BavarianBeatle

Hopefully, you realize that: * Many, if not perhaps most, of the posters here are underage to be drinking beer. * Many others who are of age do not partake, either in the park or perhaps not at all, for reasons ranging from religious to lack of desire to participate in such activities to being recovering alcoholics to not wanting to encourage Cedar Fair's food and drink pricing practices. Some of us don't even drink root beer anymore... See, even a conciliatory statement on this board can get one in a quibble! We're funny like that. Most of us, anywho. Beatle you also need to realize a few other things that you fail to clarify and could also get you in a quibble in addition to what Interpreter said: * What brand of beer? and * Who's buying? Since I made the offer, I am buying the first round, and, before I walk up to the bar, I'm asking what everybody wants.........:")

Well.... there has been some discussion in this thread about who "started" this argument, and, unfortunately, I believe it was me. Alhough I agree with DeLorean about the physics, I hope that this is a "family" argument.... In other words, I have a brother and a sister and we fought like cats and dogs growing up, but, in the end, we still loved each other.........The people on this site all love the park, and we all love roller coasters, and, when this argument is over, we should all just ride together and experience the thrills and excitement that brought us all here in the first place.... And then relax at the lake by Bubba Gumps, drink a beer, and toast how happy we are to be there....... After all, don't we go to KI to just have fun and escape the problems and petty conflicts in our lives????????

Another point, once again I'm relying on my legal backgound, if any coaster designer knew that thay had designed a coaster that could possibly eject a rider during the normal operation or the ride, regardless of the restraint system, the knowledge of that possibility would result in unimaginable liability if it actually happened. And I mean not just the normal medical bills, pain and suffering, lost wages, etc., but potentialy millions of dollars in punitive damages.

Ryan, Thank you for that post. Like the eight words I always tell my children, to the point that they know them by heart: "Don't believe everything you read on the internet".........

I'm With Monroe. Kings Island would Not take the time, effort, and money to install the restraints if they were, Reduntant! They are to keep you in. Have you ever seen Final Destination 3? Well, that's one of the many reasons that they have the seatbelts. Over all, BUCKLE UP! It's the law. You SHOULD! buckle up!!! it is the law. But the restraints on recently designed coasters serve the same purpose as the seat belts in your car, I.E. to protect you in an accident. Nothing more, nothing less.......

Someone at work insisted that The Racer had been torn down.....

O.K. I have held back long enough. The only restraint on a roller coaster that is "redundant" is the belt from the otsr to the seat. The primary restraints on a roller coaster are THERE TO HOLD YOU IN, G-forces will not hold every one in. There are too many considerations such as weight, and even the shape of the object. Roller coasters are designed with the least amount of G's possible and still provide a thrill for the rider. Coasters with high G's are designed that way because a certain element requires it. (Example: a certain element was removed from a new roller coaster at CP last summer because of this problem). If The Vortex were designed to hold you in without restraints, then they would make every one put on a G-suit before riding. As for the psychological part, yes you got part of that right, it is actually for the psychological comfort of the designer knowing that the passengers are safe on the ride. Designers are very conscious of how a rider feels on a ride, and comfort and safety is priority. Psychological comfort is the part that is redundant. There are a couple of aspiring designers that have posted on this board before, some have internships with design firms. I would suggest that you hunt them down and ask them before you make an assumption like this. That is not an assumption. As an attorney who has been involved in litigation involving alleged roller coaster injuries, my sources are the expert witnesses who have testified to this under oath in depositions. They all said that the goal in designing coasters is to create the illusion of danger while, at the same time, making the ride completely safe. But with older wooden "airtime" coasters, I agree with you, you DO need the restraints. But, I believe that on modern steel coasters, you could ride without a restraint and not fall out. Maybe I'm overconfident:).

Probably technically.... But with pennies, you always have the excuse "Hmmm...They must have fallen out of my pocket" And, by the way, I did that in the back car so that, in case they did happen to fall out, they wouldn't hit anyone sitting behind us. I wasn't 100 percent confident in that experiment. But it did work.

The pimary purpose of the restraint systems on a coaster like Vortex is the psychological comfort of the passenger. Unless there is a derailment or a crash. During normal operation of the ride, looping coasters are designed so that the G-forces and inertia will actually hold the passenger in the seat, rendering the entire restraint system redundant. I would suggest the following experiment. When you get on Vortex, take two or three pennies out of your pocket and place them in your lap or on the floor. They will not fall out even though they are not restrained. This is how I helped my children overcome their fear of going upside down.

Although woefully lacking in originality and creativity, Flight Deck and The Crypt do fit the descriptions of the rides. Backlot Stunt Coaster? Perhaps they will retheme it to contain things that are commonly seen in backlots: Dumpsters, loading docks caked with years worth of unidentified swill, broken beer bottles, abandoned tires and appliances, overgrown weeds, a couple of 12 year old kids smoking, a car with two teenagers making out in the back seat...... etc. I don't particularly care for that name.

KI is in my dreams frequently, but it is always about spending time there and walking around, talking and enjoying life..... Most of my dreams indicate a desire to escape, which I know I have, especially when I'm couped up inside all winter. Many times the dreams involve people from my past as well. I guess it's like Carl Weathers said in "Happy Gilmore"....In those dreams, I "go to a happy place."

And with the potential of the Democrats taking over the White House and raising taxes, it isn't going to improve anytime soon.

I liked Bayern Curve too, it was a fun little ride. I also enjoyed the Sky Ride, The Flying Dutchman, KCKC and the old themeing of the train. Not to mention Skylab, Flight Commander, the Zodiac, Tumblebug, the Screamin' Demon..... I liked them all. But I know that times change, I still love KI and I'm looking forward to more new rides in the future.

106 days and counting................ See you on April 20th. I will be on The Beast at 10:01:)

April 12th or 19th. Most likely the 19th. I have the 19th marked on my new 2008 calendar.

Food service!!!!! The park needs a sit down restaurant besides Wings and a wider selection than the 5 food groups of sugar, salt, grease, fat, and alcohol....... Otherwise, I will keep packing lunch and eating ham sandwiches, chips, grapes, and juice boxes in the parking lot. My kids like that as much as the park food anyway.

There's another one in Troy Ohio at the State Route 41 Exit. Didn't knpow the one in Vandalia was still there. We used to eat there a lot when I was a kid. And I agree that would be good at the park.

Isn't that the truth!!! Not just about parks, but about life in general....We never know what's going to happen on any given day. Things change, and sometimes very quickly... in the park business and all of our lives...... Remember waking up on September 11, 2001????? I don't but I remembr very well what happened shortly thereafter...... (I know that's an extreme example but I hope you get my point....)

I grew up in the Dayton area and always felt the same way... until I went to college in Toledo. Dayton doesn't seem so bad now.

That worked too........ By the end of the season, I ended up sitting in the second seat of the first car every time and really enjoyed the ride.

This year on SOB, I found that if I left that lapbar up at all, the G-forces in the Rose Bowl jammed it into my stomach so hard it was painful, so I started grabbing the bar on the back of the seat in front of me and pulling myself as far forward as possible, just to keep the bar in place. It worked. Being stapled in the seat for the entire second half of the ride wasn't pleasant, to say the least.........

About 20 years ago, we got stuck on the first lift of The Beast for about 30 minutes. They sent someone up to tell us why, but I don't remember the reason now. I also remember being stuck on the Sky Ride as a kid, but not on the infamous day when it was stuck for several hours.

Yep, drove by there today, nothing new in that regard. They probably don't want the new sign sitting in the snow all winter.

My two kids and I are always up for a fourth person to ride with....If you're fun

So, just out of curiosity, how's the new sign coming?