violakat03

I forgot you'd taken this picture! Wish it hadn't been so blurry, that woulda been a cool shot. This was the ride on Maverick that ripped out my earring so unfortunately the rest of the night was not as fun for me. For those who don't know all the players involved - rear row (green shirt) is Avatar, in front of him is me (throwing up the "rock on" signs), beside me is pkiboy, in front of me is dare-to-fly and beside him is Tom (no, he wasn't throwing up, that was his reaction to the sudden brakes at the end), and in front of dare-to-fly is Jackson/Beast1979. I believe that's The Beast Rider beside him but I don't remember now. You can't see gigacoaster2k, indianapolisman or Unrealsk8r but they're in there too. Back row, l to r: Beast Rider, dare-to-fly, Tom76257, Beast1979, Avatar, Unrealsk8r Front row, l to r: pkiboy, gigacoaster2k, violakat03, indianapolisman I love this group shot.

I was the one that said they have Mean Streak to Ben. he ended up riding with us on the next train and we were picking on each other going up the lift. We were 2 trains ahead of the one stuck on the mid course so we only got a station evac but we watched them evac the one on the mid course and discussed how jealous we were. Only enthusiasts!

I can't guarantee that it's the same way now, but during Paramount days, KI did indeed have it's own police force. My husband applied to be on it but did not have Ohio certification at the time, just Tennessee. The way they described it working is that all KI police officers have to be approved by Mason police before being hired and must meet Mason's guidelines (such as OPOTA certification, and they do not take out-of-state transfers) because KI is not a city and therefore cannot have a state-approved police department. However, they were not full-time Mason officers and did not work for Mason in the off-season nor work for Mason in any capacity outside of the park, though I believe they technically are Mason officers. Mason police handles the parking lot, including accident reports, and can be called in to the park just as they can be called into a shopping mall for additional help. When I was a witness to an assault in the park, I was asked to give a statement to both KI police and Mason police. KI security responded to the scene, followed by KI police and then Mason police when they got on property. KI security detained the suspect until KI police arrived, and the KI police made the arrest and transferred the suspect to the Mason officers when they got there, who escorted the person off property and to jail. And contrary to what appears to be popular belief, security is not completely powerless. All security guards, whether they work at KI, the mall, or wherever, have to be certified by the state. This security certification does give them powers of arrest until police can arrive on scene and the authority to remove people from the private property that employs them for any reason deemed appropriate by the property owner. This is why mall security can ask you to leave if you cause a scene without actually breaking any laws. At the time you are asked to leave a private property and refuse, you can and will be arrested for trespassing. If you are ever threatened or assaulted (even something as simple as being pushed or spit on) and tell security that you want to press charges against the offender, they must follow through on it or it would be a dereliction of duties, which the state really looks down upon. Security or police cannot back you up in your charges and the burden of proof is on you (unless it happens in front of a camera, in which case your lawyer could help you get those recordings) but they will ensure that the charges are filed.

I never got to go up in it, as I just never had the money but I would have loved to. I've never been up in a helicopter and think it would have been cool to see the park from the air. I grew up under Wright Patt's flight path. We get the big cargo jets flying low over our house daily. I lived on OSU's south campus for a year and didn't even realize it was under a flight path because I completely tune out aircraft noise. When I lived in Memphis, we were under one of FedEx's flight paths and every now and then my husband would make a comment about the airplane flying over and I'd say "what airplane?" I just don't even notice them.

Tom, you need to change your avatar now.

Cedar Point's rides page isn't working for me currently, but you can find their height requirements for all the rides in the park at this page: http://www.cedarpoint.com/public/park/rides/complete.cfm Kings Island's height requirements can be found in the rider safety guide here: http://www.visitkingsisland.com/images/att...ridersafety.pdf At 48" inches (but below 52") she'll be able to ride everything except The Crypt, Delirium, Diamondback, Firehawk, Flight of Fear and Invertigo.

A lot of coasters are maintenance nightmares (TTD, anyone?) but they aren't going anywhere.

This exact same thread showed up on TPOL within minutes of this one. Considering no one on either board has heard this rumor before, I think he's trying to generate a new one. Big Bad Wolf isn't going anywhere any time soon.

This year is Big Bad Wolf's 25th anniversary. They are making a big deal out of it at the park, an even bigger deal than they're making of Apollo's 10th. It is still a popular coaster (more popular than Loch Ness Monster) and I highly doubt it's going anywhere any time soon. They still have a lot of room in that park for coasters. Plus it's an enthusiast favorite. It's the best Arrow Suspended I've ridden and probably the best out there.

Sorry I didn't get specific enough for you! Seriously, what makes the right side and the brown train better for you. I've noticed no difference in train color (except random seats that seem tighter at the line than others), but actually prefer the left side as I think it feels more forceful (especially in valley between the second and third hills). Green train is the tightest, I have to be stapled to get 3 clicks. Brown train and red train are about the same on size, I have a decent bit of room on both of them. Red train used to get you pretty wet but ever since one of the scoops got messed up (some parts were off of it for a while) you don't get as wet. Brown train will get you wettest. I like right side because it makes the helix more forceful but left because it makes the hammerhead better. If I had to pick one, I'd go with right. Plus right side is the side I've gotten the wettest on, I don't know if it's because of the scoop angle on that side, or I can just lean over further to the right than the left. I managed to get pretty much my entire shirt soaked on right side of brown train.

Nope, we were in a dark blue mini van. We were at site 521 near one of the shower/restrooms. As you know they were pretty nasty with muffleheads. The showers however were not. We were in site 340, back in the very corner of the campground near the lake. When it was quiet (aka there weren't trains passing) you could hear the waves on the lake and it was quite wonderful. We were too afraid to try the showers because the restrooms were so nasty with the bugs, and borrowed a shower from friends staying at Breakers Express.

Dave, do you happen to have a dark red SUV? There was one parked next to our campsite with people sleeping in it and we all wondered if it might have been yours. I have a huge red and tan tent and a black SUV if you saw our campground.

When we were trying to fill a train on Dragster with KIC folks, we were trying to figure out who was at the Point this weekend that we didn't have and your name was mentioned. And my reaction was "HEY! I wanted to meet him!" I didn't know they'd run into you before that, and we didn't see you after that. My ear isn't hurting now, but I can't wear an earring in it until the back of it heals. It didn't rip the hole, it just tore up the back because the backs on my earrings fit tight enough that you practically need pliers to remove them, so the force it required to yank it out was pretty great. I do have insurance on them, I'm in the process of finding the paperwork for it (I've moved twice since I bought them). It feels odd to not have them in, I have only taken them out for cleaning since I bought them 3 years ago. I even sleep, shower, and go diving with them in! Of all the coasters I've ridden, including many that say to remove earrings before riding (such as FOF with the OTSRs) I've never had one actually try to pull one out - just slam it into my head, which is why you're supposed to take them out. markr - we did Gemini but Angie sat it out. The final helix bothers her neck and she didn't want to be benched for the rest of the day. Can't blame her! DiamondbackFOF - Thank you! I love my car too.

I've only discovered 3 places that I consistently get 'coaster blackout' so far. 1. The opening helix of Backlot. 2. The bottom of the first hill and into the first overbank on Millie. 3. Bottom of the first hill and into the loop on Raptor, only in the back 2 rows.

Don't forget about passing out in the backseat on the way home! When Tom and I tried to wake her as we were getting off the highway, I yelled her name a couple times, turned on the dome light and Tom shook her leg and she didn't even stir. But as we slowed down at the top of the exit ramp, she randomly wakes up! I don't think I've ever seen someone sleep that hard in a car! Posted from my BlackBerry mobile device.

Flight Deck did have a significant amount of switchbacks in the queue. They're in the lower level of the station, if you look to your left before you go up the stairs you can see the remenants of them. I remember waiting through them in 96. The line was at about an hour and a half and with the lower queues open, it extended to just before the stairs down to the station, where the aircraft carrier billboard used to be. So there was still a significant walk to the end of the line. Posted from my BlackBerry mobile device.

Gemini and Magnum both have op controlled trims. In fact, Gemini even has an easy way to tell whether your ride will have them on or not. There's a white sign above the control panel that reads 'trim brakes open' and if the light is on in that sign, the brakes are off. And I'm not sure which trim you see talking about on SOB. The one just before the crest of the first drop or the MCBR? The one on the first drop really isn't that noticeable in the front of the train which is the only place I've ever ridden it. The MCBR however, both with and without the loop, has always been noticeable to me. Posted from my BlackBerry mobile device.

I think if they put something back there on the path (as there used to be, which is why it's so dang long in the first place), it wouldn't seem so bad. If you think about it, The Beast is way back in the corner of the park with a significant walk. However, you've got games, food, vending, and now Diamondback's helix to entertain you. Prior to Diamondback and Crypt, the only ride you walked past was KCKC. I think it's because the queue is a whole lot of emptiness that it's an annoying walk. I think they should shorten the queue, turn the current exit into a midway, and add either shops, games, or (best idea of all) some flat rides off the side of it where the current queue (and former theming) stands.

While I will agree with you that Corkscrew does not have an MCBR. I was trimmed on every single ride this weekend on both Magnum and Gemini. I rode Gemini 6 times and the trim before the last helix was grabbing hard. I also rode Magnum 10 times and the trim before the turn around grabbed every single time. I'm not saying that they didn't run trimless at some point this weekend I'm just saying I was never that fortunate to receive a trimless ride. I got 1 trimless Magnum ride (though it was running trimless for almost all of ERT and part of the day Sunday as well). Gemini was running trims during the day, but trimless at night. They were changing them as necessary. Or as requested in the case of the ERT - the first handful of rides were trimmed and after much "OPEN TRIMS!" chanting from the returning trains, they were turned off.

^That would be my point. Until people stepped forward and said "I know this because of (four years as an op, etc)" then all we see is people blowing steam. When you back up your facts with why you know them, then we know you aren't just throwing out guesses. My comment was not directed negatively at AZ Kinda Guy as it seems to have been taken. It was worded snippily because I got sick of reading the tone in the posts regarding The Beast's speed. In reference to Corkscrew's MCBR. Looking carefully at the track today, I noticed something. I have only ridden Corkscrew twice before yesterday (once last year and once in 2005) and because I did not remember the track layout, I was expecting there to be a brake before the corkscrew just like Vortex. However, there is no MCBR. There is no braking there whatsoever, as in there are no brakes installed on the track. I thought there were (as did Hank, apparently), so I don't know if there used to be and they were removed, or there never were. My feeling on The Beast's trim brakes is this. I have ridden it with the skids and the magnetic trims. I was not a hardcore enthusiast like I have become in the past year when I rode it with the skids and I never noticed any braking except in the mid-course brake shed/MCBR. The first time I rode it with the magnetic trims after 3 years of not riding it, I noticed the trims for the very first time. Not knowing what it was, I immediately went "What the H?!" when I felt the one on the first hill grab, and when I felt the one on the second hill, I was ticked. I had never, ever felt the skid grab there. The magnetic trims, while in the same positions and performing the same function as the skid trims, are far more noticeable. I absolutely hate the feeling of them grabbing the train at the crest of the second hill, in my opinion, that one's even worse than the one on the first drop, but both give a gut-wrenching "Dangit!" feeling. I am highly disappointed at the responses to this thread. Offense has been taken far too quickly by far too many people and indirect insults have been flung every which direction. This is not the KIC I know and love.

^ You are too funny. How long before dare-to-fly virtually slaps you? My favorites in no particular order: Initial launch on Flight of Fear (because you're launched so fast out of the station) Final corkscrew on Flight of Fear Final double helix on The Beast Final helix and splashdown on Diamondback (RIP) Loop on Son of Beast

Row 16, right side, brown train = LOVE.

1. Has anyone who's arguing about The Beast's speed actually worked on the ride when it's running? If you haven't then you have no idea what you are talking about. 2. Corkscrew's MCBR is currently turned off. Magnum and Gemini have run trimless this weekend as well. Up here at CP the trims do as they were designed. They can be turned on and off as deemed necessary depending on ride conditions. Posted from my BlackBerry mobile device.

I usually say no thank you but I did stop with giga for one on opening day that I later purchased. I don't see a point in being rude to them. I've been on the receiving side of enough unnecessary rudeness that I do my best to be polite and understanding to everyone. Posted from my BlackBerry mobile device.