BSBMX

Updating my CAD for the last time. To recap, pulling data from the column coordinates (from blueprints) gives us a horizontal distance between the main lift footings of 453'. Also, the lift angle is 40deg (from blueprints). If the blueprints are accurate (and I'm betting they are), then these numbers are accurate. The 453' came directly from the CAD X/Y/Z coordinates...no chance of trig typos here. Pulling from Google maps, I'm estimating a horizontal distance between Fury's main lift footings to be 528'. There's certainly some room for error here, but I feel that any error is negligible given that I'm only using an image of Fury for reference. Using this 528' distance, I dropped in a full height image of Fury's lift and scaled it so that the crest is right at 325' in my CAD. Of course the image is not a true straight-on image (perpendicular) of Fury's lift, but for reference, I think this is good enough. This image will be used to provide a reference for what KI's coaster's crest will look like. Also from the blueprints, there is a silhouette of the lift's support columns. Focusing on the last one of the drop can give me an estimate on what the drop angle will be. I dropped in the below image into my CAD and drew sketch lines over the support silhouette lines, as well as an array of possible drop angles, in 1deg increments) between 81deg (Fury's drop) to 90deg (for the dreamers out there). lift overhead3 silhouette.bmp From here, I lined my array of angles to match the silhouette sketches. Given that this particular support is likely on the straight portion of the drop's backbone (based on Levi and Fury), I can rule out a few of these angles. Sorry boys/girls, but the 90deg just doesn't even make it, and 89-86deg is too far fetched to line up even close to where the drop could be. At 85deg, we start getting close, but I think even 85deg is still pushing it, based on where the footings are located and mimicking Fury's crest. At around 83-84deg though, I think we're getting close to the realm of possibilities. And anything less (82-81) will just give us a shorter lift height. In my sketch below, you'll see 3 horizontal lines near the top. One's at 325', for Fury's reference. The middle is right at 300', and the lower one is at 285'. Even at the 83-84deg drop estimate, and mimicking Fury's crest the best I can, that still puts us between the 285-300' range. If B&M really tightens up the crest curvature (compared to Fury), then I think they could hit maybe 305' no problem, but I don't see it going higher than that (again, based on where the footings are, lift angle, and being similar to Fury's crest). KI drop.bmp Of course, I don't want this "shorter" height to be true, but the blueprint numbers just don't give us the height that Fury has. Now, if B&M does something new with the backbone design, then all bets are off the table. Also, this is only analyzing the lift height, not drop height. There are talks of ravines, and tunnels, and whatever else, and those could potentially give us a pretty good drop height, but they won't affect lift height.

335' is the apex height between a 40° lift and a 81° drop. Counting in the lift's crest, it would be shorter than that.

Some of those footers/piers are 30'+ deep. They're drilling those, not digging. There will be a new group of equipment come in for the footers.

That's what I'm thinking, but if its backbone is something similar to Hyperion's, then maybe there's a chance?

The backbone of the drop may not even connect fully, or at all, to the track like Fury and Levi. The backbone may look something similar to Hyperion's. It would be something new for B&M, but it's nothing radically different. This could keep the footings right where they're at but give us a coaster that's quite a bit taller than just 300'. Though, the dashed lines on the footings blueprint do not support this theory, but it's an idea.

Maybe the few guys that saw the legit documents can confirm this, but the scanned copies almost show a very faint track outline of the coaster on the footings print. Granted, it's kinda obvious where the track outline would be since we know where the footings are, but still, I find it interesting to see. The curve is what I noticed first, but you can definitely see faint *somethings* along most of the path.

The L16D support (the end of the backbone at the drop) does have the deepest and one of the largest poured piers out of the entire lift. Granted, I think that could have been assumed, but this single support is carrying a lot of weight. Going vertical or near vertical just puts more weight on that single support.

I was kinda thinking along the same lines. A 90deg drop would give us the height we're looking for. Also, my estimate is using a decently-perpendicular image of Fury's crest, but it's not perfect, so that's going to affect my numbers some for sure. Hard to say how much though.

It is on the print (it's column labeled L16D, towards the lower-right of the print). The footing is likely flat, and whatever angle is there is accounted for in the steel column, not the footing.

Even though my CAD suggests it's below 300', my hope and just logical growth for the park tells me the coaster needs to be 300'+. I think it'll be closer to the 300' than 325' or more, but regardless, it just doesn't make sense for it to be less than 300'.

GateKeeper and Valravn have similar lift supports.

The prints call the supports 'columns', and the backbone is considered a column. This design is similar to many other B&M lift designs.

Here's an image that might help.

The face that the backbone mounts to is at 50deg, but the backbone is perpendicular to it (its complementary angle), which is at 40deg.

Replying to myself here...but if I change the drop angle to ~85-86deg, while keeping nearly similar geometry/curvature, then I get it right at 300' tall.

The plans show the lift hill backbone footing at 40deg. The 81deg drop is just an assumption at this point (based on Fury).

So I updated my CAD to now include the X, Y, and Z values of the column coordinates. Adding the Z values didn't really change much. This time around, I dropped in an image of Fury, best one I could find perpendicular to the lift's crest. Using Google Maps, I estimate the distance between the two lift backbone footings to be 539' apart. Throwing this info into my model, and adjusting the crest to be 325' above zero, gives me an estimate of how much of the crest takes up the height. Dropping in an identical scaled image of Fury, but this time matching it up with the 40° lift and 81° drop of KI's coaster, gives me an estimated height right at 275'. I don't want to believe it, but my logic checks out, I think?

You might be right on that. I was just hoping for more details!

Heck yea! Unfortunately no details of the drop footer where the backbone dives into the ground, but I still believe there will be one similar to Fury. I'll better estimate/update my CAD tonight once the baby is asleep.

Not necessarily true. All that's shown here are typical footer/footing examples......NVM, I read too quickly what you said, my bad.

Agree--any other clear images like this will further help us figure this out.

No, other direction. What you see attached to the footer/footing is the beginning of the backbone (note the "(PER RIDE MFR)" notes near it).

That is correct. 40° is the lift angle, 50° is just the face that the backbone is perpendicular to.

If the footing/footer coordinates are correct, and I suspect they are, that puts us at a lift height of around 300'. Pretty positive about the lift being at 40°. Assuming at this point the drop is at 81°, similar to Fury. I'll play with the numbers later on to see what a 85° drop would do to the height. Nothing is guaranteed about the drop height though. They could pull a tunnel on us and get some extra depth in there.

Right, they're angled, but they support the lift (near the beginning), not the drop. My mouse cursor is right next to L4R.