Anybody see KI instagram?

Looks like they're returning just diff name of course

Hmmm. I think that's being discussed around here.

Imagine!

See here for more details and other stuff thats coming in 2015 -> http://www.KICentral.com/forums/index.php/topic/30425-kings-island-adding-two-rides-and-other-improvements-for-2015/

I was there when the 2015 announcements were announced, and I really enjoyed myself, I cant wait for 2015. Most excited about the free Wi-Fi at the expanded StarBucks.

........sigh offseason blues!

We lost our Flying Eagles to seemingly be replaced 10 years later with,at best, flapping turkeys.

I'm a peacock, you got to let me fly!

Lettuce wait until the darn things are fully cooked before we go stuffing our preemptive opinions and half-baked guesses into the pot.

You're just doing asbestos you can to convince yourself the bird's wings won't be clipped when we get them back.

Has anyone ridden the eagles at Cedar Point?

(This is my moment! I've been waiting for my moment to Terp somebody!)

Yes, someone has.

(Finally!)

Do you know anyone personally that has?

Yep. Me.

There are some here who love them and find them snappable. Based on my experiences with that ride--which, granted, have only consisted of two rides in the same Halloweekends night--I tend to wonder if the meaning of "snapping" has changed.

Are the new Larson ones like Cedar Point's Lake Erie Eagles fun? Sure. Do they deliver the same ride experience as Knoebels' or Carowinds' sets? In my experience, not at all. I'm overjoyed that Kings Island is getting the set that they are. If Lake Erie Eagles are a good precedent and if you approach our Woodstock Gliders without the expectation that they'll be just like our old Flying Eagles, you'll have a great time.

The Larson set is as good a set as you can get, new. Short of getting "ours" back, this is the next best thing.

Didn't seem that the CP operators were running it at full speed when I rode, but still snappable.

I've heard before in enthusiast circles that the Larson sets come with two speed settings, one of which is faster than the other. I don't know how true that is, but it's worth mentioning.

It's true.

Very true.

Seldom will you see the faster setting used in fixed site parks.

This topic's title has an almost "Lord of the Rings" feel to it ...

(... you see, because Gandalf sends a moth after.. you know...)

Cirrusly, though, I think I've seen (and ridden) faster Eagles at other parks, both of which no longer exist (the parks, not necessarily the rides).

It's either that or the rider who flew too close to the sun and his wing melted!

I've heard before in enthusiast circles that the Larson sets come with two speed settings, one of which is faster than the other. I don't know how true that is, but it's worth mentioning.

^The control panel for the Larson scooters at Hartland. It's obscured by a pen, but you'll see that there is definitely a speed setting, and it's set to low. Cedar Point's Eagles didn't seem much, if any faster than the set at Kentucky Kingdom to me, so I'd surmise that CP's set is kept on low, too.

Worth noting also is the (optional) foot pedal control, which ends the ride if released at any point. If you get a good snap and startle the operator, sometimes this happens inadvertently...

The foot pedal is optional, so that might not be the method used to control the cycle time at Kings Island. The speed is a setting. I'd bet that you won't find KI using the high speed setting, but they could, and they might. We won't know for sure until we get a chance to ride them.

I've ridden KI's old Eagles (at their new home) as well as several sets of Larsons (Darien Lake, Kentucky Kingdom, Cedar Point, Camden Park) and several non-Larsons (Holiday World, Stricker's Grove, Columbus Zoo*). Excluding the old KI set, the Larsons are FAR superior to the others. To the average rider who doesn't know or care about snapping, the Larsons are probably every bit as good as Carowinds' Flyers (our old Eagles).

*The Columbus Zoo ones MIGHT actually be Larsons, I'm not sure and I can't find that information online. But if they are, they're a poor example because they are definitely not as good as the others.

Im just really excited to have some back in the park!!

Worth noting also is the (optional) foot pedal control, which ends the ride if released at any point. If you get a good snap and startle the operator, sometimes this happens inadvertently...

The foot pedal is optional, so that might not be the method used to control the cycle time at Kings Island. The speed is a setting. I'd bet that you won't find KI using the high speed setting, but they could, and they might. We won't know for sure until we get a chance to ride them.

Many of the Planet Snoopy rides (especially the single operator ones, like Joe Cool Dodgem School and Peanuts' Off-Road Rally) already have buttons that the operator(s) must hold for the entirety of the ride. If they release it early, the ride comes to an early stop. I could therefore definitely see Kings Island opting for the foot pedal.

Cedar Point's new Larson unit has the dead man's switch, so I would presume Kings Island's will get the same.

Well, as a rides op for The Columbus Zoo, I can tell you that the eagles there do have 2 speed settings, we use high speed most of the time unless it gets really windy, and then we turn it to low speed.

Good to know. My fiance worked briefly at the Columbus Zoo as a ride op on weekends while she was in law school up there. She only worked the Carousel and train that were in the zoo, and not any of the rides that were out by the water park.

I still need to ride the coaster there!

Make sure to tell the operator you want the ride on the high speed setting and not the low speed.

I sincerely doubt the operator(s) will be allowed to select speeds.

I've heard before in enthusiast circles that the Larson sets come with two speed settings, one of which is faster than the other. I don't know how true that is, but it's worth mentioning.

^The control panel for the Larson scooters at Hartland. It's obscured by a pen, but you'll see that there is definitely a speed setting, and it's set to low. Cedar Point's Eagles didn't seem much, if any faster than the set at Kentucky Kingdom to me, so I'd surmise that CP's set is kept on low, too.

Worth noting also is the (optional) foot pedal control, which ends the ride if released at any point. If you get a good snap and startle the operator, sometimes this happens inadvertently...

The foot pedal is optional, so that might not be the method used to control the cycle time at Kings Island. The speed is a setting. I'd bet that you won't find KI using the high speed setting, but they could, and they might. We won't know for sure until we get a chance to ride them.

I've ridden KI's old Eagles (at their new home) as well as several sets of Larsons (Darien Lake, Kentucky Kingdom, Cedar Point, Camden Park) and several non-Larsons (Holiday World, Stricker's Grove, Columbus Zoo*). Excluding the old KI set, the Larsons are FAR superior to the others. To the average rider who doesn't know or care about snapping, the Larsons are probably every bit as good as Carowinds' Flyers (our old Eagles).

*The Columbus Zoo ones MIGHT actually be Larsons, I'm not sure and I can't find that information online. But if they are, they're a poor example because they are definitely not as good as the others.

I sincerely doubt the operator(s) will be allowed to select speeds.

Looks like it's as simple as turning a knob. I'm not even a trained operator, but could figure that one out.

Being able to and being allowed to are very different things. I wouldn't want an operator to risk his or her job by breaking protocol.

Police officers are typically provided service weapons. They have the ability to kill someone with the simple pull of a trigger.

Are they allowed to shoot someone? Only in very specific cases where it is justified.

What's my point of this dramatic example? Having the ability to do something and having authorization to do something are entirely different.

Another example: employees at a software company are given computers with network access (naturally). They have the ability to hack into systems they have not been granted access. Are they allowed to? Nope, it's hacking. They'll likely lose their job.

The cop would likely go to jail..

Looks like it's as simple as turning a knob. I'm not even a trained operator, but could figure that one out.

There's no guarantee that Woodstock Gliders will even have that same panel. The speed setting switch may be absent from whatever Kings Island's version is.

And even if present, it may or may not be functional or be within the ride operators' permissions.

Does anyone remember the thrill rating for the old Flying Eagles? I saw on the new KI app that Woodstock Gliders has a rating of 1, which I thought was surprisingly low.

Low speed, low thrill.

You're right.