Diamondbacker Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 For the offseason, I am setting ride goals for myself to accomplish this season. (Diamondback goal? 75.) But anyway, I obtained a Gold Pass last year for the first time, and I went about 10 times to the park. Unfortunately, I never had a chance to ride "the park's only flying coaster," Firehawk. I really wanted to ride it, because I never had rode it before. Every time I went back there, the ride wait sign said two hours. My friends never wanted to wait this long. So I pose the question to you, KI faithful, what are the best times during the day to ride Firehawk? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdawg1998 Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 Never..at least when I've gone. It is always crowded. Most of the mornings the ride is closed, so a line builds up immediately. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohiocolts Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 In October, on Sunday, I took a ride on FOF when the park opened (I was the first to enter the que ) and right after that, got to walk on Firehawk. So, check if it's open first thing in the morning. And it was a Sunday in October, which is the best time to visit (Weekend wise). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TombRaiderFTW Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 I've only seen that ride with a short (as in less than 15 minutes) line once in four seasons (with at least 10 visits per season). I've heard it gets short lines first thing in the morning, but honestly, you're probably just going to have to bite the bullet and wait in line for it. The best suggestion is to do it on a cooler day, as that line gets brutal when it's hot outside. The line moves very slowly due to the ride's capacity, so, for comfort's sake, don't do it on a hot day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fire-Beast-OF FEAR Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 As early as the park opens! however there are some days where the ride is closed in the morning so either don't ride it and go another day or around six when the the families start to leave or people start to eat. I enjoy the ride and i hope you do to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcgoble3 Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 For all we know, Firehawk may be included in the new expanded Gold/Platinum Pass ERT, the details of which have not been released yet. If it is, that will almost certainly be the best time to ride it (if it's not down). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thunderbeast1968 Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 Ride it at Geauga Lake, where the ride ops actually speed things along. LOL Sorry. I only try to ride it one time a trip. The ride-ops are so slow loading and unloading. I don't know why? My brother and I went several times to Geauga lake and only had a maximum of 30 mins of wait time. This was even during busy time during the summer. Maybe, Geauga Lake was never as busy as Kings Island? Not sure?? I went to Kings Island, second week of June and rode Diamondback (back to back) and only took just under an hour. Went over to Firehawk and waited almost 2 hours. I realize ride capasity and what not, but 2 hours?? Ride ops were moving at a snails pace. Changes are needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diamondbacker Posted February 29, 2012 Author Share Posted February 29, 2012 As early as the park opens! however there are some days where the ride is closed in the morning so either don't ride it and go another day or around six when the the families start to leave or people start to eat. I enjoy the ride and i hope you do to. Thanks, sir, appreciate the insight. Also, how often would you say the ride breaks down? To me, and by what my dad has told me, Firehawk seems to be running a course likewise to The Bat's, with its frequent breakdowns and closings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RingMaster Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 As early as the park opens! however there are some days where the ride is closed in the morning so either don't ride it and go another day or around six when the the families start to leave or people start to eat. I enjoy the ride and i hope you do to. Thanks, sir, appreciate the insight. Also, how often would you say the ride breaks down? To me, and by what my dad has told me, Firehawk seems to be running a course likewise to The Bat's, with its frequent breakdowns and closings. Let me say this: in the five years the ride has been at the park, I have yet to see it operate a full week with both stations running. If the ride hasn't completely shut down due to maintenance issues, then usually it's only running one station, and hopefully with both trains available. I love the experience the ride gives, but when it has the longest wait in the park on even the slowest of days (D-Back gets a near walk-on but I have to wait an hour for Hawk?!), I more often than not pass it up and/or just ride Flight of Fear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 When the ride was delivered to Six Flags, it had three trains. It didn't have three trains long, as soon train three was sacrificed for parts. And Geauga Lake had far fewer riders than Kings Island does. Even as Six Flags, the park was far less busy than Kings Island. And ride ops at Six Flags were not the reason lines were shorter at Geauga Lake. I walked onto X-Flight many, many times at Geauga Lake. I have not had the same experience at Batwing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diamondbacker Posted February 29, 2012 Author Share Posted February 29, 2012 (edited) Okay, never expect the ride to be open frequently, or never expect short lines. Thanks Edited February 29, 2012 by Diamondbacker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hendrick Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 When the ride was delivered to Six Flags, it had three trains. It didn't have three trains long, as soon train three was sacrificed for parts. I wish we had that third train. While it would still have a line, I feel that it would greatly help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingsrattler Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 Just a random thought, but does anyone(and by anyone, I mean anyone who is capable of contributing to this forum that reads this post, I'm sure "someone" knows) know if the Venkoma Flying coaster at Carowinds has the same downtime issues? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Browntggrr Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 Also, how often would you say the ride breaks down? To me, and by what my dad has told me, Firehawk seems to be running a course likewise to The Bat's, with its frequent breakdowns and closings. Bat's demise had to do with MAJOR design issues which caused the abnormal downtime. The similarities in issues between the two rides are as close as apples and oranges. Now if you want to compare Bat & SoB...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhantomTheater Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 When the ride was delivered to Six Flags, it had three trains. It didn't have three trains long, as soon train three was sacrificed for parts. I wish we had that third train. While it would still have a line, I feel that it would greatly help. Imagine laying down with the sun beating down above you for several minutes. It got quite hot on the safties, not to mention blinding. Two train ops is by far superior on X-flight / Firehawk, trust me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hendrick Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 Imagine laying down with the sun beating down above you for several minutes. It got quite hot on the safties, not to mention blinding. Two train ops is by far superior on X-flight / Firehawk, trust me. Not too much different then standing in Firehawk's line. (Worst case senario, they could put up those shades over the breakrun). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Browntggrr Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 Much like Mantis (load times) @ CP, adding a 3rd train to FH does nothing to help wait times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diamondbacker Posted February 29, 2012 Author Share Posted February 29, 2012 Also, how often would you say the ride breaks down? To me, and by what my dad has told me, Firehawk seems to be running a course likewise to The Bat's, with its frequent breakdowns and closings. Bat's demise had to do with MAJOR design issues which caused the abnormal downtime. The similarities in issues between the two rides are as close as apples and oranges. Now if you want to compare Bat & SoB...... I'd have to ask my dad, but the two seem awfully similar... Maybe it's the curse of Kings Island, and instead of Son of Beast, it's really Son of BAT? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohiocolts Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 Just a random thought, but does anyone(and by anyone, I mean anyone who is capable of contributing to this forum that reads this post, I'm sure "someone" knows) know if the Venkoma Flying coaster at Carowinds has the same downtime issues? Not sure about down-time for Nighthawk, but with only 1 station, the wait is worse then Firehawks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest thekidwholives Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 this won't work at all times but what I did, was I was getting off of FoF, and I was wanting to ride Firehawk, and I was so scared, but when I looked over they were pushing people back out of the que, apparently the seats wouldn't go down, and everyone left but a few people, and it was back open within about 10 minutes, and were the second group on, it is totally worth the wait, but beware, when it flips over, hold yourself back or it feels like you're gonna flop out. c: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsipus13 Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 Ride it at Geauga Lake, where the ride ops actually speed things along. LOL Sorry. I only try to ride it one time a trip. The ride-ops are so slow loading and unloading. I don't know why? My brother and I went several times to Geauga lake and only had a maximum of 30 mins of wait time. This was even during busy time during the summer. Maybe, Geauga Lake was never as busy as Kings Island? Not sure?? I went to Kings Island, second week of June and rode Diamondback (back to back) and only took just under an hour. Went over to Firehawk and waited almost 2 hours. I realize ride capasity and what not, but 2 hours?? Ride ops were moving at a snails pace. Changes are needed. I've went to Geauga Lake many times and i rode Xflight many times each time i went there. all of the lines there were not long but it not like many people from other states knew about it. so less people means more rides for who went, but not enough people and they close down... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hendrick Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 Much like Mantis (load times) @ CP, adding a 3rd train to FH does nothing to help wait times. Mantis also doesn't have a duel loading station. Currently when a train leaves the station, that side remains empty until the train completes it's cycle. With a third train, you could start the unloading/unloading process. If Firehawk cycle is two minutes long, then in theory save two minutes per train. Although it's a small amount, it can add up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Browntggrr Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 As long as there is always a train waiting, pushing a 3rd train accomplishes nothing except a longer wait on the train itself. The purpose of the dual load station is for the load times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lebeau Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 I rode it for the first time last year and I didn't enjoy it. I had a 20-30 minute wait on a Saturday night. It was a hot one. A lot of times, the park clears out on really hot days. Best bet, just keep checking it out. Eventually, you'll find a relatively short line. Then, hop on. But don't say I didn't warn you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hendrick Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 As long as there is always a train waiting, pushing a 3rd train accomplishes nothing except a longer wait on the train itself. The purpose of the dual load station is for the load times. A train would not always be waiting. The time saving comes from when one train is currently running the course, the another train would be in the station to start the unloading/loading process. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Browntggrr Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 ^ So where would the 3rd train be if one is operating, and the 2nd is starting unload/ load process? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hendrick Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 ^ So where would the 3rd train be if one is operating, and the 2nd is starting unload/ load process? It would be in our dual-loading station. Train A&B are in the station. When train A dispatches, train C immediatly enters the station (this is where the time is saved). Once train A finished it's cycle, it waits for train B to dispatch, and take it's spot. Repeat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joncars05 Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 I still think the best time to ride the Firehawk is right in the morning. I usually try and ride it twice before the crowd gets in then once more near close. anytime after noon is terrible until the crowd thins out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldiesmann Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 The biggest issue I see with Firehawk is that they don't operate it efficiently. When one train hits the back brakes, they should dispatch the one in the station. If they could speed things up a bit, the line would move faster. I have seen things done that way a few times, but often they haven't finished loading one when the other returns, and even when they have, it usually isn't dispatched until the other starts unloading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diamondhawk Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 Honestly, the best thing to do is go straight to x-base after ert. If Firehawk isn't open yet, keep riding Flight of Fear. Or buy Fast Lane!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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