Flight Of Fear

[Monroe]

Yeah, the stop kind of ruins it for me. It's still fun but I would far prefer it without the MCB.

...and with the launch speed back to what it's supposed to be. 0-60 in 4 seconds has not only a much better ring to it, it also has a much better ride to it as well. Not to mention you don't feel like you're going to valley right before the top-most point of the ride.

Speaking of valleys, has anyone experienced a roll-back on either Flight of Fear or Backlot Stunt Coaster? Backlot rolled back with me one day. I found it to be quite an interesting rush, though I preferred the whole ride.

Yeah, the back seats of cars on Flight of Fear are actually ridable....

I'll have to remember that when I ride KK. And the backseat on FOF is where I ride, so I quite agree.

You've never experienced a roll back until you have on KK. Now that is a rush, especially if you know how the ride operates and you hope the operator did not release the catch car too early. They have safeties now that will not let the operator release it until the car is on the descent, but if the catch car was near the release point it would stop you faster than any breaking system could.

[rossgiggins]

When did FOF get toned down from 60-54? Was it when they added the lap bar restraints? Did they have to alter any of the inversions on the ride?

[DeLorean Rider]

Flight of Fear has always been 54mph. I have a news article from 1996 when it opened. It states: "...launches you from 0-54 miles per hour in 4 seconds into a spaghetti bowl of track, all in complete darkness..."

[thatbandguy8807]

dont worry about it being the first time. like said before, you will be nervous when in line, especially when you just get on the ride, but right after the launch, it is awesome. i used to hate roller coasters till this year and this ride is the reason why i love them now. it helped break my fear of roller coasters and is an all out fun ride. you will love it

[ZukoGirl]

I was a bit nervous when I rode this. But this is an over all amazing expericene. I never gets old. You will love it

[dare-to-fly]

Flight of Fear has always been 54mph. I have a news article from 1996 when it opened. It states: "...launches you from 0-54 miles per hour in 4 seconds into a spaghetti bowl of track, all in complete darkness..."

Well this sounds familiar. I think if they went out tomorrow and added a gigantic trim brake to Adventure Express halfway down it's winding main drop, there would be someone who would argue that it was there to begin with.

If it was 0-54 when it opened, it was changed at some point or falsely advertised. I doubt the latter, because it crests the top-most point on the ride at a much slower speed than it used to, and reaches top speed in the launch much sooner than it used to. I didn't notice the decrease in the launch until this year, though the mid-course has been completely stopping the trains for a couple of years now.

[AZ Kinda Guy]

There has never been a "decrease" in the launch speed of FoF. It reaches the same speed it has since 96.

[KIBeast]

I would guess that maybe a lot of people just rounded it up to 60mph.

[CoasterKrazy]

You've never experienced a roll back until you have on KK. Now that is a rush, especially if you know how the ride operates and you hope the operator did not release the catch car too early. They have safeties now that will not let the operator release it until the car is on the descent, but if the catch car was near the release point it would stop you faster than any breaking system could.

I seriously doubt the operator ever had any control whatsoever over the launching mechanism. I would imagine that aspect of the ride is controlled purely by the computer system. These rides were designed with rollbacks in mind, after all, so it has probably always been impossible for the catch car to reset before the train has cleared the tophat.

Of course, we are talking abount an Intamin creation, so I could be wrong.

[The Interpreter]

And you are....wrong.

Monroe is right...as he almost always is.

[CoasterKrazy]

The catch car is manually reset by the ride operator then? And for verification purposes, the two of you know this how?

[The Interpreter]

You will note Monroe posted how it used to be. Go back and read what he wrote:

...QUOTE (Monroe @ Jul 31 2008, 10:59 PM) *

You've never experienced a roll back until you have on KK. Now that is a rush, especially if you know how the ride operates and you hope the operator did not release the catch car too early. They have safeties now that will not let the operator release it until the car is on the descent, but if the catch car was near the release point it would stop you faster than any breaking system could.

As for verification, that's your problem. I post what I know, and how I know that is my business....sorry. Quite literally.

[Tomkatt7]

You will note Monroe posted how it used to be. Go back and read what he wrote:

...QUOTE (Monroe @ Jul 31 2008, 10:59 PM) *

You've never experienced a roll back until you have on KK. Now that is a rush, especially if you know how the ride operates and you hope the operator did not release the catch car too early. They have safeties now that will not let the operator release it until the car is on the descent, but if the catch car was near the release point it would stop you faster than any breaking system could.

As for verification, that's your problem. I post what I know, and how I know that is my business....sorry. Quite literally.

Ouch......

a bit harsh?

[The Interpreter]

Some things are just a little too close to the quick, so to speak.

See my recently posted piece in the Six Flags thread about insider information. Some things can be talked about, others cannot. I trust you understand!

Have a great day (and please don't take any of this personally...it is not meant as such).

Also, realize old Terpy is full of....puns.

Nuff said.

[Monroe]

Thanks for getting my back Terpy..

CoasterKrazy, The ride (along with any ride) will not operate automatically. It must have commands from an individual to operate, ether to start or stop. It can run a process after all safety's have been meet, and a command has been given from a human to run. The KK situation I do not think ever happened, but the possibility was there early on in testing. When some thing like that is built, a lot of things are done at the last minute. Unfortunately for me it is always the control system, and that was the case on KK. There is a button they call the live button, it must be pushed after the train clears the hill. This tells the system to re-set for the next run, if it is not pushed, the catch car will not re-set and the next train will not leave the station. Before all the safety's were in place, the system would re-set no matter where the train is on the course. But with the safety's there, it must be re-set after the hill. It is called the live button, because it tells the system that you are alive and know what you are doing.

[yournamehere]

Eh, it depends on which day you ride it. Sometimes all the lights are on sometimes they're all off sometimes there are effect lights on.

Do they ever have it so you can't see the track? I've been on KD's and they have a lot of lights on. Sometimes a huge light at the top.

[dare-to-fly]

I would guess that maybe a lot of people just rounded it up to 60mph.

Including the ride itself I guess.

The entire ride moves notably slower...but since it's me and I have a "scewed sense of speed" it must be my imagination that it takes the top-most portion of the ride much slower than it used to (to the point of wondering at times if the ride will crest the hill.)

[The Beast Rider]

I would guess that maybe a lot of people just rounded it up to 60mph.

Including the ride itself I guess.

The entire ride moves notably slower...but since it's me and I have a "scewed sense of speed" it must be my imagination that it takes the top-most portion of the ride much slower than it used to (to the point of wondering at times if the ride will crest the hill.)

No, a lot of people did not round it up to 60MPH. If the ride always was set for 0-54, then why does the KI website itself say 0-60? The first time I rode FOF this season, I thought it was a mislaunch because it felt like it was not going to crest the hill. It did, but barely.

Directly from the visitkingsisland.com website:

Flight of Fear

Face your darkest fears as you are catapulted from 0-60 mph in just 4 seconds through 4 inversions on the world's first linear induction launch coaster! Named the best new ride by industry experts during it's opening season, don't miss your chance to feel the pulse-pounding excitement this year!

[The Interpreter]

If you think the Kings Island website is the be-all and end-all source for accurate information on the rides, you are going to be severely disappointed. Inaccuracies on the thing abound, and always have. Perhaps, when and if the conversion to the Cedar Fair template occurs, most of them will be fixed. Or not.

[Guest rcfreak339]

I always search on RCDB for all my coaster facts!

[CoasterKrazy]

Thanks for getting my back Terpy..

CoasterKrazy, The ride (along with any ride) will not operate automatically. It must have commands from an individual to operate, ether to start or stop. It can run a process after all safety's have been meet, and a command has been given from a human to run. The KK situation I do not think ever happened, but the possibility was there early on in testing. When some thing like that is built, a lot of things are done at the last minute. Unfortunately for me it is always the control system, and that was the case on KK. There is a button they call the live button, it must be pushed after the train clears the hill. This tells the system to re-set for the next run, if it is not pushed, the catch car will not re-set and the next train will not leave the station. Before all the safety's were in place, the system would re-set no matter where the train is on the course. But with the safety's there, it must be re-set after the hill. It is called the live button, because it tells the system that you are alive and know what you are doing.

Thanks for the clarification Monroe. I didn't mean to imply you don't know what you're talking about (but to be fair, there's no reason to believe one way or the other without siting sources) I was just surprised that a potentially dangerous situation could be caused by an op simply pushing a button mid-ride. Like a MCBR, I assumed resetting the catch car would be controlled by the computer system.

[KIBeast]

I would guess that maybe a lot of people just rounded it up to 60mph.

Including the ride itself I guess.

The entire ride moves notably slower...but since it's me and I have a "scewed sense of speed" it must be my imagination that it takes the top-most portion of the ride much slower than it used to (to the point of wondering at times if the ride will crest the hill.)

No, a lot of people did not round it up to 60MPH. If the ride always was set for 0-54, then why does the KI website itself say 0-60? The first time I rode FOF this season, I thought it was a mislaunch because it felt like it was not going to crest the hill. It did, but barely.

Directly from the visitkingsisland.com website:

Flight of Fear

Face your darkest fears as you are catapulted from 0-60 mph in just 4 seconds through 4 inversions on the world's first linear induction launch coaster! Named the best new ride by industry experts during it's opening season, don't miss your chance to feel the pulse-pounding excitement this year!

I was saying people who don't know the exact launch speed may have said 60mph because it's easier to remember than 54mph. I never said that the ride statisitics stated on KI's website indicated anything. Quote me where I said otherwise.

The word is skewed. And just because it barely crests the hill on any given day on any given launch doesn't mean it has been slowed down either. I know that I have seen Dragster barely make it over the hill some launches and other times it makes it over just fine.

[Monroe]

Thanks for getting my back Terpy..

CoasterKrazy, The ride (along with any ride) will not operate automatically. It must have commands from an individual to operate, ether to start or stop. It can run a process after all safety's have been meet, and a command has been given from a human to run. The KK situation I do not think ever happened, but the possibility was there early on in testing. When some thing like that is built, a lot of things are done at the last minute. Unfortunately for me it is always the control system, and that was the case on KK. There is a button they call the live button, it must be pushed after the train clears the hill. This tells the system to re-set for the next run, if it is not pushed, the catch car will not re-set and the next train will not leave the station. Before all the safety's were in place, the system would re-set no matter where the train is on the course. But with the safety's there, it must be re-set after the hill. It is called the live button, because it tells the system that you are alive and know what you are doing.

Thanks for the clarification Monroe. I didn't mean to imply you don't know what you're talking about (but to be fair, there's no reason to believe one way or the other without siting sources) I was just surprised that a potentially dangerous situation could be caused by an op simply pushing a button mid-ride. Like a MCBR, I assumed resetting the catch car would be controlled by the computer system.

No problem, I would rather you ask questions and discover things on your own, than to just take some ones word for it. I had a teacher that would tell us half the fun of knowing is learning.

[dare-to-fly]

I was saying people who don't know the exact launch speed may have said 60mph because it's easier to remember than 54mph. I never said that the ride statisitics stated on KI's website indicated anything. Quote me where I said otherwise.

The word is skewed. And just because it barely crests the hill on any given day on any given launch doesn't mean it has been slowed down either. I know that I have seen Dragster barely make it over the hill some launches and other times it makes it over just fine.

Oh, gee I'm sorry. It must just be my imagination that it ran consistently faster until this year. It must just be five hundred coincidences.

[KIBeast]

Must be.

[yournamehere]

I would guess that maybe a lot of people just rounded it up to 60mph.

Including the ride itself I guess.

The entire ride moves notably slower...but since it's me and I have a "scewed sense of speed" it must be my imagination that it takes the top-most portion of the ride much slower than it used to (to the point of wondering at times if the ride will crest the hill.)

I went on Kings Dominion's Flight of Fear this past Wedensday and it was hauling @$$ through the first part and on the MCBR it bareley stopped us. Of course this meant it was bumbier than usual but it was fun!

[taters]

I am going to KI on Sunday, my friends are trying to get me to ride it but idk I am wimpy.

[flightoffear4thtrain]

Just give it a chance! It will be one of the best decesions (sp) you've ever made.

[Sara]

i was sooo scared to ride it but it is for real my favorite ride there!!! its so much fun and not even that scary! just keep your head back on the launch and it is so nice that your head does not bang!

[KDCOASTERFAN]

Okay, what exactly does the launch feel like.

I know on the Backlot, it is sorta a launch, but is the Flight of Fear launch worse than that one?

The launch is pretty much the same on both rides but I actually found BS:SC's launch to be more extreme.The only difference is the rate of acceleration on FOF is higher.