Black Widow open at Kennywood

This looks great; I had thought they put it right where Pitt Fall was, but I guess not. Seems people really like it:

http://vimeo.com/joelbrewton/blackwidow

That sure looks like Pitt Fall's old spot to me.

That ride looks really cool. Maxair and Delirium both make me really sick when I ride them, but The Claw at Hersheypark and Fandango at Knoebels both do not make me sick, and I absolutely love them. I wonder how this ride will make me feel?

At the end of the video, I love how they show a really long line spilling out into lost kennywood in one shot, and then a half-filled cycle the next. Of course, it wasn't edited in real time, but I though it was funny.

I'm sure it is, but from the vid it seems Black Widow's larger footprint causes it to protrude out onto the midway more. What I don't get is why they positioned it so it swings along side the midway rather perpendicular to it. Seems like a missed opportunity to suspend riders over the hill. Maybe they thought Phantom was too close, or something. I havent been there yet to see what challenges that might've presented.

It looks like a very fun ride, though, with good height and speed. Lets hope it stays reliable in that regard. I always rode Pittfall when it was available, but from the looks of this replacement I think I won't miss it.

Is it just the angle that the video was shot at, or does Black Widow swing at higher degree angles than the Huss models? It almost appears to go upside down in that video.

RCMAC said:

What I don't get is why they positioned it so it swings along side the midway rather perpendicular to it. Seems like a missed opportunity to suspend riders over the hill. Maybe they thought Phantom was too close, or something. I havent been there yet to see what challenges that might've presented.

They probably could have made it work if they really wanted to, but I think you can see from this video that it fits much better in this orientation.

The ride itself looks awesome, but I hope Kennywood didn't cheap out on the surrounding area like they did with Sky Rocket. I understand a new ride will draw more than typical crowds to the ride, and temporary queue lines may need to be constructed. However, when I look around the rest of Kennywood, many of their queue lines are way too short and look awful, so I worry about Black Widow. For example, seeing the patchwork job over asphault on Sky Rocket is disgraceful, and when that is combined with a scarred landscape under the ride, it looks ten times worse. Also, the queue lines for Jack Rabbit, Racer, Exterminator, and sometimes Sky Rocket are frequently spilling out into midways on typical weekdays. As a result, things get messy and disorganized weaving though crowds and line jumping is a joke. I understand that for some of these queue lines space is an issue, but the park is a continuous success and growing, so the problem will only get worse.

I hope and pray for the best at Kennywood as their ride experiences are top notch. However, their logistics are a growing annoyance.

They did a great job with the area. They used paver bricks and a nice looking black metal fence surrounds the ride. However the control building looks like a backyard shed.

Was at Kennywood yesterday. I found it much more comfortable than maXair or Delirium and the ride experience is much the same. It takes longer to get to it's peak height than the Huss rides, which gives it a little longer ride cycle. It also switches spinning direction during the ride a couple times. Great airtime at it's highest peak. Unfortunately they don't assign seat numbers so the loading process takes a little longer than need be. The surrounding area looks nice and the ride seems to be a big hit with guests. The line was a little bit outside the queue the few times we were able to see it throughout the day.

loriu said:

• more comfortable
• little longer ride cycle.
• switches spinning direction
• Unfortunately they don't assign seat numbers so the loading process takes a little longer than need be.
  

From my perspective, that's three big plusses and one fairly sizable (but easy to correct) minus. For those who tend to get queasy, the switching direction should remedy that. (Having just ridden Excalibur, I can say that uni-directional spinning CAN become an issue).

rollergator said:
(Having just ridden Excalibur, I can say that uni-directional spinning CAN become an issue).

Which Excalibur?

rollergator said:

For those who tend to get queasy, the switching direction should remedy that.

Funny you say that because, it's true. I take dramamine and still feel a bit queasy after I get off maXair. I was fine, no queasiness after Black Widow.

rollergator said:

For those who tend to get queasy, the switching direction should remedy that.

Just watching a MaxAir POV makes me nauseous,

The Kennywood official POV of Black Widow doesn't do that to me at all.

Billy - SFStL's ride, the Evolution from GAdv. Facing outward in those pods, spinning faster and faster before any vertical motion even begins...haven't felt queasy like that since SCAT 2 or Mission: Space.

Lori - some Tilt-A-Whirls have certainly made me queasy when the rotation gets really fast. One of the real benefits of the Waltzer, despite the insane speed, was the change of direction. I'm sure there's a physiological reason that changing the direction of rotation keeps the queasies at bay...and I'd guess at some of the inner-ear mechanics that change as we grow older...but I don't "know".

I used to be able to spin all day long, And Gravitrons were my favorite ride. Now I can't get on a gravitron even if I take Dramamine, and Revolution and The Claw both make me wanna hurl. I never even did Maxair when I was at Cedar Point because it looked filled with that floaty slow spinning that drives me nuts. However, Fandango is a blast for me. I am curious to see how this one would affect me.

Generally I don't go for spinning ride all that much, but the rotation speed on maXair and Delirium is slow enough that it's not a problem. Love those rides.

Giving the edge to MaXair, but that just might be me. Black Widow is a similar concept, just a little bit more comfortable while not quite the same intensity. I like the random forces of MaXair a little better.

I agree. Black Widow is great and I love that it's at Kennywood but it just doesn't pack the same punch that MaxAir does. It takes BW a long time to get swinging and stop where MaxAir is flying within just a few swings.