Goodbye sweet prince, thanks for the uh bruises? (Anaconda)

While short, The Bat at KI is definitely a great suspended coaster. Of course The Big Bad Wolf was just the best and fortunately got one last ride.

I’d love to know if Cedar Flags has considered donating trains or other ride parts to schools to encourage kids to think about careers in engineering? I can’t imagine a better way for middle and/or high school students to develop their curiosity by having a coaster car or train .

I thought Ninja was the best suspended coaster, other than the park it’s in.

Anaconda was a one and done for me. It would be great to see them open up the lake view again. I remember riding the sky ride across it; Rebel Yell in front, King Kobra to the left and wasn’t there a big fountain in the middle? It was classic. It had big park charm.

So the Arrow mega loopers are down to:

• Viper (SFMM)
• Tennessee Tornado
• Loch Ness Monster

Defining “mega” as a drop of 100’ or more. Did I miss any?

Tornado and Nessie have fewer of the twisting inversions that cause the severe headbanging, so Viper stands alone in my book. Given the way things are going at NSFW, you might wish to get your last rides in now.

Dragon Mountain at Marineland is probably the only other notable Toomer looper unaccounted for and that’s an uncertain at best future. A handful of other smaller loopers still out there. Crazy how generationally they are almost extinct or I’m just old now.

I guess we're getting old! The fate of Dragon Mountain should be known soon; either the park gets sold and redevelopped into just an amusement park (no animals) or sits there abandonned until they redevelop the whole site into something else (housing, etc...). There is Viper at Darien Lake that is still up and running. I don't know why but I love the look of Arrow coasters. They don't track really good for most of them but still I love the way they look with their weird flawed transitions. 30 years ago they were the cool coasters and were everywhere. A dying breed for sure.

I forgot Viper and Dragon Mountain. (Technically doesn’t meet my criteria of a 100’ drop, but a megalooper in spirit.) I might need to go to Western NY this summer (with plenty of Advil, of course).

Didn't want to add a new thread for this, but Kings Dominion is also removing Berserker, its Intamin Looping Starship installed in 1984. I have both fond and not so fond memories of it, although I think I only rode it once or twice as an adult. Rode it multiple times as a kid/teenager. Though not as many times as my best friend did the year it opened; he rode it 36 times in a row. Literally spent the entire day there. I was 11, my parents were chaperones for my youth group trip to KD, and they didn't let me ride it because they thought it was unsafe.

Was that the same ride as Phoenix at BGT? If so it was a rather terrible ride, it went so slowly and you hung upside down forever, plus the restraints were so bulky.

Anyhow, another ride closure, sucks.

I believe so. I liked it in my younger years, and I think hanging upside down was the appeal. The lapbar was indeed bulky, but it definitely felt secure.

TheMillenniumRider:

it went so slowly

Not sure how a swinging ship ride can go any slower than any other since they all rely on gravity.

Because of that massive counterweight? It isn't just gravity pulling the weight of the boat back down, there is an opposing force working against gravity because of the counterweight? Does that check out?

Also, how does the drive system work on the Inverter vs standard? Did the inverters use tire drives, or was there a drive motor in the central hub, if the drive is in the hub than there would also be more drag than a standard swinging ship, which is just a swing.

Watch a POV of Phoenix vs a swinging ship, the inverter looks slower, though not by much. Also, the slowness I was mainly referring to was the top half of the arc vs the swing at the bottom.

It was tire driven from underneath; I don't think it was propelled any different than a regular swinging ship. I don't recall ever hearing any motor in the hub.

I am sad by the loss of Berserker. Fun memories of hearing people's change fall out of their pockets at the top.

So many rides and coasters are being lost (scrapped). I wish it was late 90's when all the parks were going crazy on cash flow and buying and creating all sorts of coasters, rides, and attractions. That era was just insane!!! I don't think I'll see that again.

All that 90's stuff is wearing out, hence the current scrapping party. I'm hoping there's a mini-boom to replace these rides, but the merger is casting doubts...

Less consumer choice and competition typically results in an inferior product.