Which name do you like the most for The Bat?

[Wanderer]

While in context, I prefer Bat over Flight Deck during its time in the Cedar Fair era, I am a fan of its early Top Gun days. Top Gun was the coaster that got me started being interested in coasters, and the theming was awesome. It had models of the planes, some radar stations, and movie stills along the queue, the giant billboard with an F-14 readying for take off, the ride crew dressed in USN attire, the much better red and blue-grey paint job, a simulated aircraft carrier control room in the lower station queue, and to top it off, some smoke that shot out as the trains dispatched to semi-simulate a carrier launch. It was such a cool ride in its early days.

It also used to be a lot more wooded in that area before SOB came, which made for excellent night rides. I considered it the 2nd best night ride in the park at the time behind Beast. That plus you got to see and smell the campfires from the former camp grounds.

Fun fact- the original station was designed by John DeCuir, the production designer for the movie.

I had no idea that he designed the station, that's really awesome! Also I forgot to mention the music! That really sealed it for the theming!

[MaestroJr]

Agree with some others that my favorite was Top Gun when it first opened. The extended queue underneath the station with all the props and stuff and the fog effects in the station were great. 

Love The Bat right now though. It's probably my favorite color scheme of them all. It really pops back there with the orange track. And the theme of a bat fits much better in the woods than an aircraft carrier did. Just wish they could have either converted the small tunnel or the area under the queue into a bat cave look or the station into an abandoned building look with rafters to give that little bit of theming to it. Think that would have pushed it over the Top Gun theming.

Agree 100%, even today while walking back to The Bat, I cant help but notice the stars, American flag, and at the rides final break back into the station, you can still see the number 51 on the ground as if you are coming back and landing on the front of an aircraft carrier as a Bat! A little bit of haunted theming would make it better, although at least they play Ozzy or something like it in the station generally! I still love the ride but I do wish for something haunting with bats during the long trek to The Bat. MaestroJr 

[MDMC01]

When I was younger, I loved everything about Top Gun (I started riding it when it was painted grey) and still referred to it as such when the name was converted to Flight Deck. When the change came, I was sad and didn't like it at first, but now I love the ride, possibly more than I did as Top Gun (though hearing Kenny Loggins in line was cool back then). The theme may have changed (in my mind, riders are now flying over a rainforest), and the new colors collide beautifully with the foliage (it also helps that the orange is close to the original red color scheme the ride had when it first opened), but at it's core, it's the same beautiful ride that I grew up with.

[MaestroJr]

How about a before and after photo I took in 2013 of Flight Decks final year, and 2014 of the ride newly painted and now called The Bat! Both look totally different but I think The Bat's color scheme looks better then the Flight Deck one. It looks better with the trees and scenery and such. You can see it much better with the orange from the parking lot than you could with the white. Just my opinion although I loved it as Flight Deck and still do with The Bat, I think regardless of what its called, its a really fun, fast coaster! MaestroJr