dakota2112

What is different about a roller coaster hill which produces that stomach-floating sensation that I crave, vs. a roller coaster hill which produces "airtime" but with no physical sensation at all? The discussion about DB's airtime got me to thinking about this. The sensation that I crave is induced by: DB's first drop Several drops on Racer The first drop on Fairly Odd Coaster Drop Tower Viking Fury Driving fast on certain country roads with just the right dip in them Elevators sometimes even do it For the purpose of this discussion, I will call that sensation weightlessness. (can someone confirm that this is the correct terminology?) What confuses me is how something like DB's infamous "airtime" 2nd hill can make me float right up out of my seat, yet I get absolutely no physical sensation of weightlessness at all. I mean, for me to be floating out of my seat, I must be weightless, right? That 2nd hill looks to be parabolic and "zero G", so why don't I feel weightless on it? And likewise, why do I feel weightless on the bullet list above?

Thanks - now there are three of us at least I was starting to think my body had sensory issues!

I feel the exact same way. I did not get as much airtime as everyone says there is. I got more on Behemoth to tell the truth. I just rode Diamondback for the first time this past weekend, and honestly can say it is one of the most overrated rides I have ridden(that is my opinion) Out of the 3 B&M hypers I have ridden, I would say I enjoyed Apollos Chariot best, then Behemoth, and then Diamondback. I think maybe there is some terminology ambiguity here. My body experiences "airtime" on DB's 2nd hill - lots of it. By this I mean that I come up out of my seat so-to-speak. But what is lacking is the intense sensation of weightlessness that is induced in my gut, like what I feel during the 1st drop. That sensation is what I crave, and unfortunately I don't feel it anywhere on DB after the 1st drop. None whatsoever. Brandon, it sounds like you and I are on the same page with this. DB is fun, don't get me wrong. But honestly, after the 1st drop, the ride is largely uneventful due to what I explained in the previous paragraph.

(my apologies to the OP for hijacking this thread!) I haven't kept track of exactly which rows, but I've ridden DB numerous times in front, middle, and back. That 1st drop is absolutely wicked, in all rows. The sensation I'm talking about is the same sensation I feel on Drop Tower, Viking Fury to some extent, Racer 1st drop, Vortex 1st drop, even FAIRLY ODD COASTER 1st drop. I also get this sensation when driving fast on country roads with just the right "dip" in them. The thing is, I do not get that sensation anywhere else on DB after the 1st drop. I'm trying to figure out why that is, and if I'm the only one like that. (so far, seems like I am! )

Sorry for the double post, but since we're talking about airtime... How much stomach-floating airtime are people feeling on DB? I only feel it on the 1st drop. This somewhat perplexes me, as there is PLENTY of airtime on that 2nd hill... but I never experience any real stomach-float other than the 1st drop. Can anyone offer an explanation for this? Am I the only one who only really feels it on the 1st drop?

I'd be very surprised if they DIDN'T run real tests w/ accelerometers, to measure G-forces. Why in the world would they open a ride to the paying public without having quantitative data about the forces encountered by its riders?

True, this instance is traced back to the 2006 incident... but regardless, it certainly doesn't improve the ride's reputation among KI's biggest customer (the general public). And it may very well be considered an additional expense as a result of the previous incident, which could impact insurance...

The jury, who were presented with the real facts of the case, apparently did not think she was faking. And when did lawyers ever want anything other than money?

Unlikely. It's more than just turning the seats backwards. The restraint location would have to be moved as well. And unless this was a design consideration taken into account by B&M, then I don't see it happening. But if anything were possible, I'd vote for switching all of the seats around, not just the center ones. I'm not a big fan of that Faceoff setup. (although the left-most seat rocks!)

My point is simply that if KI did execute proper inspections to ensure the ride's safety, then it is obvious that those inspections did not adequately fulfill their intended purpose. Yes, I realize that there may have been no visible indication of a pending failure on the ride that day. But the fact remains, something failed on a ride that was deemed to be safe.

If all of the above is hypothetically true, then this tells me one thing and one thing only: the state's inspection requirements are what failed and are at fault. After all, the purpose of inspection is to prevent accidents, and that prevention failed in this case (hypothetically).

We went during yesterday's Howl-O-Fest, to enjoy short lines after enduring Saturday night's 2.5 hour wait for The Beast. Talk about a night and day difference (sorry - very bad pun )... during the day on Sunday, every ride we did was either walk-on or only a 5-10 minute wait maximum. This included DB, Beast, Vortex, Racer, AE, FD, and Invertigo. We got 20+ rides in 4 hours, and that included a lunch stop.

During Haunt last night, my party wanted to ride The Beast. We got in line at about 8:00pm, and we didn't board the ride until 2.5 hours later. This was probably the longest time I've ever personally spent waiting for a ride. We ate and then got in line for DB, and its queue line was still completely full by then (about 11:30). After riding that, the park was still wall-to-wall people at midnight, so we bailed. We got 2 rides in 4 hours. Hope that helps

According to Accuweather, Intellicast, WCPO.com, WLWT.com, and Kings Island's own mobile site, there was a chance for some rain in the evening but most of the rain would be coming in the afternoon and then again early Friday morning (KI's site, for example, claimed a 30% chance) And guess what? While I was in Cincinnati yesterday between 5 and 11pm, it pretty much stopped raining around 8pm and didn't start again until I was well on my way home (around midnight). I'm not trying to say you're wrong, because I'm sure we all know you could ask 5 weathermen what the weather will be like and probably get 5 varying (to some degree) answers. I hope you aren't trying to imply I didn't plan my trip very well. Considering I was missing out on wages from work, driving ~3 hrs each way by myself, using gas money, etc., you can bet I planned and looked at the forecast. Reclaimer, no offense intended! I'm just saying that I've been hearing about this major rain event on the local news for a couple days now, flood watches and all that, so I personally would've already canceled any outdoor plans that I had beforehand. Even though the rain did let up some last night, I'm not surprised the park closed given the circumstances. You just were one of the hardest hit by the closing unfortunately.

All of the weather resources I use here locally have been predicting a MAJOR rain event for several days now... they were predicting rain on the order of 2-4". So this is no surprise to me whatsoever...

Ok, I'm going to start using the chained-off exit walkway. And when someone says something to me about it, I'm blaming y'all

This adds to the thrill though, does it not? I'm petrified of heights. I sometimes become completely paralyzed during the ride up on Drop Tower. I don't know if it's actually vertigo or not, but I get a very real sensation that I'm going to fall out of the seat. That makes the ride, for me, more intense than it would otherwise be. Fear can be a good thing

Fear of catastrophic failure is on my list, but that's what makes it fun. For example, the "runaway" sections on Beast (the segment before the 2nd lift hill, and the helix) produce a "fear-for-my-life" kind of mindset. If I didn't genuinely experience this fear, then that ride really wouldn't be any fun at all. It is the perception of danger that provides the thrill for me. Only I think I take it a step further than most people. I consider the fact that I, as a rider, really am flirting with danger. I know that nothing man-made is 100% failsafe, and I acknowledge the fact that a rider is literally betting their life that The Beast train is going to return to the station with him/her still safely inside it. On Drop Tower, I fear falling out of the restraint somehow (I am not fond of heights so there's an adrenaline rush involved). On Son of Beast, I feared the pain inflicted on my spine in addition to fearing for my life... oh, wait, wrong thread

I always skip the DB gift shop. My onride photo is always terrible, and it's annoyingly congested. Do you just use the roped-off opening to the left, immediately prior to the gift shop? I've been tempted to do that but I figure someone (like the exit security guard) would harass me for it. Does anyone ever say anything to you about doing this?

I'm sure KI wants to route you through the DB gift shop hoping you'll purchase an on-ride picture But seriously, I'm surprised they do this. That's a LOT of traffic to be going through the gift shop, and while I myself would never do this, it would seem very easy for someone to walk right on out with unpurchased merchandise in hand.

What about getting off Vortex, and getting back in line? I've seen people do this, hopping the rail to get back in line right by the stairs. When they do this, there is no one in the line per se... but here I am, also having just got off Vortex, walking allllllll the way down to the proper line entrance, and meanwhile those people are pretty much already down in the station. They technically didn't line jump me, but they are ahead of me because they didn't use the proper line entrance.

Regarding line jumpers... I've seen them almost every visit this year, primarily at Beast and Vortex. I have never understood the point of having queues setup this way: the line for each individual seat is only about 4 people max. Inevitably, a blockage forms where the main queue line empties into the individual seat queue area, leaving short/empty seat lines in front and in back. People further back in the main queue line see this, and will cut across the closed-off turnstiles to get to those short lines. Instead of having all those turnstiles empty and closed off, it would seem MUCH better to just have longer queues for each individual seat in the first place, to avoid this problem. But what do I know. Ok, sorry for the diversion... back on topic now.

No one has accepted anything, it's all speculation. Although one particular individual's thoughts have swayed the general outlook imho. Why can't you do much with used heavily treated wood? There's a heck of a lot of wood sitting there, and even though it has a bunch of holes in it, I would think there is some value left in it. Seems awful wasteful for it to not be reused somewhere, especially in this day and age of "going green".

But would it really be demolished, or would it be dismantled? If it is dismantled, maybe they can sell the materials (wood) to recoup some of the cost. (of course dismantling might also require permits through city council as well)

Like father like son! (translation: so what? )