Flat rides

Look I love roller coasters, but flat rides are great too. I heard that the Paratrooper@ Dorney Park was dismantled. I really liked that ride it was a great ride in fact. My question is are parks focusing on roller coasters too much? My answer is yes.

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Talon is going to rock, roll, and take its toll!

I think there is a distinction between a coaster park and a ride park. If there is a coaster in a park, it's going to occupy my time...i.e., I can't remember the last time I rode a flat ride at CP. But it's nice to go to a ride park now and again, like Americana or even Kennywood. To answer the question...no, I don't think the big parks are too focused on coasters, because, admit it, that's what we all want.

I love flat rides, especially Chaos, Zipper, Top Spin, Enterprise, Flying Carpet, Breakdance...the list goes on, and on. They just give you that funny feeling in your stomach that a coaster can not fufill. At least until X...

Flat Rides! I'm scared of flat rides. Spin and pukes and especially the rides that do you upside down. Until I was about 18 I could ride and ride the craziest of them, especially what was called Captain Kamakozee and Exterminator, the swinging hammer thing. That is the only ride I've ever been on that made me laugh very hard, uncontrollably. For some reason, I got on a Ring of Fire one day and it became really scary for me.

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Den said:
"I think there is a distinction between a coaster park and a ride park. If there is a coaster in a park, it's going to occupy my time...i.e., I can't remember the last time I rode a flat ride at CP. But it's nice to go to a ride park now and again, like Americana or even Kennywood. To answer the question...no, I don't think the big parks are too focused on coasters, because, admit it, that's what we all want."

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Coasters maybe what we want, but it may not be what families want per se. Families pay the bills at these parks, and with the current economic trends, parks are going to have to attract local families more than distant travelers looking for rollercoasters.

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rolacostaking said:
"Coasters maybe what we want, but it may not be what families want per se. Families pay the bills at these parks, and with the current economic trends, parks are going to have to attract local families more than distant travelers looking for rollercoasters."

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Yeah, but let's get serious here. How many "non-thrillseeker" would really ride an S&S 'Power Tower', a Huss 'Frisbee', a Zamperla 'Roto-Shake' or a Chance 'Chaos'. These new-fangled flat rides are a far cry from the Yo-Yos and Himalayas and Paratroopers that used to be park staples. I mean you really have to have a pair to try a 'Skyscraper' or 'Turbo Force' type ride. I just dont buy the arguement that these help attract a "family" demographic.

That being said, there are *very* few parks (CP & SFGAm come to mind) that DONT need more flat rides. Flat rides that is in the style of teacups and scramblers (or breakdances for the updated version). Not "spectacular rides" like I listed above.
jeremy
--who thinks the Vekoma "Mad House" sounds like fun.

The original Himalaya!

Two words: Bayern Kurve!

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There's nothing like a woodie...

I wouldn't think twice about strapping myself onto any coaster, but I usually have to be coaxed onto flat rides. I know I'll end up loving it, but I still refuse to ride for a while. My favorite flat rides so far are the new Mondial Top Scan and the old Huss Enterprise.

I am a Tilt-A-Whirl junkie. Have always loved em and always will.

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"SAVING THE WORLD BEFORE BEDTIME" Powerpuff girls

Hoo-Ha! The Tilt-a-Whirl rocks! That is without a doubt my favorite flat ride. The best way to ride it is with 3 full grown adults. Man that sucker can flip around. :)

-Eric

I'm not really a big fan of flat rides, but those spinning teacup rides are awesome. I always try to locate them on the park map ASAP so I can go there whenever I'm tired of waiting in coaster lines. That's the good thing about flat rides -- the lines are never long (even though it technically is, I don't consider Power Tower a flat ride).

Scarmblers are fairly cool, if it has a cool setting. Not familiar with the breakdancers, though. Myrtle Beach used to have set up a Mind Scrambler, anyone remember that? In it's last years as the MS many a light and laser stopped working. I used to live in that thing. It was inside a room with mirrors and they filled it up with smoke (cough! cough!hehe, not any kind of 2nd hand) so you could see all the dancing lights and 3D laser effects. Please somebody tell me you know of another! Like I said, it was better before they let it go. The room would be jet dark, and only when you were facing yourself in the mirror would there be a bright flash of light, then back to dark and lasers.

The Aero 360. The ultimate flat ride. You have to ride this flat ride if you are going to Kennywood.

Flat rides are very important to the vibe of a park I believe. Without them I think a park seems almost dead. To see an example of this go to Paramount's Kings Dominion. If you love flat rides, than look no further than SF Great Adventure. The place is littered with flat rides. They've got everything from a common Himalaya to the ultra-rare Huss Jump, a ride which personally scared the crap out of me.

I have to agree... Aero 360 is a spectacular machine. A must-ride.

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Matt Lynch
Co-Webmaster, Kennywood Boulevard
http://kennywood.coasterbuzz.com

When I was at the AIMS conference in Houston I had the opportunity to talk to the people from Zamperla about the AERO 360. I relayed my (and Belmont Babes) opinion of this ride. We were very impressed with it, and the reps talked with me for a fair amount of time about it.

I love the spin and pukes. They're good primers for coasters :) and no other ride (that I've found at least) can mess with you like they can. I'm hoping to talk some ACErs at an event sometime into a spin and puke marathon.

Nathan
--who would like to know what the Vekoma Mad House is :)

I rode this ride called Fireball and man.. this has become my favorite flat ride. just the way it swings at a 98 dgree angle ,so smooth yet so darn fun and fast!! It's kinda like the Huss frisbee, but your feet hang down. Has anyone been on this?

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Life is like A rollercoster FUN!!!!

I rode the protoype in London, and just recently at the Florida State Fair. It is called 'Feverball', by the way.