Ground Speed vs. Airtime

It seems with the new hyper/giga coasters that each coaster will either focus on ground speed or air time after the initial drop. For example MF seems to have a lot of ground speed while Apollo's Chariot seems to have a lot of airtime. I unfortunately have yet to ride either. So in your opinion, which is better/thrilling ground speed or airtime.

I like both on the same ride like Raging Bull at SFGAm

Well, I enjoy both actually. The airtime gives you that "Oh my god I'm gonna die!!" feeling, while the ground speed give you that "Oh my god, we shouldn't be going this fast without a car around us!" feeling. :)
Kind of like Superman at Darien Lake... Now if only it was a hundred feet taller... or maybe just have that second hill shorter, with another hill just before the third one, that is the exact same size and shape... sorry, I'm rambling again...
-------------
-Dave Rutherford
*If things seem under control, you're just not going fast enough*

I've never been on either but I have been on SROS @ SFA, and that has a lot of airtime. From my understanding I think that speed is better. This is because you can't get ground speed anywhere other than a coaster, while you can get -G's on a multitude of flat rides.

-------------
What is life without geniuses?

I must say that I like both airtime and speed. Together they give me a feeling of an out-of-control-ride.

-------------
Talon is going to rock, roll, and take its toll!

Ground speed gives MF this psychotic thrill factor that is unmatched by anything else out there, and gives some good floater air.

Magnum give airtime, and I'd probably like it more if the lapbars had better padding. I hope to ride Raging Bull this year so I can experience them both.

I love both airtime and ground speed, also. I especially love it when the two are combined, like on little speed bumps found on CP's Blue Streak or the last little bunny hop on Millennium Force.

-------------

Coasters...the best natural buzz available.

It sure would seem Kennywood prefers airtime over ground speed, wouldn't it?

-------------
Matt Lynch
Co-Webmaster, Kennywood Boulevard
http://kennywood.coasterbuzz.com

Phantom's Revenge looks like it should have some ground speed. Raging Bull has both but i still like MF better.

-------------
Get wrapped in the coils of Viper at SFGAm. *** This post was edited by geicu on 1/16/2001. ***

My point was the camelback as opposed to the long, flat section. Personally, I really like the break. Even though I think it will be there in the end, I wouldn't mind the omission of that double-up.

-------------
Matt Lynch
Co-Webmaster, Kennywood Boulevard
http://kennywood.coasterbuzz.com

Ground speed and airtime will combine nicely on the Hypersonic.

Well I love both but I like airtime a little better. Both are great to have on a roller coaster. I like when they are combined.
-------------
Jack, who can't wait for Opening Day 2001...

Like most people, a great ride to me needs to have both of these elements. That's why I think Millennium Force ranks so highly with me, because it has such *incredible* speed throughout the entire course (no slowdown anywhere) and incredible floating airtime over four hills on the ride. The Intamin Megas do the speed/airtime combo extremely well, IMO. The B&M Megas are a little less in the feeling of speed category, but offer some of the longest sustained floating time on any coaster.

-------------
In the future, packages will be sent to distant worlds by BEAMS OF LIGHT! - Space Mountain WDW exit

I agree with MooreOn, the last bunny hop before the straightaway into the over-banked turns is incredible, your barrelling in at about 70 MPH and then you get a lot of airtime, an incredible element.

Well, I know for a fact you're not going 70 mph, because you're barely going that fast at the base of the 3rd hill--if that.

Speaking of Millennium Force...

Bryan Edwards (CP PR guy) said at No Coaster Con that MF was clocked at 64.something mph coming into the brakes. That seems extremely fast, but that's what he said. I guarantee it's going over 50mph, just because that's about what it'd need to make it up and over that final turn.

Also, CPgenius, I can guarantee you MF *does* go over 70mph going into the first tunnel. If it didn't, well, let's just say it'd be rolling back more than just the one time it did. ;) Think about it, if it goes 93mph after the first drop, and comes ALL the way back to ground level after the first overbank, you're not going to lose 23mph in speed due to friction/wind resistence. I'd guesstimate it going around 81-84mph right there. Easily.

-------------
In the future, packages will be sent to distant worlds by BEAMS OF LIGHT! - Space Mountain WDW exit *** This post was edited by Legendary on 1/18/2001. ***

I really like Steel Force and Apollo's Chariot. 73-75 mph is a lot of groundspeed, and these coasters deliver some of the best airtime ever. Apollo's Chariot had so much air and speed that I did not really feel I was strapped in, but rather flying. Lightning racer also delivered this flying sensation.

-------------
Talon 2001

'Nuff Said

One time I was riding the Space Spiral at Cedar Point and the announcer on there told us that Millennium Force has been clocked at speeds over 100 mph. on days when the wind pushes the ride in the right direction. Now as for the believability of that claim.....I'm a BIT skeptical!

-------------

Coasters...the best natural buzz available.

Yeah, a friend of mine did the physics of it and came out with something like 36mph for the lift sled speed in order to reach 100mph under perfect conditions (ie, no friction loss, wind resistence loss). MF won't be going 100mph any time soon. :)

-------------
In the future, packages will be sent to distant worlds by BEAMS OF LIGHT! - Space Mountain WDW exit

Legendary, I'm sorry that I didn't specify which side of the 3rd hill I meant.

I was responding to Kevin, and he said that he thought the trains were hauling*****at 70 mph into that last bunny hill.

I was comparing the 3rd hill of MF that is only 182 ft., to the 1st hill on Magnum which is 205 ft. I know that the trains on Magnum are only going about 5 mph to begin with, and the MF trains are probably going 15-20 mph, but I'm farely certain that the MF trains would have burned enough speed going through the swooping turn, overbank, and 2nd lagoon hill to be below 70 mph when it hits that last bunny hill.