blog/2017/august/thrown-for-a-loop

Re: The KD Flying coaster... I cannot speak to the details of the KD side of things, as I wasn't privy to specifics of that park - just KI...  I will say, I would question KD ever being slated to get an RCCA wooden looping coaster because:  RCCA didnt even finish the SOB project - they were fired before it was completed & KI was hellbent on being the only park in the chain with a looping wooden coaster.

 

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7 minutes ago, Shaggy said:

Re: Those curious about Screamin Demon - here's the blog I write detailing it's entire history...

https://www.visitkingsisland.com/blog/2017/august/thrown-for-a-loop

Re: The KD Flying coaster... I cannot speak to the details of the KD side of things, as I wasn't privy to specifics of that park.  Just KI... that's why I didn't speak to it.  I will say, I would question KD ever being slated to get an RCCA wooden looping coaster because:  RCCA didnt even complete the SOB project - they were fired before it was completed & KI was hellbent on being the only park in the chain with a looping wooden coaster.

 

 As per usual, I will certainly take your information over some anecdotal story I've read in the dark corners of the internet! 

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1 hour ago, Shaggy said:

(As I understood, the routing & delivery of the rides was already scheduled – so rather than further complicate matters, Six Flags simply added them to the 2 parks closest to KI & KD.)  

Not to nitpick, but wouldn't Kentucky Kingdom have been the closest SIX property to KI? I guess it's not that much different of a drive though. Either going north on 71 or south on 71 to get to one or the other from KI.

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18 minutes ago, teenageninja said:

I think the most ironic thing about this is that they tore down KCKC because it was an eyesore and installed a giant tan box in Rivertown.

Sums up the major disconnect that Paramount always had. For better or worse, Cincy folks are nostalgic and traditional. Don't tell us what's an eyesore! And don't get rid of the classics!

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34 minutes ago, Shaggy said:

Re: Those curious about Screamin Demon - here's the blog I write detailing it's entire history...

https://www.visitkingsisland.com/blog/2017/august/thrown-for-a-loop

Re: The KD Flying coaster... I cannot speak to the details of the KD side of things, as I wasn't privy to specifics of that park - just KI...  I will say, I would question KD ever being slated to get an RCCA wooden looping coaster because:  RCCA didnt even finish the SOB project - they were fired before it was completed & KI was hellbent on being the only park in the chain with a looping wooden coaster.

 

I have the docs for KD, spent the last hour trying to dig them up. The funny thing is the plans list (Drop Zone in 03), Volcano in 98, go-kart arena, and Waterpark Expansions

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1 hour ago, Shaggy said:

Re: Those curious about Screamin Demon - here's the blog I write detailing it's entire history...

https://www.visitkingsisland.com/blog/2017/august/thrown-for-a-loop

 

Shaggy, sorry to derail this thread, but I have a question about the Screamin Demon.  Seems there is some confusion about whether or not it was at Fun Spot in Angola. For it's worth, I have an old Cincy Enquirer clipping from 1987 that claims it was headed for Fun Spot. Your blog (and RCDB) indicate it went straight to Camden, Furthermore, RCDB states that Afterburn at Fun Spot came from Florida.

Did the Enquirer simply get the facts wrong, or did the Demon's plan change after that was written?

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The Arrow Shuttle-Loop coaster at KI - Screamin Demon - was only located at Kings Island, then at Camden Park as Thunderbolt Express.

The owner of Fun Spot originally attempted to buy Screamin Demon from KI in 1987 when they announced it's removal, but the deal fell through for unspecified reasons - but more than likely because he revealed to the press why KI was removing it (for "a flume ride" which ultimately was Amazon Falls)  The park opted to sell to Camden instead.

Arrow's original prototype Shuttle-Loop coaster was opened at Circus World in Florida (after KI's opened - Screamin Demon was the first Arrow Shuttle Loop to operate for the public) where it ran from 1977 until the park (later named Boardwalk and Baseball) closed abruptly in 1990.  The coaster was then purchased and relocated to Fun Spot in 1991 where it operated at AfterburnER until 2008.

 

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That is some great insider info you shared @Shaggy. I had heard about the problems with Stealth and Paramount's decision not to install more, but you added so much more vivid detail. I too rode X Flight at Geauga Lake, but after Cedar Fair purchased the park. I never went to SFWOA as I had heard way too many complaints about that park. I should've gone just to say I experienced it. Anyhow, I loved the theme and colors of X Flight. Never cared for the new paint job it received as Firehawk. IMO, they should have stuck with a name that was similar to X Flight as it would have tied in to the X base theme plus you have FOF next to it. 

Also, I has not read your blog on the Screamin' Demon that was relocated to Camden Park as the Thunderbolt Express. However, you did respectfully correct me on this board about how Camden had acquired that ride. As you may know, people in this area had added on to the addition saying that Kings Island had owned the park and that's why Camden had received Thunderbolt. 

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Wow! What a fantastic read! I’ve always been interested in the Kings Island that never was. Do you know of any rides that were considered but not installed? I recall hearing that the Eiffel Tower was slated to be replaced with something else, I can’t recall what it was to be though.

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10 hours ago, silver2005 said:

I  have some interesting bits  to add to this as well.  I got a coaster book a while back called 'Roller Coasters- A Thrill Seeker's Guide to the Ultimate Scream Machines' by Robert Coker. Its a hardback that goes over the basic history of coasters and delves into the many type and even includes worded POV's of a few notable rides (some include GhostRider, Beast, Volcano: The Blast Coaster, Son of Beast, and Millennium Force to name a few). 
 

The section on flying coasters is centered around Stealth (the book came out in 2002) and goes a little bit into the development.  Turns out the Dutch equivalent to NASA, NLR -the Netherlands Aerospace Centre, and a few other major contributors to such sciences from where Vekoma has their HQ, were all apart of the Stealth project. 

I have that same book! I love the ride bios (especially Stealth, Volcano and SOB) and I thought the "Aftershock" chapter was cool (that Invertigo picture, though... B)), discussing future coasters like the Vekoma Tilt and Aerobatic. Did you know that according to the book, an idea for the Tilt Coaster was to have a design feature where riders could pick which track they wanted to experience on the way up the lift?

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@Shaggy, great read!

Can you clarify where Firehawk was originally supposed to be installed? I’d heard it was intended for where it is now, this making the install much easier to install. I’d also heard it was going where Backlot is now. You mentioned that they were trading King Cobra for it. Does that mean they wanted to put it there?

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7 hours ago, BoddaH1994 said:

@Shaggy, great read!

Can you clarify where Firehawk was originally supposed to be installed? I’d heard it was intended for where it is now, this making the install much easier to install. I’d also heard it was going where Backlot is now. You mentioned that they were trading King Cobra for it. Does that mean they wanted to put it there?

It was going where King Cobra was.  It wasn’t going to be installed by FOF or behind the Eiffel Tower as rumors suggest.  I specifically asked Jeff Seibert this a few years back and he confirmed it was spec’d for Action Zone.

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