Flats that operators have control over...

As a ride-op, I am constantly hearing guests yell out: "make it faster...make it spin more...make it longer...make it flip..." etc...

Of course, I have no control over any of those things. My question is which rides do the ride-ops have complete control?

The only one that I know of is Ring of Fire.

Any others?

The swings at SFSTL you actually have a lot of control over. You do not control the speed, however you actually raise and tilt and lower the swings and have control over how long the ride cycle goes. However of course there is a standard we have to go by in terms of how long it goes.

I don't know if there are too many rides, if any, these days that operators have a lot of control over. I know on the old Rotors we could control how far up we raised the floor before slowing the ride down. This could leave some annoying guests with weggies.

Both the Mondial Top Scan and Mondial Supernova are operator-controlled. As far as I'm aware, they have no preset ride programs at all.

It may be that all Mondial rides are manually controlled.

It's possible to manually control iWERKS motion simulator theaters, but it's not exactly *fun*.

Traveling Mondials are manual, but I'm pretty sure rides like the TopScan at PCW are on a program. I don't think I'd want an operator to have control over that ride at a normal park... :) *** Edited 6/30/2004 5:15:51 PM UTC by CoasterCameron***

Many Top Spins can be manually operated. I know I got an extra long ride at Lake Compounce just before the park closed for the night that featured 4 different ride programs.

A properly run Tilt-a-Whirl is manually operated, with the ride op maneuvering the clutch to slow and speed up the turntable, thus allowing for cars to spin. Unfortunately many parks have done away with this which is why, as in the case of SFMM, cars no longer spin...just tilt.

I'm sure there are more.

I think for the most part, parks use the "pre-sets" just to prevent ops from doing something that might lead to a customer complaint, or worse. This is especially true in the larger parks...

Just on ConQuest, I can think of two manually operated rides that ended with VASTLY different results...Dawn and Mooshy on Keansburg's Twister (which has since been sold, for a song no less) ended with "less than stellar" results, whereas the op controlling my Eli Scrambler ride at the little putt-putt on the MD shore ended quite well, with me stumbling around dizzy trying to find the exit gate....after a particularly LONG and INTENSE cycle...:)

Can't speak for anything else, but a few years ago at Williamsgrove we ran into an operator on the "Twister" flat ride that had running that thing down to a science. He knew just when to increase the speed to get the most spin out of the cars. You could tell by watching him that he delighted in trying to make riders sick.

I was just going to mention Tilt-A-Whirls. Stealing my thoughts again, are you Moosh? ;)

---

CoasterCameron said:
Traveling Mondials are manual, but I'm pretty sure rides like the TopScan at PCW are on a program.

---

The only two Mondial attractions I have experience with were both purchased from German operators, so they're each traveling rides. They're both operating semi-permanently at Long Island's Adventureland, however.

"...whereas the op controlling my Eli Scrambler ride at the little putt-putt on the MD shore ended quite well, with me stumbling around dizzy trying to find the exit gate."

And that was different from your usual stumble how?

"Stealing my thoughts again, are you Moosh?"

Yeah...now if I can only find a way to plant thoughts I'd be stylin!

Good point....:)

Because this time he wasn't drunk. :P

The Tilt's at Camden Park and Lake Winnie still spin like mad, the way it was meant to be. :-)

Ah yes, the Williams Grove Twister.....I beleive I had the same experience. Sick ride! I loved it! I had to look it up just to make sure it was the same ride I was thinking about.

The most nauseous ride out there has to be the Round Up at Coney Island Cinci. A friend and I rode it and we both almost hurled (and I NEVER get nauseous on a ride!) I believe the sadistic ride op purposely let us spin faster and twice as long.

-Tina

The Octopus at Holiday World seems to be under manual control. You can feel the adjustments they are making right before your cars goes into a wild spin.

Yup...the old Lobster at Great America was the only manually operated flat there. There were a couple levers for hub and sweep rotation speed. It was a lot of fun to operate.

Yea, the octopus and/spider....whatever you want to call them are manualy controled by the operater.

There are two control levers....one for the turning motion of the ride, the other for the turning of the arms. *** Edited 7/1/2004 3:54:16 PM UTC by crazy horse***

Unfrtunately the days of a ride being totally in the control of the operator are numbered. The insurance underwriters don't like it when there is more than an on-off button. The old majors that were controled by means of a manual clutch and brake, or a rheostat and manual brake take skill to operate. Ask anyone who has handled an Eli Bidge #16 wheel with the original controls, a Tilt a Whirl,or the aforementioned Octopus. Ask us oldtimers how to properly handle a Dentzel carousel that still has it's streetcar style controller and hand brake. I't not as easy as it looks,because each time it handles differently due to the loading.(If you caused the gears to knock the old man gave you heck!).

---

Mamoosh said:

A properly run Tilt-a-Whirl is manually operated, with the ride op maneuvering the clutch to slow and speed up the turntable, thus allowing for cars to spin. Unfortunately many parks have done away with this which is why, as in the case of SFMM, cars no longer spin...just tilt.

---

The one at Williams Grove is manualy operated. The dude gave us like a 10 minute ride. He had to stop once to let some sick people off. That has to be the best Tilt A Whirl I ever rode. We spun the entire time.

That Twister is awsome at Williams Grove too. I think the guy running that made us spin more than the Tilt A Whirl.

My personal favorites are the guest controled rides like the Fly O Plane at Lake Winnie, and the good old Flyers at Knoebels. :) *** Edited 7/1/2004 9:44:33 PM UTC by coasterpunk***

Having operated an Eli Scrambler at the defunct Frontier Village, I can tell you a trick we used to use. Once cranked up to full speed, we'd slowly reduce the speed just a little, then when everyone would start yelling to make it faster, crank it back up to full speed. Worked everytime, everyone actually thought we'd make it go faster just for them ;o)