Does anyone like flying coasters

I have never been on one, but I can't wait to do so. I just saw a show on the Travel Channel last night which featured S:UF at Six Flags over Georgia. All I could see is smiles from everyone. Not to offend anyone, but the only people I hear complain about coasters generally are enthusiasts and not the general public.

That's the case with many coasters Dragster Freak ;) And on the flipside, the only people you'll hear praise old smaller wooden coasters ARE generally enthusiasts ... although some enthusiasts still think like a "GP" (me)

Hi all,
I've riden x-flight many times. It was my youngest daughter, 12 at the time, who showed me how not to get hurt by it. The key, it seems, is don't hang on. the times i did hang on, it hurt. when i let go and was craddled by the restraints, it was fine. felt loose, by not sloppy loose w/headbanger ala mind eraser (GL).

I can't say that I am huge fan of these rides, but they definitely add to the variety at parks that have their share of inverted and looping coasters. Unless I am very pressed for time, I'll take a ride on one. More than one ride if the line permits (which unfortunately never happens).

The Vekoma rides have a great layout but the fact that the trains "bang" their way around makes them a little rough. The B&M rides are glass-smooth (and I happen to find the back seat very comfortable and entertaining) but lack the creative layout of the Vekoma rides. Heck, I didn't even mind Super Flight at Rye (Zamperla Volare) last night. Yeah, it was a little rough around the turns but I've been on worse. A lot worse.

I've ridden both Air and S:UF (Georgia version) and I can say with certainty that Air is a FAR better ride in every way. Superman is not a bad ride at all, but Air just has a layout better made for flying, and although it doesn't have the great pretzel loop, it does have a longer stretch of track taken on your back. I don't know about how Vekoma's flyers compare, since I've not ridden one.

It's all subjective. I have a friend who too has ridden Air and Superman and far and away prefers Superman.

Personally, I think Air is OK, but once you get over the novelty of flying, you're left with a very average coaster. There are inspired moments of flight, yet there are more moments of pottering around doing - well - not much.

Flyers-Not for the timid.

I enjoy them being that i have been on BORG and S:UF. I dont really have a choice because both offer different elements and feels.

I like the rides pretty well, but they aren't amoung my top favorites. Since the lines are often very long I'll often pass and ride one of my favorites, ie. SROS.

I've never found any of them particularly uncomfortable. One hint though, if you are tense hanging in the harness, Vekomas will bruise your collar bones. If you just relax into the harness, you won't have any problem. Carrying your weight on your chest combine wiht G's may be a problem for people with lung or heart conditions.

I thought the only remaining Flying Coaster in North America was the Kangaroo at Kennywood? ;)

Ray P. (who likes the Norman-Bartlett Flying Coasters the best!)

Been on all 4 Vek's and all three US B&M's and have loved all of them. Granted, they can be boring sometimes, but I wouldn't describe any of them as uncomfortable.

I loved the Vek layout way more. Especially the top flip, rather than the bottom lift. Makes a world of difference in my opinion.

If only we could see a B&M with the top flip and a custom layout with a lot of quick low turns...Pretzel loop is nice, but I'd rather see more pure flying action.

"Not to offend anyone, but the only people I hear complain about coasters generally are enthusiasts and not the general public."

I somehow got my 50 yo plus mother and father on the one at GL (don't know what they are calling it now, but I think it was X-flight when we were there and the park was Six Flags)! I still remember my mother saying, "that was the biggest piece of crap I've EVER been on. Why did you make us wait for that?" I did not have a good answer. She still occasionally brings up how bad that ride was. It must have stuck with her. This from a lady that usually does not say anything bad about any rides and is just as happy to sit on a bench and people watch.

I think she would fall into the general public category, though over the years I have dragged her to a park here and there and teased her onto many a ride. She may qualify as a begrudged enthusiast by some standards.

Needless to say, I still think these things are more fun to look at than to ride. They definitely seem to attract a younger crowd. After about age 25 the bones must get too brittle to tolerate the unique forces Flyers present. *** Edited 8/6/2004 8:20:43 PM UTC by Jeffrey R Smith***

Yup...just because you don't know a lot of facts and figures about coasters doesn't mean you can't tell the difference between something fun and something painful, boring, or both.

I'm with you on the flyers...they don't do it for me the way a shaking, rattling, and rolling woody does.

Well, nothing entertains me like a wooden coaster. But I guess that would explain my signature, huh? ;)

All I'm saying is that I find flying coasters to be a refreshing take on the standard steel looping coaster. A novelty, but an interesting novelty. Much better than some one-trick pony, IMO.

I agree...the idea is pretty cool. In fact, I like all the different riding configurations. I guess all that is left is to have a train of lazy boys that can be individually configured by the riders. ;)

Yah see Jeffrey? Someone here likes flying coasters better than one-trick ponies! ;)

I like the layout of X-flight. I have to ride that every time I go to that park. Superman is just ok... the front row is the only way to ride it and nothing memorable really happened on it. I remember the first time I rode X-flight and I was amazed at the g's the vertical loop pulls. It's a rough ride because it is a Vekoma, but the layout is far superior in my opinion. It's a must ride for me!

Wow, people actually think the Vekoma flyers have interesting layouts? To me these rides have the most predictable layouts this side of a B&M floorless. An overbank, loop and two loopscrews... great. I sincerly hope we never see another Vekoma version of these rides.

I absolutely love the B&M flyer trains and seat configurations. The layouts here are pretty boring, but I figure all we need is for a park to order a custom layout and force B&M to work outside of the "clone" box, and I think they can create a mind-blowing flying coaster. Just use your imagination.

What's uninteresting about a Vekoma flyer layout? It makes good use of interesting rider position in tried and true elements. Did you want them to come up with some crazy elements that are flyer specific (i.e. pretzel loop)? Because they have all the half flips, which I find quite fun.

I mean, B:TR is just a loop, zero-g, loop, some turns and corks. MF is just a big drop, with some hills and overbanks...

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I absolutely love the B&M flyer trains and seat configurations. The layouts here are pretty boring, but I figure all we need is for a park to order a custom layout and force B&M to work outside of the "clone" box, and I think they can create a mind-blowing flying coaster. Just use your imagination.

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Well, that's great and all, but they haven't. So as it stands, the cookie cutter Vekoma layout seems to be more interesting than the B&M cookie cutter.

The S:UF's are drop, pretzel, left turn, right turn, left turn, right turn, right turn into a twist. It just kind of wanders back and forth between the two actual elements the ride has.

So we've established that the flying layouts are boring. But we left out one thing, the Vekomas typically beat the hell out of you and leave you to dry out in the sun afterwards. Not to mention horrible restraints, clunky trains and bad capacity.

Um....yeah, I'll take the B&M versions, especially once they *do* get a chance to build something other than the Superman clones. YMMV. *** Edited 8/7/2004 2:01:19 AM UTC by DWeaver***

Where do you get a 4th vekoma flyer from ApolloAndy? as far as I know only three were built.

They are Stealth(relocated as Borg to PCAR),Batwing & X-Flight,sure Borg can be seen as a new ride of sorts but there hasn't been a 4th coaster actually manufactured as of yet.