Flight of Fear's Poor Capacity

[CoasterJack]

  So I've been thinking recently after looking into KI ride statistics. Flight of Fear has always maintained a longer line over the years, even compared to the new flagship rides for the year. I feel like for an operations standpoint for a park with our attendance, it's always been a problem. Take for example, this average wait time chart from 2021:

  Now potential factors I've seen are that the trains are 2 seats across, only 12, so 24 riders per train. But also Backlot Stunt Coaster has 12 passenger trains. However, operations always seem to be on the slower side, mainly due to the awkward seat-belt positioning as well as tight rider position, especially for taller and larger guests. Additionally, on better days, I've sat in the station as we wait for a train to come from the exit station, and I'm wondering if an extra train would help.

  I get that new trains or a better experience might be hard to market for the investment. However, would new trains address the capacity issues of this popular attractions if they were less restrictive and were less difficult to load, or are there more factors affecting the ride's poor hourly throughput? Like if the park purchased 4 new trains, they could rotate one off for maintenance since it operates through winterfest, and then theoretically launch a train after the following train clears the brake run. However, this is all theoretical as 3-4 new trains is a hefty expense for a 27 year old ride, but also I think it would greatly improve the ride experience, operations, and new sleek space themed train design would look rather cool (love the current trains, but their plain matte color/design could look a bit more exciting).

[teenageninja]

I believe FoF had 4 trains at one point, the problem is the loading and unloading takes so long.

Even when they ran 3 trains they would be stacking them in the brake run.

 

If I remember correctly FoF has 7 blocks, so they could in theory run 6 trains, but it would negligibly increase capacity. 

[silver2005]

There's no way FOF has 6 block sections.  I have the newspaper announcement article where it states it had a theoretical capacity of over 2K/hr, which we all know isn't practical.  I count 3 (1- main station to MCBR, 2- MCBR to unload station, 3- unload station-main station), FOF tends to often stop on the MCBR due to slow unloading in the 2nd station, so that pair of brakes before the unload station isn't a block from what I'm told.  Also, the train behind has to wait until the train gets to just past the sidewinder inversion (the highest point in the ride) in order to get into the loading station due to potential rollbacks which takes time.  I can't think of a launch coaster that ever had great capacity TBH.

[Gordon Bombay]

34 minutes ago, silver2005 said:

There's no way FOF has 6 block sections. 

I don't remember the exact placements, but I believe it's at least five* (six if there's two sets of brakes before the unload station and also I believe the track between unload and load is a block). The ride was designed to theoretically operate with four trains and I believe had four delivered, but only ever ran three. 

There are actually three trains today (or were as of a few years ago). However, while two run throughout a season, the third is rehabbed during the operating year. Conversely, (also at least as of a few years ago), Kings Dominion ran all three of their trains while KI only ran two. 
 

[tuxedoman52]

Station to MCBR
MCBR to Safety
Safety to Waiting 1
Waiting 1 to Unload
Unload to Waiting 2
Waiting 2 to Station

Just a guess.

Sent from my SM-S918U using Tapatalk

[silver2005]

Also doesn't help that FOF's trains are cumbersome to load and unload, especially with the awkward seatbelt.

[teenageninja]

Station to MCBR

MCBR To Safeties

Safety to Waiting

Waiting to Unload Station

Unload Station

Unload to Station

It's been a while, but I'm pretty sure there were 6.  I miscounted the station as being it's own block.

[PKIDelirium]

There's also a hold brake inside the tunnel just before the loading station.

[silver2005]

I still want to know how Premier came up with 2k/hr.

[Browntggrr]

^ Perhaps the original restraints are the difference?

[Gordon Bombay]

28 minutes ago, silver2005 said:

I still want to know how Premier came up with 2k/hr.

I mean, for all we know, this may have been a “theoretical” capacity. Keep in mind, they were trying to market and sell these things that were brand new. In theory, maybe they “thought” it could’ve had 2k per hour if you’re running four trains under perfect conditions. 
 

As another example, I recently saw the now defunct Wicked Twister listed as a 1K/hr capacity and there’s no way that was right even under the best of conditions. 

[TombRaiderFTW]

^ What he said. If you imagine riders having no loose items and being quick and efficient boarders/disembarkers, there being no seatbelt to check, and every train being 100% full, you could theoretically launch a train roughly every 30-40 seconds (approximately the time between launch and clearing a non-trimming MCBR.) That would put the ride at 1,800-2,400 people per hour, assuming it was running enough trains to always have a train waiting before the station and there was enough operators checking restraints.

Here in the real world, of course, basically none of those things ever happens, so obviously 2,000+ pph is a pipe dream.

[TheRickster]

6 hours ago, teenageninja said:

I believe FoF had 4 trains at one point, the problem is the loading and unloading takes so long.

Even when they ran 3 trains they would be stacking them in the brake run.

 

If I remember correctly FoF has 7 blocks, so they could in theory run 6 trains, but it would negligibly increase capacity. 

 

5 hours ago, Gordon Bombay said:

I don't remember the exact placements, but I believe it's at least five* (six if there's two sets of brakes before the unload station and also I believe the track between unload and load is a block). The ride was designed to theoretically operate with four trains and I believe had four delivered, but only ever ran three. 

There are actually three trains today (or were as of a few years ago). However, while two run throughout a season, the third is rehabbed during the operating year. Conversely, (also at least as of a few years ago), Kings Dominion ran all three of their trains while KI only ran two. 
 

 

Oh hi guys. Glad I wasn't the one to set the record straight here lol.

I think FoF suffers from people not being able to tell how long the queue is, so more people consistently enter the line, then the awkward belts and harnesses (seriously the belt design means guests just sit on them and don't evne know they're there so you have to wait 10 seconds per guest that does this 6 guests at a 10 second average and you're now at a minute of dispatch time just in seatbelt alone), it is probably the hardest to second hardest ride for larger guests to fit in so you have hangups there too so you have some issues around that plus any loose article issues although I'm not sure of the current policy with that although anything that the guests can't take with them and is not in a locker will add to dispatch time/work as the load operator will have to take them and put them by the disability entrance/kiddie corral. 

It's just a popular ride too people love it and it's a consistent favorite amongst the GP.

[Captain Nemo]

Yoooo Rickster! Good to see you still on this site after all these years!

[DoomPlague]

It's worth pointing out that the ride originally had 6 cars per train and now just has 5. That adds to the problem.

[MDMC01]

I wonder why that 6th car got removed?

[rlentless]

It seemed to have happened in 2001 when the over the shoulder restraints were replaced with lap bar restraints.  Not 100% sure on this.

[KIfan73]

I can still remember how painful those original restraints were!

[CoasterJack]

20 Years Later and the Premier "Comfort" Collars still aren't ideal. They pretty much gave Ice Breaker the same treatment by removing them and adding the "shin busters" with no foot room. One reason why I think if the park went with new trains, Premier still doesn't offer the best in terms of comfort.

[TheRickster]

On 4/3/2023 at 5:16 PM, Captain Nemo said:

Yoooo Rickster! Good to see you still on this site after all these years!

I'm still around  Hope you're doing well. I've been off and on here, as well as quietly back to amusement park stuff since about 2018. Trying to get back to it after 2021 just wasn't much fun crowd wise.