Eerie Similarity Ive found Between Windseeker and a Kings Island ride of the past

[benred23]

Ok, I may be way off base here.. But I cant help but think about this. WindSeeker is now over a Month behind schedule. And with all the Alterations and Modifications Ive seen that has had to be done or are being done to the ride, Im starting to wander if its ever going to be open. But any ways, I see alot of startling similarities between WindSeeker and the former Kings Island ride, Flight Commander. Posted is 2 Youtube Videos, so you can see what Im talking about..

Now we all know what happened on this ill fated KI Ride, But WindSeeker is from the looks of it, (I Dont have actual specs) roughly 225 feet taller than Flight Commander, and although it dosent roll, the safety harness dosent look as good or as safe as Flight commanders even was. Kinda makes me have second thoughts about riding it..

I Was geeked for this ride when it was announced. And Im sure I Prolly will end up riding it, And I realize its a prototype along with the other 3 that have been installed/are being installed and changes have to be made here and there for the design, Just kinda freaky.. I would hate to think that the tragedy that happened on Flight Commander would even be possible on WindSeeker, but still..

[bkroz]

Now we all know what happened on this ill fated KI Ride, But WindSeeker is from the looks of it, (I Dont have actual specs) roughly 225 feet taller than Flight Commander, and although it dosent roll, the safety harness dosent look as good or as safe as Flight commanders even was. Kinda makes me have second thoughts about riding it..

I Was geeked for this ride when it was announced. And Im sure I Prolly will end up riding it, And I realize its a prototype along with the other 3 that have been installed/are being installed and changes have to be made here and there for the design, Just kinda freaky.. I would hate to think that the tragedy that happened on Flight Commander would even be possible on WindSeeker, but still..

Does the safety harness on Diamondback look "as good or as safe" as the one on Vortex? Do you feel safer on one than on the other? Are you safer on one than on the other? What happened on Flight Commander was tragic, but don't forget that it happened due to an intoxicated guest and an undivided seat that she sat in alone which was apparently not anticipated by the manufacturer. There are always unforeseen circumstances that can occur, but at least have confidence that WindSeeker will not operate until it meets and exceeds the strictest safety standards in amusement park history (things are a lot different today than they were two decades ago...).

P.S. Not sure if anyone else noticed: Some of the people saying that WindSeeker looks unsafe or that they're not sure if they trust it are the same ones who say they would get in line for Son of Beast if it miraculously opened today, as-is... Interesting!

[benred23]

Thats very true and a good point.. If what happened to that Intoxicated lady on what was known as "Kings Islands blackest day" had never happened, Its a strong possibility we'd still see flight commander in operation today. And I do have confidence that all the bugs will be ironed out before the ride ever opens.. But then again, Canadas Wonderlands WS Opened to the public for 1 day and then closed very fast because of a "Mechanical problem" If that Mechanical problem would have resulted in a injury to a guest, It would have the same reputation as Flight commander had... Granted, different circumstances and all, but still..

PS, also. To be honest with you, when comparing Vortex to Diamond back, I think the restraints are fine. Diamondback dosent have shoulder harnessess because its a straight up and down and rolling roller coaster coaster.. No Inversions and/or loops or anything, While Vortex's over the shoulder Restraints are perfect for this type of ride... Now this dosent hold true for Flight Deck, (Shoulder harnessess, no Inversions), still...

[TombRaiderFTW]

^ And yet no one was injured, and no one who's talking can say that guest safety was in question. I guess I don't really see your point.

P.S. There are in fact coasters with inversions that have only lapbars. See also Greezed Lightnin' at the former Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom, Dare Devil Dive at Six Flags Over Georgia, or even Son of Beast before its loop, due to unrelated circumstances, was removed.

[ChazyG]

It also doesn't hold true to Flight of Fear. Loops and inversions but (thank god they are gone) no over the Shoulder restraints either...

[SOB_TOM]

I'm still waiting to see how these two rides compare to each other, other than the fact they are both vertical tower rides.

I know that we are getting antsy when it comes to WS, but can we PLEASE not try to stretch things too far out of proportion? Next thing you are going to compare is an apple and an orange because they are both round...

[Thrill_Biscuit]

Next thing you are going to compare is an apple and an orange because they are both round...

Actually, most oranges are geoid, while apples tend to grow into a more cardioid shape.

-Tb, who just had to-oid.

[Avatar]

Since this topic was posted in the WindSeeker construction thread first (were it should have stayed) and this topic has ran it's course, this thread is now closed. Any further post on this topic should be posted in the WindSeeker construction thread. Thank you.