homestar92

That's a good idea. I mean, we're obviously facing great danger here and we Muskies gotta look out for each other.

IF that is one of the park's concerns, and IF the rumor is true, then I would assume we would see belts more akin to Steel Dragon 2000 than Nitro. Also, if the rumors are true, then Intimidator will tell the tale next weekend. I'd happily do some investigative reporting if anyone wants to buy me a plane ticket to Charlotte for this weekend. I'd go to the park and ride the ride, and I'd be happy to report back to you

If the seatbelts are similar to the cables on Nitro, I could see them being relatively non-intrusive as long as you fit on the ride. As it stands, Diamondback is one of the more "fluffy friendly" of the major rides in the park. That could be impacted. It isn't a problem for me, as I'm nearly as thin as they come, but I could see that keeping people away who could once ride the coaster. Hasn't it been established that Diamondback could technically be run safely with no restraints at all as long as the person in the seat was sitting calmly?

I know one member of this forum who would be qualified to answer that, and he may or may not want to divulge that at this time if it is true. I will say, though, that I don't know exactly how they would do that with its seat design.

And some of us will never again see a new coaster from our favorite manufacturer anywhere in the world.

I just wish more people would give Morgan coasters the Chance they deserve.

I know several people who attend opening day every year that assumed it was on the last Saturday in April again this year until I told them the correct date. So it is also possible that people who do not regularly check the website will simply not know when the park opens.

Well, there are a number of different types of launches. During KIC day back in June, a man named Matt from the maintenance department gave us a little insight to Backlot and Flight of Fear's launch systems. Those rides work in a very similar (if not identical) fashion to one another. I believe there are fins off to the sides that sit between two rows of LIMS, and the magnetism from the LIMS (which are basically powerful electromagnets) repels the train, launching it into the ride. The fins can be seen in this picture: Coincidentally, when Matt was kind enough to explain all of this to us, he also happened to have one of the LIMS from Backlot Stunt Coaster that had gone bad in the bed of his truck, as seen in this picture: If I remember correctly, he said that there are 48 of those on Backlot's launch strip, and they cost roughly $8000 apiece to replace. I don't remember the exact number, but there is somewhere in the neighborhood of twice that many on Flight of Fear. The number 80 sticks out in my mind, but that may not be completely accurate. Either way, that's a lot of magnets! That is only one type of launch. I know Dragster uses a hydraulic launch, and if I understand correctly, there is essentially a catch car at the end of a cable that hooks into the underside of the train. When the motor is turned on, it pulls the cable at a high speed, propelling the train over the hill. This is a very rough understanding of that ride's systems, so take it with a grain of salt, but that is my understanding of how it works. Rides like Maverick use yet another different system. I know little about this launch mechanism. Maverick has a white fin looking thing along the two launches, so I can only assume that this fin creates the force that launches the coaster, but this is totally conjecture. I do know that Premier has started using that system on their rides as well since Maverick was built, as you will find a similar launch system in place on rides like Kennywood's Sky Rocket. Finally, there is a tire launch like on The Incredible Hulk at Universal, in which a pair of tires squeeze against a fin on the underside and the faster they spin, the faster the train moves. Spin the tires really fast, and you have a launch. The same idea is used (only much slower) on many smaller coasters such as Flying Ace Aerial Chase in lieu of a chain lift. NOTE: The images in this post are my property. Do not re-post them outside this forum without my permission. If you want permission to post them elsewhere, ask, and you will most likely receive. If you want to post them elsewhere on KICentral, feel free, but make sure I get credited.

Would that be called a Park Mapp?

Or possibly even dramatically!

I have lots of spares for the years I have in my collection, but unfortunately, no 2009 maps. I have used this very forum to get maps I was missing, so I bet someone can help you.

While it is already an ACE Roller Coaster Landmark, I think that the Kings Island Racer should be nominated to become a National Historic Landmark. It certainly has been important, and its impact on the industry industry is immeasurable.

KI has stated that they could have continued running it backwards, but that they chose not to. Not many are qualified to comment on how that particular recommendation from PTC affected the park's obligations under Ohio law. I'm certainly not. Well, I stand corrected. Looks like it was simply a decision made by the park, as a reliable source has informed me. At any rate, I still don't see how people are concluding that Racer will run backward again from a single innocuous post about The Racer. But that's a whole different story.

Unless Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters, Inc explicitly states that their trains are suitable for backward operation, a backward Racer will not return. At least not in Ohio. EDIT: Disregard this post

Gatekeeper, no. Raptor, yes.

why would the floor need to drop? Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S4 using Tapatalk There's no reason it would NEED to, but nearly all B&M Inverts have a floor that drops after the train is loaded and before it dispatches. Similar to what we have on Invertigo.

Or it could be a maintenance path, as those are also not on the map.

It'll be successful no matter the weather. They'll make it work. Might be a little cold or rainy for the riders, but the media will get their shots regardless... Do you underestimate the power of the riders? You think a little pneumonia will stop me from riding Banshee if it's open? HAH!

Oh the joys of our employers technology...you'd think they'd be a step ahead of the game! From a techie standpoint, it makes for a lot of confusion for the end users. Job security for me, I s'pose. It is sad to see how far behind technologically some employers are. I work at the IT department of my school, and it's amazing how much more up to date our little campus in the middle of nowhere is than many corporations. We actually have just finished phasing out Windows XP completely, with time to spare before Microsoft's support cutoff. We are now a strictly Windows 7 and 8 campus, and EVERY computer has the newest versions of IE, Chrome, and Firefox, at all times. And we get this done on a very modest budget.

It wasn't last season, so I'd GUESS it won't be this season. But the park can change their prices at any time, and often do.

I almost hope we do. I can ride Banshee any time. How often will I get a chance to take some sweet snowy photos of my favorite theme park? Well, at least Opening Day. I want Media Day to be a huge success for the park, and I think snow would hamper that.

Holiday World does do this, but it's not uncommon for most dry park rides to be walk-ons by dark, so they often end up closing with the park anyway.

I'm personally the type who likes days that start rainy and clear up mid-morning or early afternoon. That's a sure-fire way to ensure minimal crowds. That happened at Kennywood last year on a Saturday in July and Phantom's Revenge was a walk-on all day!

No theatre is labeled. But Action Theater is special in that it was the last couple years, and it used to be considered a ride (maybe?)

I feel like he's going to invent some horrible screaming sound and do it repeatedly on the ride, and call it "Bansheeing". Aside from, of course, the Banshee-like qualities of his voice that he has already demonstrated in his videos.