timw725 Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 ^ Trying to figure out how our tower can be taller, but their gondola goes higher than ours... Someone somewhere must be levitating. "Gyro drop" is the style of ride, like a HUSS Top Spin or an Intamin Blitz coaster. Intamin has two types of Drop Towers - Intamin Giant Drops (like Wonderland, Carowinds, and Great America's Drop Zones) and Intamin Gyro Drops (like ours, with the ring of riders). Both Kings Island and Kings Dominion have Gyro Drop Towers. Kings Island's tower is taller, but the brakes start higher up, thus resulting in an altogether shorter drop. The tower is 315 feet, while the drop is 264 (which would mean that the brakes begin 51 feet up the tower). Kings Dominion's tower is shorter than ours, but the brakes also begin lower down, so there's actually a longer drop area before coming in contact with the brakes. The tower is only 305 feet tall, but drop distance is 272 feet, meaning that the brakes start 33 feet up the tower. So both are the tallest, just in different ways. Why do are brakes start higher? if you know why. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coaster_junky Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 Why do are brakes start higher? if you know why. my best guess as to why Kings Island's Drop Tower's brakes start higher is that the ride carriage for it weighs more than the one for kings dominion's Drop Tower, meaning it takes more time to slow it down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkroz Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 I don't know, but Kings Dominion's was built four years after ours, so perhaps technology had improved by then and allowed the ride to be adequately slowed in a shorter space on their tower. And as was pointed out, Kings Dominion's is a gyro drop (and not a giant drop or a ballistic tower, the other two Drop Tower variants offered by Intamin) as evidenced by the higher capacity and the ring of seats. It's been my opinion that Kings Dominion's doesn't bother with the spinning gimmick because not having it seems to increase throughput tremendously - the ring ascends the tower much more quickly, and the catch-car returns much more quickly. Of course, that, too, may be from four years worth of technology improvement more than anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KIfan1980 Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 So somewhat back to the topic of WindSeeker - I "learned" from my son at dinner tonight that while testing last night, two of the seats fell off. One of his friends was there and saw it. I'm somewhat surprised that this was a topic of conversation in a class of second graders - many of whom are too short to even ride it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr_humor Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 The lying starts at such a young age. So sweet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SOB_TOM Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 Don't forget that Vortex is also sinking and Cobra closed because of "Low Ridership." I'm sure that if the seats actually fell off, the enthusiasts crowd would have heard about it a lot sooner than now. And (No offense,) through a second grader. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weberc3 Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 i heard about the seat falling off also, apparently "everyone" saw it. if a dinosaur catching fire makes the news, i'm sure projectile seats would also. BUT...even if it never opens (i know it will at some point), they need to keep it up for the awesome light show it puts on. I just hope they don't get lazy and let lights go out or let it fall into disinterest...like some lights in the starlight experience, the themed room of outer limits, or the general themes of Adventure Express. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sethdawg17 Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 So that rumor about seats flying off is now hitting the Kings Island WindSeeker? About a week or so ago there was an identical rumor about that happening up at Cedar Point. It's all just lies and no proof to go with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dieseltech20 Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 They get if from Facebook. Not a day goes by without someone saying the seats flew off or the dummies are falling out because the restraints don't work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KI FANATIC 37 Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 People these days.... I guess they find it entertaining. Why would people even believe this nonsense. Not trying to be rude to people who did believe this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flightoffear1996 Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 http://www.intaminwo...DE/Default.aspx http://data.sphosting.ch/Intamin/Media/Gyro%20Drop/Gyro%20Drop.pdf "Gyro Drops" "Paramount's Kings Dominion, USA" Hmm. Takin from the Intamin website. "40-seat ring structure rises slowly up the shaft, turning as it goes to give the guests a good all-round view of their surroundings, turning slowly and gently" KD drop toower does not rotate. So it cannont fit under the the gyro drop title. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dieseltech20 Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 Dude, Intamin has the ride listed under GYRO DROP. You ever think maybe KD just has the rotate part disabled? I would like to think the people that made the ride know what it's called, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diamondback FOF Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 Well, I went to Kings Island last Saturday for the first time. It was nice weather, sunny, and fairly crowded! I also took my camera for the first time in forever soooo....here are some pix (I'm mainly sharing one's of WindSeeker because most people have seen everything else I took photos of) As others have said, the motion limiter things hadn't been added...I didn't see any, but I believe someone said they saw one. I do wonder if the designer always intended for them to be added or if they thought it was possible, so they manufactured the ride with the brackets in place. I guess that is to keep the cables where they're supposed to be, even when it gets windy. The view from Diamondback's line! I personally really like the blue railings they used around WindSeeker...I like the blue and these railings seem more sleek. the seats look uber comfy....but quite minimal! And now what everyone's been waiting for! We know how long til it opens... Also, here's the link to the album if you'd like to view the rest http://s872.photobucket.com/albums/ab289/AlexRB1994/Kings%20Island/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkroz Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 ^ Nice pics! Thanks! KD drop toower does not rotate. So it cannont fit under the the gyro drop title. Then what is it? http://www.intaminworldwide.com/amusement/Towers/Gyro+Drop/tabid/142/ProductNumber/Gyro+Drop/language/de-DE/Default.aspx The gyro drop page on Intamin's website has a photo of Kings Dominion's tower. The attached PDF has two pictures of it. The only other tower types offered by intamin both use little four-person carts (see, Drop Zone at the other three Paramount Parks). It is a gyro drop. Perhaps when constructing their final drop ride, Paramount requested that the revolving mechanism be left out (that is, after all, the only apparently difference between ours and theirs in terms of functionality) for one reason or another. Does that mean the ride deserves its own unique classification? No. It's a gyro drop without the added revolving gimmick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flightoffear1996 Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 IDK if it doesnt rotate how can it be a gyro drop? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
standbyme Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 That's cute! Lets hope that it's an overstatement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 Flightoffear1996: if a sports car is never driven over 50 MPH is it not still a sports car? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DropZone99 Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 Back on topic, Canada's Wonderland WindSeeker reopened yesterday, and is open today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
standbyme Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 Back OFF topic: Flightoffear1996: if a sports car is never driven over 50 MPH is it not still a sports car? If a gyro drop drops in a park and no one is around to hear it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sethdawg17 Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 If you haven't seen, the CW WindSeeker opened up again for the past 2 days I think. Someone has put a POV on YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tg1bUK9-afQ&feature=related Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flightoffear1996 Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 Flightoffear1996: if a sports car is never driven over 50 MPH is it not still a sports car? Thats comparing apples an orange. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RingMaster Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 If you haven't seen, the CW WindSeeker opened up again for the past 2 days I think. Someone has put a POV on YouTube. Gotta love the line out the queue in that video. People must really want to ride that. Wonder how long the line for Behemoth was at that particular moment... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkroz Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 Flightoffear1996: if a sports car is never driven over 50 MPH is it not still a sports car? Thats comparing apples an orange. I'm just flabbergasted by this. So, it has the exact capacity, size, throughput, and duration as an Intamin Gyro Drop. Intamin calls it a gyro drop and uses its picture to advertise its gyro Drop Tower. Kings Dominion advertises it as the world's tallest gyro drop. It is physically, mechanically identical its sister at Kings Island, which is a gyro drop. But because it does not spin, it has its own classification that neither Kings Dominion or Intamin seems to recognize? Talk about arguing over semantics (and to argue that the manufacturer and owner are wrong, and that your classification is better than theirs... Argue if you must that it doesn't deserve to be classified a gyro drop, but recognize that it is classified as such regardless of your opinion). Happy to see Canada's tower seems to be doing well. Let's hope ours is fast-tracked to open. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RingMaster Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 Let's also hope that Knott's doesn't go through the same pitfalls the other three underwent as it's still being erected. It would suck to not see that open until well into the Fall when Haunt commences. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdawg1998 Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 Based on the POV, I can almost follow through with my opinion that this ride is no more than a kiddie ride 300 feet in the air. I know, I know, I will get you guys picking at me because I haven't been on it yet, but honestly - does it look that thrilling? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TombRaiderFTW Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 ^Do bear in mind that the video doesn't show that you're being held into an essentially sideless seat by a simple lapbar. I think that's where a lot of the thrill comes in--it's psychological. And as far as this gyro drop controversy goes... Who really cares? They're still both the scariest things I've ever done in an amusement park! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPKIMax Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 Hi, first post, but I feel the need to add this in here. As I'm from St. Louis, we got the Skyscreamer, which is about the same as the WindSeeker, only 60 feet smaller..but you would think the ride is super thrilling..when all it is is REALLY basically a kiddie ride. Sure, it's got a great view, and if you're scared of heights, it'll get ya, but once you ride it a couple times, it gets pretty boring. I don't know if the WindSeeker will be different, but hey, I'm just putting in my two cents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
standbyme Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 Welcome CPKIMAX! Thanks for your input. I will say that saying that Skyscreamer is "only" 60 feet shorter is an understatement though...in my opinion 60 feet is quite a difference. I am not thrilled with heights...so I can picture WindSeeker giving me a little bit of a scare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZ Kinda Guy Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 It is physically, mechanically identical its sister at Kings Island, which is a gyro drop. KD's Drop Zone is nowhere near identical mechanically or physically to KI's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benred23 Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 Just to be clear on something, did Kings Dominions Drop Zone ever spin on the way up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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