Posted
Theme-park guests will fall more than 300 feet, face first, at 60 miles per hour when Busch Gardens Tampa Bay opens Falcon's Fury in spring 2014. Falcon's Fury will be more than 100 feet taller than SheiKra, Busch Gardens' highest roller coaster at 200 feet tall. It will be taller than every Central Florida attraction.
Read more from The Orlando Sentinel.
It reminds me of the exact reason I dislike the Vekoma Flyers so much. All your weight is on the restraints, and I have extreme fear of what would happen if the restraint somehow malfunctioned. It wouldn't be the drop that would terrify me, but the sudden stop at the bottom of the tower. I bet the ride will start to stop midway so that the stop is not so sudden.
Looks like fun though!
-Travis
www.youtube.com/TSVisits
LostKause said:
All your weight is on the restraints, and I have extreme fear of what would happen if the restraint somehow malfunctioned. It wouldn't be the drop that would terrify me, but the sudden stop at the bottom of the tower.
I know what you meant, but reading the second sentence in context with the first is quite hilarious. Yep, that sudden stop at the bottom would really suck.
RCMAC said:
I've often wondered why drop towers didn't feature rotating seats to send riders face first or even head first...
I've always thought to myself that laying flat on your back facing up (think Vekoma Dutchman reclining in the station) would make for a particularly interesting Drop Tower. Maybe one day...
I'm thrilled that they went with Intamin rather than Moser (or S&S). Bonus points that it isn't a Gyro-Drop. Very excited about this addition. This will soften the blow for me if those rumors about Gwazi's future (or lack thereof) prove true.
The trick was to surrender to the flow.
Are there rumors Gwazi will go away? I don't usually pay attention to such things.
Jeff - Editor - CoasterBuzz.com - My Blog
Normally if I hear "a report" of something like Gwazi going away, I gnerally dismiss it. This is now multiple independent sources, some with significant credibility based on past experience....
In some ways, I wish I felt worse about it....losing a wooden coaster typically bothers me more - but this is closer to a Hercules or Psyclone situation.
I too have heard the rumor from people who aren't normally known for spreading rumors. I wonder if GCI will buy the Millennium Flyers back.
884 Coasters, 34 States, 7 Countries
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Maybe the problem is there's no off season in Florida. When it comes time for track work at seasonal parks it can be done in the winter, but at Busch they'd wind up pissing guests off for months if they bring the ride down for proper re-hab. Which they've done, but not successfully. One might say Gwazi is ideal because there's two sides, but I can't help but think there's something off-putting for guests to see half the ride with the track torn up. Besides, the idea of the ride to begin with was to offer a dueling experience, so...
I liked Gwazi, and don't have nearly the complaints about it I hear going around. (except for really strange station procedures) Maybe I just caught it on the good years.
Falcon's Fury looks awesome! I am surprised the tilting seats haven't been introduced sooner on a drop tower. Hopefully it will simulate a sky diving experience.
As for Gwazi, I wish for the best for these coasters. I rode them new and they were awesome! Is it a matter of justifying maintenance for two woodies? Fixing/ replacing tracks is always an ongoing. Also, the track is typically walked in order to inspect it. thus, I understand if the ride's popularity/ demand is low, it would be hard to justify maintaining both sides. Any thoughts?
Astroworld.....Gone But Not Forgotten
I know it was mentioned briefly earlier, but it looks like it didn't sink in with everyone: Acrophobia has had tilting seats (granted, only 15 degrees) for over a decade.
Hobbes: "What's the point of attaching a number to everything you do?"
Calvin: "If your numbers go up, it means you're having more fun."
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