After months of construction, Kings Island’s new Orion roller coaster completed its first test run at 5:29pm today.  Video just released from park officials shows one of the ride’s three trains climbing the lift hill and plummeting down the 300-foot first drop.

 

Orion will make its public debut on April 11 when Kings Island opens for the 2020 season when it will become one of only seven giga coasters in the world.  Riders will sit four across on a 32-passenger train traverse on a high-speed journey over eight hills and 5,321 feet of track at speeds up to 91 mph on the tallest and fastest roller coaster at Kings Island.

More info here:

https://www.visitkingsisland.com/blog/2020/february/kings-island-begins-testing-orion

 

 

 

It goes so much faster that I thought it would on the helix! That moment should be very intense!

Some additional photos. 

 

So excited!!! Spring will be here soon 

44 minutes ago, Kodistict said:

It goes so much faster that I thought it would on the helix! That moment should be very intense!

To be fair, the trims were off. 

6 minutes ago, DeltaFlyer said:

To be fair, the trims were off. 

Why were they off?

I hope that’s the music they’ll play in the station!

IMAScore did a phenomenal job with Mystic Timbers station music, I hope they’ll once again work with the park to create an excellent sound track for the ride

1 hour ago, KIguy2004 said:

Why were they off?

First run usually goes without trims so that they can be sure it will complete the circuit, then they will be dialed in to the design speed. Last thing you would want on the first test would be a valley due to overzealous trims. 

Really hope somebody can record some video this week of testing from gwl.  Or the park gives us more footage! Can’t wait to see this thing Go through the elements!

Well, seeing Orion test for the first time, I have 2 observations:

#1- Orion seems to have a variable speed lift hill, but for the 1st test they seem to have used the lowest speed setting. (A variable speed lift hill is one that goes slower until the train ahead has cleared the upcoming block. In the case of Orion this would be a train hitting the final brake run)

#2- The helix looks to be taken at pretty high speeds and with good g-forces. Yes, the trims were probably off, but this was also the very first test run (so the ride was not even broken in at all yet) and in much cooler temperatures than what the ride will run at in summer. So I expect the helix will be taken pretty fast and forcefully when the ride is open, save maybe on cooler mornings when the ride has just been woken up and runs slower (though in those cases, will the trim even kick on?).

Aaaaand the cam is off the website

^
It was removed a few weeks ago, Don Helbig even gave us a heads-up. It should return by late March/early April.

23 hours ago, Shaggy said:

I hope that’s the music they’ll play in the station!

It sounds like a mix of MF's and Wicked Twister's station music, both of which are awesome. 

Can't wait to ride.

When will they do the next full-circuit test run and when will they release the POV?

5 hours ago, KIguy2004 said:

When will they do the next full-circuit test run and when will they release the POV?

1. Very good question.  Soon?  Who knows?  They may have more to work on or not.  You'll see a lot more cycles as we get closer and closer to opening.

2. Probably not for a while.  They will wait for things like buildings to be finished, landscaping to be done, the sky to look nice, etc.  

Banshee's POV was done about a week or two before the park opened to the public to give you an idea.

Where are you guys finding the music at?

16 hours ago, Shawn Meyer said:

Where are you guys finding the music at?

Mostly they find it in Youtube. But the real sound track might be from IMAscore.

16 hours ago, Shawn Meyer said:

Where are you guys finding the music at?

I think the music on the testing video is stock music.

Orion: *Howling like a star-ship*

People far away but close to Orion: *Hear a siren*

G.P. hearing Orion faraway: *Freaks out like they think is a disaster waiting to happen*

Kings Island: "We just fill it with sand, Idk why their not doing anything?"

Okay I have a question. Right now it's 30 something degrees in Akron Ohio. What's the temperature down there in Mason Ohio? The reason I ask this is because why film a POV when it's cold outside? Wouldn't it be better to wait to film the POV to say 50 degrees? I'm bringing that up to because there's been talk about releasing a POV any day now. 

It was in the 50s here in the Queen City.

 

29 minutes ago, Shawn Meyer said:

Okay I have a question. Right now it's 30 something degrees in Akron Ohio. What's the temperature down there in Mason Ohio? The reason I ask this is because why film a POV when it's cold outside? Wouldn't it be better to wait to film the POV to say 50 degrees? I'm bringing that up to because there's been talk about releasing a POV any day now. 

Is 58F to warm for you?  

 

^ My bad. I just felt since it's cold up here, it's somewhat cold down there.

Living in CBus I have learned there can easily be a 10-15F or more difference between Mason and Sandusky.  Often that is the determining factor on which park we go to for the day and frequently works in KI’s favor if we are interested in the waterpark.

@King Ding Dong, I can feel the difference when I've gone up to Columbus for Blue Jackets games. There was a 20 degree difference when I went. I was freezing.

Here's a video posted by OVC! Orion is looking pretty crazy, even from afar.

I'm a little confused why we need this thread. At this point, it's going to keep causing duplicate posts in two different places IMHO.