Dorney, 5/30/12. Just now.

Shortest report ever: got off work early. Went to pick up season pass. Disappointed VIP parking no longer an option. Got my pass, my picture, info on the new fast passes (much better than Hershey's), there weren't a lot of people, I headed straight for Stinger, rode Stinger backwards first. I do not like going backwards first. At all. Also hate the seats in Stinger because they fit me weird. They have a big big hole in the back. Stinger actually smoother than some other Vekoma booms. Maybe because suspended? Rode Possessed. Launch actually slowed DOWN coaster. We never hit the back holding brake. Scared me but made the coaster smoother going slower. Went home. How long did this take: 40 minutes WITH pass processing.

And I'm spent.

Wow. I hope the weak launch and lack of holding brake are just temporary. I haven't been on a standard impulse since, like '04 and that was the part of the ride I thought was most unique and interesting.

I agree... I think that Vekoma actually got one right with the inverted boomerangs. Too bad there aren't more of them out there. I braced for the worst the first time I got on one, and was pleasantly surprised.

Apollo Andy, the train was almost full, and every single person on the train said something was wrong because the launch before was fine and they hit the holding brake just fine. Me being the one who is paranoid about any new changes in a ride, I told the ride operator. He said, "oh yeah, it does that sometimes. That's normal." call me crazy, but isn't that kind of a bad thing when a complicated machine that launches a train of people towards the sky at speeds in excess of 60 mph isn't functioning correctly without so much as an alarm going off, whether said alarm is on the electronic board or just in someone's brain? I wasn't the only one who got a little scared by the whole thing. The launch either REALLY malfunctioned, or the brakes really malfunctioned. Either way, people were upset. The girls behind me sounded like they were gonna cry. They kept saying "something is wrong, something is wrong".

Kpjb, yeah, I was really surprised. And the coaster LOOKS nice with the blue and purple coloring and shiny black and blue trains. I would like to ride it again soon (today? Lol) if at all possible from the typical front seat position...for some reason, going backwards first really bothered me, but I did like watching the kids across from me screaming. Plus, minimal headbanging, so I had fun.

I would bet it's no different from any launcher rolling back. Not exactly "normal" operation, but also completely prepared for and completely safe.

ApolloAndy, I'm sure...just felt like the coaster actually dragged through the launch, which I think was what other people were worried about...it felt like it was caught on something. Weird feeling but apparently normal. No one else seemed fazed...