Flying Turns Update

I'm hearing while they are still working out the issue of restraining riders they have rules out OSTRs. I certainly hope that's the case ;)

That would be nice. And yeah true bear, they put all but the last layer on all of the figure 12, maybe they're working on the last layer now. Also we cant see whats going on near the brake run and what not, maybe bents are going up.

Not exactly an update comment or construction question, but I didn't want to start a new thread for this. Anyway, my questions are...

If/when this ride becomes a success financially and critically, what do you think the repercussions might be? Do you think some other park might say "we'd like to have one of those?" Or more like "well that's nice for Knoebels but that's not our thing?" Are the Turns the kind of ride of which several should be built (like the originals), or should this be a one-time project?

It looks as though it will be the type of ride that requires a lot of TLC as it ages. I don't know how many parks are willing to pull off not only building one, but committed to keeping it in optimal condition.

I for one, (like everyone else) can't wait to ride this thing.

I was wondering the same thing, if it could start not specifically a "flying turns" ressurection, but maybe a classic style ressurection that possobly some other parks might catch on to.

It depends on how much buzz it generates when it actually opens and reviews pour in and what not. I'm hoping it'll have a rather large media day and opening.

The shame of it all is that there should have been a LOT more of these built when the technology first came out in the late 20's/early 30's. Unfortunately something else happened in the late 20's, that would be the depression. Parks suddenly did not have enough money to survive let alone build a big new coaster, so we only wound up with 9 of them built in the US and by the time the depression ended parks started moving on to other technology and the Flying Turns rides slowly faded into obscurity with the last one coming down in 1974.

As for me, I'm still severly psyched up for this ride simply because my Dad has raved about the one that was at Euclid Beach and I drive by the old EB site on my way home from work daily.

Tom

From what I hear, another reason that they are gone is the condition they were in. They didn't have treated wood then and unlike a traditional wood coaster, there was not much place for the water to go.

Also, according to Leonard Adams Jr. the reason the final layer of the trough has not been started yet is that they don't want it to be damaged by the construction workers walking on it. He said the trough would be one of the last things done and it will be assembled starting at the top and working their way down to minimize wear on it.

If the one at Knoebels runs well and is exciting I could possibly see Intamin and Mack looking into their bobsleds again. I doubt we will see any new wooden ones, maybe some sort of prefab design by Intamin but perhaps a few steel ones.

I think the ones built by Mack and Intamin in the 80's were cool but the block brakes ruined the pacing. Just as they would start picking up speed and become exciting, they hit a brake and slow to a crawl. I think one that goes thru the entire course unbraked would get pretty interesting on the second half of the ride.

If they could keep the trains rolling thru the entire course without stopping or coming to a crawl I think they could be an exciting ride.

I've been on the most recent Mack bobsled, Trace du Hourra at Parc Asterix.

The block brakes just kill the pacing and intensity. Trace du Hourra is 90 feet tall and the first part off the lift is fast and fun. The long, gradual rise into the first block brake just kill the speed of the train. The following helix and turns are slow and pointless.

Cost is I believe the main reason behind the absense of new steel bobsled coasters. Think about it, the 90 feet tall, 2950 feet long Trace du Hourra cost 10 millions euros! 12.5 millions US for a family coaster that require a lot of room is simply not worth it for most parks.

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coasterpunk said:If the one at Knoebels runs well and is exciting I could possibly see Intamin and Mack looking into their bobsleds again. I doubt we will see any new wooden ones, maybe some sort of prefab design by Intamin but perhaps a few steel ones.

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If you don't have Leonard Adams, I think the only way you COULD realistically pull off a wooden-track bobsled MIGHT be to go with Intamin's idea and use engineered lumber...

But from what I'm hearing (calculating/thinking/estimating), labor cost to build KFT elsewhere would probably push the project into "Cost-prohibitive Land"....now THERE'S a cool themed area! ;)

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rollergator said:

But from what I'm hearing (calculating/thinking/estimating), labor cost to build KFT elsewhere would probably push the project into "Cost-prohibitive Land"....now THERE'S a cool themed area!

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It is kinda handy to have your own lumber mill just down the road isn't it? :)

Tom

If you're talking strictly labor, I don't think costs would be that different between northeastern PA and say, southern Indiana or eastern Tennessee.

Once the first one is done, most of the trial and error costs go away. The cars, restraints, the field adjustments-- that would all be figured out.

Cost prohibitive land? I thought Shapiro already submitted the trademark for that one. :)

I hope that not-so-little-anymore park in southern Indiana is watching this for their next wooden coaster addition. It'd be a perfect "Christmas package." ;)

Just checked the webcams, looks like the last trough layer is going in very nicely!

Mister Monorail - I guess you missed this...just 7 posts above yours:

Also, according to Leonard Adams Jr. the reason the final layer of the trough has not been started yet is that they don't want it to be damaged by the construction workers walking on it. He said the trough would be one of the last things done and it will be assembled starting at the top and working their way down to minimize wear on it.

You'd think a fully loaded train would cause more wear than individuals walking. Perhaps they are more worried about dropping tools on it.

I was looking at the webcam and yes there is people up there working... i don't think they are working on the last layer like you guys said but perhaps.. idk but you know the metal ribs on the sides on the thoughs... maybe they are putting wood on the sides... idk but maybe thats what they are doing???

Rocks and other debris can get caught in your shoes that would cause more damage than the train. Also, the train's wearing of the trough will be in virtualy the same place every time it goes down the hill. The wear from people walking on it would be all over.

In any construction project, the finished flooring is always one of the last things to go in.

Its definitly the last layer, you can see so on the figure 12 in the first cam. I cant wait!

Are you sure, P18? Looks like the boards you can see on the first cam are laid across the trough. I thought the final layer has the boards running along the direction of travel.

I'm thinking they might wait until next spring to put the final layer on to avoid exposure to winter conditions this year. Why put them on now if they're only going to sit and weather for 5-6 months till they're actually used? Maybe I'm wrong, but that makes sense to me.