Former Non-Flatriders: What ride, or rides changed the way you thought about flats?

I'm sure there's a number of people here who can admit to not always being a huge fan of flat rides. A few years ago I used to go to parks and pass on every flat ride I saw (usually to get more coaster riding in) unless it was "a really special ride". This lack of riding usually resulted from my thinking that the rides were either not exciting enough, were uncomfortable or simply too nauseating.

I just want to get an idea of what kinds of flat ride experiences people have had that changed their entire perspective of the ride genre.

Here are a few flats that really changed my opinion:

-Any Larson Flyers or similar manufacturers

-Crazy Train (Found at many carnivals and county/state fairs.

-A Zipper of course!

-The Claw @Hersheypark (Chance Revolution?) or any ride of similar characteristics.

-Tomb Raider: Firefall. Before this Top Spins were just "sort of fun" in my book. *** Edited 3/25/2005 5:35:09 AM UTC by go with gravity*** *** Edited 3/25/2005 5:35:59 AM UTC by go with gravity***

Delerium at PKI!

Although I always enjoyed flats, I never thought they could be truely great rides. That changed for me with a May 2003 ride on Delirium at PKI. That ride is just amazing. I also rode my first top spin and first Zamperla Hawk (Meteor at DP) later that year. Not as great as Delirium,but great rides none the less. Bill

Two words:

FLYING SCOOTERS!

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

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RideMan said:
Two words:

FLYING SCOOTERS!

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

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scoot·er Audio pronunciation of "scooter" ( P ) Pronunciation Key (sktr)
n.

1. A child's vehicle consisting of a long footboard between two small end wheels, controlled by an upright steering handle attached to the front wheel.
2. A motor scooter.

Where do people get that they are scooters?

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Beast Tamer said:

Where do people get that they are scooters?

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Even though myself, and most everyone else, calls them Flyers, they are actually traditionally called Flying Scooters.

Hey Beast Tamer - try getting your brain around this: Kennywood's Kangaroo ride, which looks to have cars taken from a Scrambler, was built by Norman Barlett. His name for the ride model: Flying Coaster!

Woah...

Rides that almost made me write off flats for good were Force10, Orbiter, Zipper, and Gravitron. Rides that changed the way I thought about flats were the Scrambler, Top Spin, Spinout, Experience, Afterburner, Remix, Storm, and Hurricane. Rides I am indifferent about now are the Orbiter and the Gravitron... I can ride them now without getting sick, but I probably wouldn't specifically go out of my way to pay to ride them without some sort of POP deal at a park or fair.

I don't think I could ever write off flats. I have yet to have one make me nauseous. I LOVE flats just as much as roller coasters, and have been riding them since I was about 2 or 3 years old.

I am trying to think back to the first flatride that totally blew me away. It was probably either the Gravitron (Myrtle Beach) or an Enterprise or Tilt A Whirl, all which I STILL love to this day.

Both 1st generation (Demon Drop) and 3rd generation (Drop Zone) Intamin drops absolutely freaked me out the first time, but I love them more than some coasters. Actually, I think they are probably my favorite rides, period!

There are a few that I refuse to ride, like the Fly-O-Plane (at least the one at Lake Winnie) or most Round-Ups....not because I am scared they just HURT!

Oh I got it.....bumper cars. I had a BAD experience with one as a kid and would not ride them for years. I am still not a huge fan of them but I am slowly getting back into it, if it involves a bunch of enthusiasts. :-D

When I go to parks I just usually ride the ones that I like. A good coaster/flat mix cannot be beat!

-Tina

*** Edited 3/25/2005 11:05:19 AM UTC by coasterqueenTRN***

I used to hate flats, although I've always been a fan of Intamin drop rides, 1st gen and 2nd gen. I think it was the Troika at Cedar Point that made me realize spinning's ok. I still don't go on flats unless they're extreme like the giant flats unless I have nothing else to do coaster-wise. They're just not my thing - I go to the parks to go faster than I can go on my own and get that adrenaline rush from pure speed and most flats cannot provide that.

I love and ride all flats. You name the flat, I've probably rode it. The only ones I avoid are the cylinder, stick to the walls flat rides. Those make me incredibly ill, so I avoid them always. There are a few boring flats out there, usually made by Zamperla, and a couple torture devices by Chance-Morgan (The Inverter, owwwww), but for the most part, I'll ride everything from the Balloon Race, to the Sidewinder, and of course any freefall, space shot ride.

And I don't care what anyone says, but the Tilt-A-Whirl is the greatest flat of all time, and still is my personal favorite.

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Dan D McD said:

And I don't care what anyone says, but the Tilt-A-Whirl is the greatest flat of all time, and still is my personal favorite.

I will second that, the one at Adventureland is one of my favorite rides, always have to ride that one.

I also like the Falling Star and no day at the park is complete without getting some quality action in at the bumper cars.

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Disk-o at Cypress Gardnes, Tomb Raider:Firefall and Kings Dominion, Rodeo at Six Flags America have all shown me how fun flat rides can be. I must admit, I never thought I would be able to handle Tomb Raider until last weekend. Now that I have riden it, Iron Eagle at SFA is on my list of flat rides I must ride.

Delirum at PKI was what made me excited about flats, Tomb Raider at PKI showed me that they can be as cool as any ride out there, and Mission:Space showed me that these rides can offer things coasters cant.

Top Spins and KMG Afterburner...

But the one that got me started LONG before I became an *enthusiass* - PKD's Zierer Wave Swinger! :)

For Moosh: Lighting package...;)

I have always been intimidated by flat rides for some reason, but that all pretty much changed last season. I will, however, have to take you back to the season before that. Towards the end of the season I decided to try drop towers, specifically Maliboomer at DCA. I had always been initimidated by drop towers as well because I have an issue with heights. Long story, short, I ended up loving Maliboomer, and at the start of the next season (last season) I started hitting up tower rides wherever I went.

Anyways, that got me to want to try some flats that intimidated me. The first one for me was Revolution at SFGAm. I went on it during CB Con and ended up loving it. Then it was Delerium at PKI, then Tomb Raider. Then my first Chaos at VF. Then my first outdoor top spin at SFGAm. Then my first Zipper. Then Riptide. I ended up realizing last summer that I had been missing so much without the flats. Now I look forward to them almost as much as the coasters. Sometimes more.

Cannot wait to get up to VF this summer and ride THEIR Riptide!

I've never been a huge flat fan but I'm slowing coming around. I've always done drop rides but others I'm slowly warming up to. I think that my first big experience with flats was during my first trip to PKI two years ago and rode Tomb Raider and Delirium. I still make coasters the priority in a park but I'm definitely planning on starting to add more flat experiences this season.

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Kick The Sky said:
Cannot wait to get up to VF this summer and ride THEIR Riptide!

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And to MoA for THEIR Hexentanz...since Knott's lost theirs (Tampico Tumbler)....I think the only OTHER one of those on our side of the pond is at Puyallup (?). PNWers, is that so? TiA! :)

^^^ Gator, I love that ride. That is one of my must-hit rides whenever I go up to the Twin Cities. Still working up the courage for the Axe *** Edited 3/25/2005 4:40:03 PM UTC by Kick The Sky***

Don't forget the Breakdance. That has to be the most hilarious flat ride EVER!

-Tina