Cincinnati.com: Kings Island's Drop Tower among the tallest in North America

[BoddaH1994 14056]

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/entertainment/2019/03/05/tallest-drop-tower-rides-disney-world-six-flags-busch-gardens-marineland/3065065002/

The tangled web of this article is fascinating.  Cincinnati.com is owned by the Cincinnati Enquirer, which in turn is owned by Gannett who also is the parent company to USA Today.  This article is clearly from USA Today, but it appears as though they allowed the Enquirer to change the title to be relevant to their market even though Drop Tower clearly isn't the focus of the article.

[kikid74 152]

According to the article, KD's Drop Tower "rises up a 305 tower and drops 272 feet".

KI's tower is 315 feet but the fall is only 264.

If these figures are accurate, anyone here know the reason for that? Just different manufacturer or style of Drop Tower? 

[Ben43065 1594]

20 minutes ago, kikid74 said:

According to the article, KD's Drop Tower "rises up a 305 tower and drops 272 feet".

KI's tower is 315 feet but the fall is only 264.

If these figures are accurate, anyone here know the reason for that? Just different manufacturer or style of Drop Tower? 

The numbers maybe inaccurate but Kings Dominion website states it drops you 27 stories while Kings Island website states it drops you 26 stories (which converted to about 281 ft). My guess is that Kings Island has a longer break section due to the fact it’s the older model, maybe the breaks were improved for the KD model.

[teenageninja 1583]

I believe the tower height includes the spire.

[Gordon Bombay 2872]

I've always been curious: KI had slated a Drop Tower for the Flight Commander area a few years before Drop Zone debuted in Action Zone. Any idea what model was planned for the FC spot?

Also, anyone know why KI got one particular model and KD got the other?

[Ben43065 1594]

1 minute ago, Gordon Bombay said:

Also, anyone know why KI got one particular model and KD got the other?

I’m going to assume that during the 4 years in between the two installations Intamin improved the ride slightly(Which is why KD’s has a longer drop section). They’re both technically the same ride.

[flightoffear1996 3526]

Kings Islands also has a roto drop and not just a Drop Tower like KD

[Gordon Bombay 2872]

1 hour ago, Ben43065 said:

I’m going to assume that during the 4 years in between the two installations Intamin improved the ride slightly(Which is why KD’s has a longer drop section). They’re both technically the same ride.

Ah, I didn't realize the installations were that far apart. I thought they were back to back, season to season.

 

11 minutes ago, flightoffear1996 said:

Kings Islands also has a roto drop and not just a Drop Tower like KD

Actually, I think they're both the same model/type with a few physical differences (KD's has more seats and a different gondola). Both rotate (or are supposed to) during the ascent. 

Also, I think Intamin calls them "Gyro Drops," the "Roto Drop" is a Roller Coaster Tycoon term.

[flightoffear1996 3526]

I didn’t realize the KD version rotated. I thought that version was called Gaint Drop. 

[txdrummer 161]

The KD version is superior in my opinion. It doesn't rotate, the gondola is bigger providing higher capacity, and most importantly the restraints are much less restrictive. 

The KI version I just can't ride comfortably. Restraints are far too restrictive.

[nicescoot 55]

Does anyone know how long the brake section is? The Wikipedia page says that the drop height is 264 and that is not including the break section. However, I know that it does not take riders over 275 feet because the 275 platform on the Eiffel Tower is the highest point a person can be in the park. That means that the brake section is only 10-11 feet tall at most which doesn't seem too likely to me. I suppose maybe the ground elevation plays a factor in this

[BoddaH1994 14056]

48 minutes ago, nicescoot said:

Does anyone know how long the brake section is? The Wikipedia page says that the drop height is 264 and that is not including the break section. However, I know that it does not take riders over 275 feet because the 275 platform on the Eiffel Tower is the highest point a person can be in the park. That means that the brake section is only 10-11 feet tall at most which doesn't seem too likely to me. I suppose maybe the ground elevation plays a factor in this

I believe 264’ is the distance from where the gondola stops at the top to the ground.

3 hours ago, Gordon Bombay said:

I've always been curious: KI had slated a Drop Tower for the Flight Commander area a few years before Drop Zone debuted in Action Zone. Any idea what model was planned for the FC spot?

Also, anyone know why KI got one particular model and KD got the other?

My understanding was that it was going to be the older generation Intamin, so more like the S&S ones today. 

 

[sixohdieselrage 5909]

Question then. Why do I recall seeing somewhere (cant recall where or when) KI's announced as the Worlds Tallest Gyro Drop?

[gforce1994 1813]

5 hours ago, BoddaH1994 said:

I believe 264’ is the distance from where the gondola stops at the top to the ground.

My understanding was that it was going to be the older generation Intamin, so more like the S&S ones today. 

 

Nope. It stops at 315. The 264 foot distance cited is the fall length, from the dropping point to the first application of brakes.

[BoddaH1994 14056]

2 hours ago, gforce1994 said:

Nope. It stops at 315. The 264 foot distance cited is the fall length, from the dropping point to the first application of brakes.

That would make the tower substantially taller than 315’, which I do not believe it is.

[silver2005 23835]

There's no way that top piece on Drop Tower is 51 ft above where the ride vehicle stops (if you guys are saying the dropping point is at 264 ft and the tower is 315 ft tall).  

[Ben43065 1594]

6 hours ago, silver2005 said:

There's no way that top piece on Drop Tower is 51 ft above where the ride vehicle stops (if you guys are saying the dropping point is at 264 ft and the tower is 315 ft tall).  

The drop refers to the free fall section and not the break section.  The drop section is around that 315 ft mark but it only falls for 264 ft and then it hits the breaks.

10 hours ago, sixohdieselrage said:

Question then. Why do I recall seeing somewhere (cant recall where or when) KI's announced as the Worlds Tallest Gyro Drop?

The ride is still technically taller then the one at KD, I’m not sure if it was the tallest in the world when it opened but it certainly is taller then KD’s

[flightoffear1996 3526]

Weather isn’t 315ft or 264ft the ride freaks me out and you won’t catch me dropping In on a ride any time soon. 

[OLFOF96 97]

I have accepted the challenge of estimating the height of the brakes on Drop Tower! I first measured out a length of 315ft in google earth pro and overlayed an image of Drop Tower to math the 315ft value to ensure the picture was now to scale. Then I measured from the base of the tower to the top of the brake fins on the tower itself. You can see by this photo that the brake fins start at about 110ft from the base of the tower. This would mean that the drop is only 205ft tall if we measure by how much has no brakes. I believe that the 264ft number might come from the distance the rider falls while experiencing 0 g in relation to the seat as this would only stop sometime after the brakes engage.

Edit: I have realized an error in my measurement. The method stayed the same but the more accurate height of the brake run is 125ft.

[Shaggy 4191]

23 hours ago, BoddaH1994 said:

I believe 264’ is the distance from where the gondola stops at the top to the ground.

My understanding was that it was going to be the older generation Intamin, so more like the S&S ones today. 

 

The original Drop Tower planned for KI (to go in Flight Commander's spot in 1997) went to Canada's Wonderland.  It is a 2nd generation Intamin Drop.

[BoddaH1994 14056]

1 hour ago, Shaggy said:

The original Drop Tower planned for KI (to go in Flight Commander's spot in 1997) went to Canada's Wonderland.  It is a 2nd generation Intamin Drop.

So similar, yet so different.

https://www.canadaswonderland.com/play/rides/drop-tower

[sixohdieselrage 5909]

Holy sheet that's short... @BoddaH1994

[BeeastFarmer 4358]

Looks like KI got the better version to me.

[AZ Kinda Guy 1302]

KD’s version has never rotated and was never designed to. In fact, it’s a completely different model. Everything Intamin screwed up with the Gyro Drops, they attempted to fix with Dominions version. 

[Gordon Bombay 2872]

19 hours ago, Shaggy said:

The original Drop Tower planned for KI (to go in Flight Commander's spot in 1997) went to Canada's Wonderland.  It is a 2nd generation Intamin Drop.

Any idea why it went to CW instead?

[Cdeq 402]

55 minutes ago, Gordon Bombay said:

Any idea why it went to CW instead?

I have heard they thought it wouldn't look good with the skyline of the park.

[OLFOF96 97]

59 minutes ago, Cdeq said:

I have heard they thought it wouldn't look good with the skyline of the park.

Even though they built WindSeeker feet from the FC pad and it looks fine.

[Creed Bratton 14501]

This was also a different management organization that put WindSeeker in.

[disco2000 1502]

1 hour ago, Coaster Critics said:

Even though they built WindSeeker feet from the FC pad and it looks fine.

KI WindSeeker is not at the FC pad...

[BoddaH1994 14056]

15 hours ago, Gordon Bombay said:

Any idea why it went to CW instead?

I believe it had almost everything to do with the decision to move it to AZ and make it part of that lineup for the "new area" in 1999.  They may have waited it out for R&D of the new design that would be ready in a few years.