Kings Island - Photos of Things Now Gone

[RailRider]

selective you are obviously a troll, especially now that I see your rideaccident.com banner at the bottom of your posts. The KI Flying Eagles are considered some of the best around and they are much more snapable than the new versions that exist today. Your posts have become old and tired, please go troll somewhere else.

[selective]

I'm looking at the shape of the flying eagles.... and though my pic shows it at an angle... you can tell it's not as long as the ones at CW

the pic here from the photo album does look like my pic

http://KICentral.com/photos/displayimage.php?album=98&pos=3

but the one from CW (the most recent pic) posted above....

to me it looks longer and looks like a different shape.

IDK, maybe it's just me.... I guess it could be the same....

My Apologies if I'm wrong.... but to me they do look different in tail shape, and cart size.

[RailRider]

Did you ever ride the Eagles at KI? Did you ever see them in person?

Have you seen the Eagles at Carowinds in person?

[CoastersRZ]

Yep. The link that was posted to the respone by Dane is pretty accurate.

The state investigated the Flight Commander incident and found that there was a design flaw, which as stated above, allowed single riders to slide out from their restraints. A new seat divider was added allowing the ride to reopen. But ridership was low even after its removal, thus the ride was short lived at Kings Island (it opened in 1990).

Slective, consider this your warning. Making blatant claims and statements like you have in this thread with nothing to back up those claims can find you in murky waters. Especially claiming stuff to be fact that you do not know the entire story. If you are trying to stir the pot and cause trouble, your time here on KICentral will be short lived.

And on the subject of the Flying Eagles. It was announced by Kings Island back in 2004 that they were being removed and sent down to Carowinds. I have ridden that ride years and years at Kings Island and most recently a couple weeks ago at opening weekend at Carowinds. It is the same ride. Carowinds has taken very good care of the Eagles down at Carowinds (they`ve been painted twice already in five years!). Now if only we could get them back to Kings Island.

[Beast Man]

The Flying Eagles have been repainted again in orange,yellow and blue with Woodstock on them.I rode them just last Saturday.Some riders were getting them quite high and you could hear the cables snapping all over.Many amusement park enthusiasts consider them among the best of flying scooter rides.

[Oldiesmann]

This is slightly off-topic, but not something I think is worth starting an entire topic for.

The mention of things not there any more, along with old photos, has me remembering the family trips we used to take to KI about once a year (though we did have season passes one year).

It seems like when I was a kid, all the rides in HB Land shut down at 8, which was always a big disappointment - the park was open til 10, but after 8 there wasn't much I could ride.

Am I remembering things wrong, or did they actually close HB at 8 at one point?

[XGatorHead 8904]

First of all, nice photos. But...

Even though it was the first stand-up coaster to do a loop, it was simply to small and too short of a ride so I was glad to see it go.

Not only was it "the first stand-up coaster to do a loop", it was the first stand up coaster period.

However, I think most will agree with me that the monorail didn't have to go, it could have been used for parking lot transportation or to replace the train that takes people to Boomerang Bay.

Replace the train? With the monorail? Unthinkable!

Kings Island - Coney Mall - Flying Eagles

These I never tried but just by watching people and hearing what people said after riding, they were very difficult to control and not much fun. It looks like other parks that have this ride have a better design for flight, being smaller, longer, and lighter. The design in this picture shows the wing design isn't long enough and the cart overall looks too heavy.

KI's (and now Carowind's) scooters were some of the most controllable ever! If you want "difficult to control" and carts that are "too heavy", try the ones at Holiday World!

I remember always seeing a line of broken down cars they kept off the road that were in need of repair, and while driving these you could smell the gas.

Who's to say that these were "broken down cars"? Much as coasters don't run all their trains everyday, I would imagine 'Tiques to not run all the cars everyday. A lot of how many trains/cars to put on a track has to do with attendance levels for each day.

Rumor: At the time most suspected Paramount rigged the park that day, cause deaths don't normally happen in the park and what are the odds that two separate incidents involving accidental deaths would happen on the same day at about the same time? Then immediately after it all happened the deal was made and Paramount took over.

What? Seriously? Black Sunday was June 9, 1991. Paramount bought the parks in the fall of 1992. Over a year later... this is "immediately"? And Paramount "rigged the park that day"? Where are you getting this stuff?

I know of no one (except you?) who believed Paramount somehow infiltrated the park, electrified some water in hopes that someone would touch it, then rigged an intoxicated woman to fall from a ride. The very notion is ludicrous, and even insulting to the families impacted by those events - that their child, father, cousin, friend - was "murdered" by a movie studio in order to own a theme park (I don't even know how those two things could possibly be connected). Sigh. It's insane, that's what it is.

I completely agree with you, goodyellowkorn!

The day known as "Black Sunday" at KI was a series of unfortunate events.

http://www.KICentral...p?showtopic=817

Please see Dane's explanation as to what happened. It has the the most accurate information.

There have been numerous "facts" listed in this thread, but most of them are rather "tainted".

Nice pictures though!

That's very chilling to read, I can't imagine what it was like being there at the park when that occured.

I was there that day. That year I was working in Rivertown Karts, and that day had been working in the Depot Sundae Shop. They let me off work a little early, and as I was walking out to my car I saw the AirCare helicopter landing in the area near the warehouses. I didn't know at the time what was going on, but after I ran a few errands and got home, my mom says to me "Get in here!" I go to the living room and the story is on the news. Very chilling, and such a sad day in KI history.

[markr]

Really enjoyed your photos, Selective. I'm sure you meant no harm in your comments about the accidents in 1991. You sound like a really nice guy. I just wanted to welcome you to KI Central and I hope I get to meet up with you at the park.

[KI Kevin]

Even though it was the first stand-up coaster to do a loop, it was simply to small and too short of a ride so I was glad to see it go.

Not only was it "the first stand-up coaster to do a loop", it was the first stand up coaster period.

Anyway, yeah nice photos. Technically a fact is a statement that can be proved or disproved. Not trying to be a smart aleck, just sayin. I personally think a few people here are a bit sensitive. Sure unaccurate posts are annoying but cut him some slack he just contributed to the site very much.

[Delirium13]

Even though it was the first stand-up coaster to do a loop, it was simply to small and too short of a ride so I was glad to see it go.

Not only was it "the first stand-up coaster to do a loop", it was the first stand up coaster period.

Huh?

Anyway, yeah nice photos. Technically a fact is a statement that can be proved or disproved. Not trying to be a smart aleck, just sayin. I personally think a few people here are a bit sensitive. Sure unaccurate posts are annoying but cut him some slack he just contributed to the site very much.

The ride you linked to opened in 1992, King Cobra opened in 1984.

King Cobra

And regarding the posts, his rumors/facts weren't only inaccurate, but also contained some extreme accusations. In my opinion people were right to address these comments as they were misinformed.

The pictures were nice though, thanks.

[alluna]

Great photos, for starters.

The rest of this post is getting a little too tense for the ol' amusement park message board. I wouldn't rail the guy and call troll yet.. he's seems like a goofy kid that enjoys a juicy conspiracy. Not worth picking apart or giving an audience to some of those claims. He went wrong with this crowd the moment he insulted the Flying Eagles!!

(I think everyone needs a cookie.)

[shark6495]

cookies would be nice... the insult to the eagles didnt bother me (i never rode it, even though I passed them by all the time) I took offense to the part where he made comments about a movie company killing people. This is considered a major case of Libel. This is a very bad thing. Whats worse is the fact that some things he stated could very have well been made up on the spot. The pictures are nice though..... Also, no matter the age, 33 24 or 44 we are all kids at heart

[CoastersRZ]

To quote a sign that hangs on the filter room at Sunlite Pool at Coney Island "You don`t stop playing because you grow old. You grow old because you stop playing."

[shark6495]

thats the best sign ever... care if i steal that for my avatar?

[Browntggrr]

Even though it was the first stand-up coaster to do a loop, it was simply to small and too short of a ride so I was glad to see it go.

Not only was it "the first stand-up coaster to do a loop", it was the first stand up coaster period.

Huh?

Anyway, yeah nice photos. Technically a fact is a statement that can be proved or disproved. Not trying to be a smart aleck, just sayin. I personally think a few people here are a bit sensitive. Sure unaccurate posts are annoying but cut him some slack he just contributed to the site very much.

Let's give this a 4th try.

The first North American stand-up looping coaster was KC.

The first stand-up looping coaster is Momonga Standing and Loop Coaster is Japan. It opened in 1979 as a sit down coaster and in 1982 added a stand-up train. The ride still operates today.

Now I think where the wires are getting crossed is that the Japan coaster was not an original stand-up coaster whereas KC was. Some people may not credit the Japan coaster for this reason; which IMO is wrong.

http://rcdb.com/r.htm?ot=2&nm=na&cs=277&ty=1&de=7&page=1&order=10

http://www.ultimaterollercoaster.com/coasters/yellowpages/coasters/standing-loop-coaster_yomiuriland.shtml

[CoastersRZ]

Shark6495, you can certainly use that image for your avatar.

[TOPGUN1993]

Even though it was the first stand-up coaster to do a loop, it was simply to small and too short of a ride so I was glad to see it go.

Not only was it "the first stand-up coaster to do a loop", it was the first stand up coaster period.

Huh?

Anyway, yeah nice photos. Technically a fact is a statement that can be proved or disproved. Not trying to be a smart aleck, just sayin. I personally think a few people here are a bit sensitive. Sure unaccurate posts are annoying but cut him some slack he just contributed to the site very much.

Let's give this a 4th try.

The first North American stand-up looping coaster was KC.

The first stand-up looping coaster is Momonga Standing and Loop Coaster is Japan. It opened in 1979 as a sit down coaster and in 1982 added a stand-up train. The ride still operates today.

Now I think where the wires are getting crossed is that the Japan coaster was not an original stand-up coaster whereas KC was. Some people may not credit the Japan coaster for this reason; which IMO is wrong.

http://rcdb.com/r.htm?ot=2&nm=na&cs=277&ty=1&de=7&page=1&order=10

http://www.ultimaterollercoaster.com/coasters/yellowpages/coasters/standing-loop-coaster_yomiuriland.shtml

Honorable Mention http://rcdb.com/496.htm

". As interesting is the fact that unlike most stand-ups built today with a small bicycle-like seat, the Extremeroller didn't offer its riders such convenience. It was in every sense of the word, one of the nation's only "true" stand-ups. "

[KI Kevin]

Even though it was the first stand-up coaster to do a loop, it was simply to small and too short of a ride so I was glad to see it go.

Not only was it "the first stand-up coaster to do a loop", it was the first stand up coaster period.

Huh?

Anyway, yeah nice photos. Technically a fact is a statement that can be proved or disproved. Not trying to be a smart aleck, just sayin. I personally think a few people here are a bit sensitive. Sure unaccurate posts are annoying but cut him some slack he just contributed to the site very much.

The ride you linked to opened in 1992, King Cobra opened in 1984.

Woops, wrong ride. But it was NOT the first stand up coaster. Scroll down to 1982

EDIT: Someone beat me to it

[Browntggrr]

Honorable Mention http://rcdb.com/496.htm

". As interesting is the fact that unlike most stand-ups built today with a small bicycle-like seat, the Extremeroller didn't offer its riders such convenience. It was in every sense of the word, one of the nation's only "true" stand-ups. "

Ah, another curveball. Intresting....

[countess_of_tuscany]

"You don`t stop playing because you grow old. You grow old because you stop playing."

Wow..that is an amazing quote! Thanks for posting..it is so true! I always tell people to never lose the kid in them. I will never lose the kid in me! It's so awesome because as soon as I step foot in an amusement park, I am instantly a kid! One of the reasons I love amusement parks so much (especially Cedar Point and Kings Island) is because [mostly] everyone is there for just a good ol' fun time and I always see smiling happy faces -- I love that!

[XGatorHead 8904]

If I came across as harsh in my picking apart of selective's post, that wasn't my intention. OK, well maybe with one comment I made on the "Paramount conspiracy" theory. I don't think he's a troll, just misinformed. I just don't like inaccuracies, and if I see them, I'll try to correct them. And I expect people to correct me if I'm wrong, which they did...

The first North American stand-up looping coaster was KC.

The first stand-up looping coaster is Momonga Standing and Loop Coaster is Japan. It opened in 1979 as a sit down coaster and in 1982 added a stand-up train. The ride still operates today.

Now I think where the wires are getting crossed is that the Japan coaster was not an original stand-up coaster whereas KC was. Some people may not credit the Japan coaster for this reason; which IMO is wrong.

Before I made my comment about KC being the first stand-up, I checked rcdb just to make sure I was correct. I saw Momonga listed before KC, but misread...

It was originally just a sit-down roller coaster with a stand-up train being added in 1982

...as being 1992, and thought it was just listed before KC because it was a sit-down before being a stand up. Oops!

But it looks like even Momonga wasn't the first... right after the statement I quoted above from rcdb's Momonga page, I saw this:

opening one day after the Dangai at Odakyu Gotemba Family Land opened.

So I looked up Dangai... http://www.rcdb.com/2691.htm. It looks like Dangai beat Momonga as the first stand up coaster by one day!

And thank you, TOPGUN1993! I had never heard of Extremeroller! Very interesting...

You can learn a lot around here, just as I learned on here a while back that SoB was not the first wooden coaster with a loop... http://www.rcdb.com/...page=1&order=10

[Browntggrr]

If I came across as harsh in my picking apart of selective's post, that wasn't my intention. OK, well maybe with one comment I made on the "Paramount conspiracy" theory. I don't think he's a troll, just misinformed. I just don't like inaccuracies, and if I see them, I'll try to correct them. And I expect people to correct me if I'm wrong, which they did...

I have a sneaky hunch that given his rideaccidents.com banner, we are not the first to believe this individual to be a troll.

Then he just adds gas to fire with his"family friend" comment, but doesn't have his facts straight to the point where they have to be edited.

Given that, and many other examples that can be seen through his profile, I am happy to have an inaccurate coaster comment.

[XGatorHead 8904]

^Ah, thanks! I forgot about those things you pointed out... it's been a while since I've read the first few pages of this topic. OK, maybe he is a troll... or at least slightly troll-like!

[shark6495]

yea gator dont feel bad. I think I may have pulled out the troll banner first... but im not worried... plus he hasnt been active here in a while so no worries....

[Fear the Four]

plus he hasnt been active here in a while so no worries....

He probably got banned for a week or two.

[JAHill]

Regarding the earlier Flight Commander debate, my friend researched it for a project a couple years ago and wanted me to post what he wrote:

Unfortunately, an incident occurred on Flight Commander on June 9, 1991 at approximately 9:45PM. Candy Taylor, a 32-year-old woman from Toledo, Ohio, had been visiting the park with two friends from Patriot Education Centers Inc. truck-driving school in Monroe, Ohio. She was over halfway done with the eight-week course at the time of this park visit.

The trio planned on finishing the day with rides on Flight Commander, still a relatively new attraction. Taylor’s two friends, Gary Oakley and Dorene Rasmussen, boarded the attraction while Taylor finished a beer. Taylor boarded on the next ride, one of the final ones that night.

With Oakley and Rasmussen watching the attraction from the side, the twenty vehicles lifted upwards. Taylor was in capsule number four. During the ride’s fifth revolution, she slipped out from underneath her harness. Grabbing onto the restraint with her right hand, she dangled above the ground below. With a single scream, she was flung from the attraction into nearby shrubbery.

The ride was immediately stopped with all vehicles lowered back into loading position. As frantic guests called park paramedics, a doctor visiting the park with her family performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on Taylor. The doctor reported it took park paramedics, who were currently assisting in an accident within Oktoberfest, about half-an-hour to arrive. Taylor was eventually airlifted by helicopter and taken to Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, Ohio. She was declared dead an hour after the incident.

Something had gone wrong, now the park and the ride’s creator, Intamin Inc. of Zurich, Switzerland, just had to figure out what it was. The ride and surrounding area was closed off the following day as inspections and investigations began. Similar rides at Great America, Knott’s Berry Farm, and Kings Dominion all shut-down following the incident. Each park suspended their attraction’s operations voluntarily.

The following day, representatives of the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Warren County Sheriff’s Department, and Ohio Department of Agriculture all arrived at the park for inspections of the attraction. They were followed by the ride’s creator, Steve Van Velson, who arrived in Cincinnati on June 11.

As the inspections were ongoing, the park requested that both employees and guests who had witnessed the incident call a toll free number to be interviewed. Over 50 witnesses from both Oktoberfest and Coney Mall were interviewed. The park also provided assistance to employees suffering from distress.

On June 12, Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced it planned on investigating the incident. The same day, the ride was operated for the first time since its closure. After testing, capsule four was removed from the attraction and disassembled. Other capsules were disassembled on June 13. These were stored in a room on Kings Island property so that they could be thoroughly investigated before being returned to the attraction.

The six week investigation ended with the answers everybody had been searching for. It was determined that the lack of a seat divider, Taylor riding in the capsule alone, and the empty restraint not being locked were all responsible for her death. It was Intamin’s fault for creating an unsafe attraction. The operators of Flight Commander were not responsible for any harm, however. Park policy did not require the locking of unoccupied safety restraints.

Pete Shnabel, president of Intamin’s U.S. office, recommended modifications. The park modified the ride vehicles in multiple ways to ensure guest safety before all else. Steps taken included the addition of a new seat divider (eight inches high, three inches wide), a lengthened lap bar, and employees closing restraints, even if the seat was unoccupied. The joystick which controlled the riders’ flight path was moved into a small well within the vehicle to prevent a passenger’s legs from accidentally striking or pinning it to one side. A final modification made was that the joystick became inoperable if both restraints were not locked.

Flight Commander reopened on April 11, 1992, after almost a year of closure. Although it continued to thrill riders, the aftermath of the June 9, 1991 incident was not yet over. Instead, Taylor’s family and Kings Island agreed to a settlement of $336,500 in December of 1992. Intamin Inc. was sued by Taylor’s family for $8.8-million shortly afterwards on February 12, 1993.

In 1993, Kings Island restricted alcohol sales to only the International Restaurant and Picnic Grove. Park spokesperson Carolyn Boos claimed the Flight Commander incident did not affect this decision, even though Candy Taylor’s blood alcohol level was at 0.30 percent when she was thrown from Flight Commander.

Flight Commander ceased operation at the end of the 1995 season. It is believed to have been destroyed, possibly having been recycled as scrap metal. While the ride itself has since been replaced with Launch Pad, an upcharge attraction, remnants of it remain. These include its waiting queue and control booth, both of which allow the memories of yesterday to return to us today.

[The Interpreter]

It should be noted that a 0.30 alcohol level is enough intoxication to cause most people to pass out...to say this woman was intoxicated is to put it mildly. Although that also contributed to this incident, rides should be designed in such a fashion so as to restrain even inebriated guests, as it is sadly foreseeable that inebriated guests will indeed board the rides.

[shark6495]

It should be noted that a 0.30 alcohol level is enough intoxication to cause most people to pass out...to say this woman was intoxicated is to put it mildly. Although that also contributed to this incident, rides should be designed in such a fashion so as to restrain even inebriated guests, as it is sadly foreseeable that inebriated guests will indeed board the rides.

well I hate to say this, I really do, but sometimes its the tragic scenarios that help make things safer for the rest of us. I hate saying that I really do, but in could be considered that her death helped save future lives. Now it seems a no brainer that on a ride where you may slide out you should be snug into the ride, empty seats should be locked down etc. But who knows if she was not at .3 would she still have slid out? and was it .3 or .03? because if it was .3 that means she (average female body weight in the the 130s) means she had about 10 beers in a very short time....

BAC Level Impairments

0.30–0.39

Behavior Issues

• Severe CNS Depression
• Unconsciousness
• Death Possible

Impairments

• Bladder Function
• Breathing
• Heart Rate

[windshawne]

It should be noted that a 0.30 alcohol level is enough intoxication to cause most people to pass out...to say this woman was intoxicated is to put it mildly. Although that also contributed to this incident, rides should be designed in such a fashion so as to restrain even inebriated guests, as it is sadly foreseeable that inebriated guests will indeed board the rides.

well I hate to say this, I really do, but sometimes its the tragic scenarios that help make things safer for the rest of us. I hate saying that I really do, but in could be considered that her death helped save future lives. Now it seems a no brainer that on a ride where you may slide out you should be snug into the ride, empty seats should be locked down etc. But who knows if she was not at .3 would she still have slid out? and was it .3 or .03? because if it was .3 that means she (average female body weight in the the 130s) means she had about 10 beers in a very short time....

BAC Level Impairments

0.30–0.39

behavior Issues

• Severe CNS Depression
• Unconsciousness
• Death Possible

Impairments

• Bladder Function
• Breathing
• Heart Rate

I can't imagine even being conscious at that level; besides, it affects people differently. One can be a royal ass, another person can be calm and seem normal. I know a guy with a neurological disorder, and he actually has better control of his movements and speech under the influence.

Personally, I think flaming a new member in the manner done on this thread is a little over the top. If you have an issue with someone, PM them, don't publicly humiliate them on here. Unless you were there and personally witnessed the accidents, how can any of us know for sure the exact events that happened? I dont believe the conspiracy thing, as the saying goes **** happens-it was just a bad day with a string of horrible events that could not be foreseen.

[Browntggrr]

Personally, I think flaming a new member in the manner done on this thread is a little over the top. If you have an issue with someone, PM them, don't publicly humiliate them on here.

Flaming and speaking the truth are two different things.

Combining the comments and the website, it is clear he is a troll.