Cypress Gardens - Starliner: The Lift Hill Has Risen

Well assuming even a speed of 5mph at the top of the lift and a 70ft drop, I got around 67.54ft/s or 46 mph. So that is an upper bound, since there is frictional losses, but a top speed of 46mph or a little less would be safe to assume. Great to see this ride being almost ready to open, a john allen classic. Its always great to see a wooden coaster rebuilt and saved from being abandon or torn down. Phoenix comes to mind as a prime example of a ride that not only was saved, but has gone on to have a prosperous new life as it now is in most top 10 list.

Thanks for the interesting explanation, John. It's always nice to hear from someone that doesn't just pretend to have the answers but does have the answers!

I always wondered how the heights of old coasters were determined, since I'm fairly certain that accurate records weren't kept throughout the years (especially after a coaster was built). How is it that some parks are very accurate about the heights of their coasters, like 78' 9"? Is the height of the bent measured, or is the measurement to the top of the track (which likely sits higher than the top of the bent)? How about footers- does a 3' footer add 3' to the height of the ride?

46 mph huh? That's a good speed considering it's a woodie. But when I went on some other sites, they claimed that the top speed for Starliner was 55 mph. Here's a link to one of them.

http://www.ultimaterollercoaster.com/coasters/yellowpages/coasters/starliner_cypressgardens.shtml

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Beast Fan said: Phoenix comes to mind as a prime example of a ride that not only was saved, but has gone on to have a prosperous new life as it now is in most top 10 list.

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Now there's a ride John *might* be familiar with... ;)

LOL, thanks for posting all of that, John, it really DOES help keep the history alive when we hear it from the best there is, and then get to ride it as well.

edit: I was pretty sure I'd seen the 55mph figure before - but even more sure that it didn't go that fast. There's a tendency to over-estimate for marketing purposes... ;)

edit again: 70KPH does work out to 43.5MPH...just a thought... :)

*** Edited 6/8/2007 4:42:42 PM UTC by rollergator***

Wow the updates keep on coming in! ALL THE SUPPORTS FOR THE LIFT HILL AND FIRST DROP ARE DONE! Here are some pictures from Greg from the outside of the park.

http://cypressgardens.homeip.net/search.php?SearchTerms=Starliner%20Construction

If you look really closely, you can see that the supports are done. I wonder if they're tweaking the 1st drop of the ride to a steeper angle?

Wood coaster preservation... ahh, what a wonderful thing to witness :)

BTW, the trains are purple and they have individual lap bars. Because of that, Starliner will be denied that ACE Coaster Classic title (again). At least we'll be able to ride it.

I'm telling you Starliner had *THE* best tunnel bunny hop known to mankind when it was at MSAP. It threw me up on top of the seat divider! I don't suppose that will be happening ever again now. Too bad about the individual lap bars. Knoebels Phoenix is the only other woodie that's ever produced a similar effect on me.

Georgia Cyclone manages to slam me on the seat divider, despite having individual lapbars. There's still hope. ;)

Too bad there probably won't be a tunnel on opening day, but maybe we'll see one later.

That is too bad about the individual bars. Oh well, a small price to pay...

http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail;jsessionid=40FE12FF0A9248D7F6790424145C9993?contentId=3432271&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=1.1.1

Here's a video that shows the trains for Starliner. They look the same as they did when they were at MSAP. All they have to do is take away the seat divider and it would be an ACE, right?

Well, I have to say, if that video showing off the "NEW" trains for Starliner is accurate, then the trains will be equipped with single lapbars. You can definitely see, without a doubt, the lapbar, just as easily as you can see those god awful hollowed out concrete seat dividers.

Captain, there be BUZZBARS aboard! :)

They said there will be a guest celebrity there who just made recent media attention. Who do you think it is?

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PARIS HILTON!!! (LOL!) ;)

Yep buzzbars it is. Yay!

Who do you think it is?

Rosie O'Donnell?

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Borntocoast said:
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PARIS HILTON!!! (LOL!)

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That's what I was thinking! LOL, j/k. I'm not saying any names for the time being. *** Edited 6/9/2007 4:58:55 PM UTC by CoasterFan914***

LeBron! :)

I'll be there...wonder if I can find my Miracle Strip shirt?