Yeah, I was assuming that is what he was getting at. But considering the current rides under construction at other CF parks as well as the SoB improvments and the rumored TR improvments it is apparent that even though CF wants to be cautious about their money spent, they are not exactly being cheap either.

What do you mean by SOB improvements...? Is SOB getting more improvements?

I think he was referring to past SOB improvements coupled with the money that is being spent on The Crypt aka TR:TR. If they are pinching pennies so hard, they would not have bothered to repair SOB in the first place.

I still wonder how much money they are willing to pour into SOB. I wonder if they are doing anymore track work to SOB this off season?

^That IS a good question. How much of the season did it even operate?

July 4th. is when it reopened. I know this will ever happen, but it would be so amazing if CF put the loop back in!

It didn't open till July 4th. And then it was down a week later for about another week. But it did run all the way to end of the season, minus the bare bones nights. I'm not even sure SOB has even ran an entire season. It may have back in 2001 or 2002. But it's it's 7 seasons of operation, it has been down more then up.

I'm curious to know if it will open with the park this year.

Edited January 17, 200818 yr by PKIVortex

So, roughly three months? Not sure with the wear and tear of only a partial season exactly how much work will need to be done to SOB. Although, most wood coasters get some kind of track work every year.

The only part of the track that still needs some work is the rose bowl. That really is the only part of the ride that is still unbearable.

Not like SOB though... Does anyone know what they did with the loop? Is it just tooken apart sitting in a warhouse, or in a field? Id' really like to know.

Probably recycled the steel for money.

By the way tooken isn't a word. It's taken.

I thought the Rose Bowl was much smoother than last time I rode it, which was 2006. It could use a little TLC, but I don't see that part of the ride getting much smoother. I think a lot of it has to do with the speed at which it is taken.

I wonder if they could trim some of that speed? The bring you to a crawl now in the block, I can't see why they couldn't slow you a little going into the Rose Bowl, then it wouldn't feel as if your being slowed down as much in the block.

I know they did briefly have a trim at the top of that drop into the Rose Bowl, no idea why the took it off.

Knowing CF and how they love to trim their wood coasters, it very well could happen, providing it didn't slow you down too much as not to make it to the MCBR.

Not to mentioned the ride was deisgned around the former Wild Animal Habitat which took up space from the Top Gun Helix, where Son of Beast sits now, and back behind FOF.

I brought this up in another thread...Any ideas on why Top Gun was designed around the WAH? Wasn't Wild Animal Habitat's last year of operation 1992, with Top Gun's first being 1993? Did they close down the Habitat earlier than they expected?

Paramount Parks, not unlike Cedar Fair, did not wish to be in the animal business. Swoop aka Thunder Road aka Top Gun purportedly aka Flight Deck was designed and under contract prior to the change of ownership from Mr. Lindner's company to Paramount.

A-ha. Thank you. That makes perfect sense now.

Probably not. I don't think it'll be repainted.

1993 was the last year for WAH. 1994 the area was renamed Adventure Village.

I went to KI in the beginning of October '93. By this point, could all of the remnants of WAH have been removed? I don't remember seeing any part of it on that trip.

Oh, to have been able to ride that one more time!

And Top Gun wasn`t exactly designed exclusively for Kings Island. Vortex at Canda`s Wonderland is a near identical ride to Top Gun at Kings Island. Vortex opened at Wonderland in 1991.

I think Flight Deck will get a new paint job since it has a new name, and it'll have to get a new sign.

Speaking of the new name, has anyone heard or seen anything for the new logo? We already know what BLSC and The Crypt's logos will look like, and can probably guess on Invertigo (based off the logo out in California), but I've seen nothing for FD.

A aircraft carrier with a jet coming off it....Just a guess

...or landing on it, I suppose?

For some reason i think that Flight Deck's logo will look almost th same as it is now, but obviosly it'll say Flight Deck instead of Top Gun. Just a guess though...

If it doesn't say something else entirely, given that California's Great America just changed the words Flight Deck on its website (for the former Top Gun B and M coaster) to Afterburn. . .

http://www.cagreatamerica.com/attractions/...il.cfm?ai_id=48

I think Flight Deck will get a new paint job since it has a new name, and it'll have to get a new sign.

I went to GWL and saw Flight Deck I saw nothing of the sort. It lookes really quit back there.

I wander if Flight Deck will change it's name to After Burn?

One can only hope...

If it doesn't say something else entirely, given that California's Great America just changed the words Flight Deck on its website (for the former Top Gun B and M coaster) to Afterburn. . .

http://www.cagreatamerica.com/attractions/...il.cfm?ai_id=48

Now THAT'S a cool name for a ride like Top Gun. I can only hope that this is an 'unofficially official' name change that will occur for the rest of the TG coasters, including Kings Island.