Gwazi gets GCI Millennium Flyer train(s)

One of the worst loading operations i've ever encountered. I'm sure there is one that's worse, but this one sticks out as just mind numbing madness.

New trains might intrigue me, but knowing that the ops are the same is enough to make me not care.

Charles Nungester said:
Opens with MF trains Jan 22nd

Loading begins on the 23rd... ;)

rollergator said:

Charles Nungester said:
Opens with MF trains Jan 22nd

Loading begins on the 23rd... ;)

And the trains leave the station on the 24th.

CreditWh0re said:
One of the worst loading operations i've ever encountered. I'm sure there is one that's worse, but this one sticks out as just mind numbing madness.

New trains might intrigue me, but knowing that the ops are the same is enough to make me not care.

Ever been to Mt. Olympus? Geez... god forbid you don't do the right thing at the right time, and don't try to talk to an employee. Ouch!

While I feel that Millennium Flyers are more comfortable than PTC's as a whole...

PTC lapbar > MF lapcrusher

^I'm with you there, Dan. The MF trains are sooo darn comfy and roomy, look great, but when that lap bar comes down.... ouch!

Yeah. Lap bars are just as evil as those darn OTSRs. I wish every coaster had a leather strap or a rope.

^You are right, there would be no middle ground or gray area. I'm being sarcastic ;)

I'll bring to the table (again) the example of the Viper at sf Great America. There are return shocks and some sort of lock that prevent the individual lap bar from falling past a certain level. The shock makes it so you actually have to work to pull the lap bar down. This is a great system that I haven't seen on any other ride.

From pictures I have seen, I think these types of special PTC arrangements might be used on the Grand National at Blackpool - can anyone confirm that?

I never had a problem with the bars on Millennium Flyer trains. Try riding Berzerker at Kings Dominion and then see if you can justify complaining about any other lapbar crushing your legs.

The Looping Starship lapbars may suck worse, but that doesn't make the Millennium Flyer lapbars any better.

Those things drastically affect the ride experience for me (in a negative way).

I completely agree with everyone who dislikes the ratcheting lapbars on the GCI MF trains. Holding them where I set them by bending my arms inward during the ride to prevent stapling/loss of airtime is even more ergonomically uncomfortable than the similar procedure I use to keep the PTC ratcheting bars where I set them.

I never had an issue with the PTCs on Gwazi being too "rough", and routinely marathon on the ride everytime I visit the park.

My biggest concern about the new trains, even more than the annoying lapbars, is what they may do to the airtime and intensity of the ride. This is based on my experience with GCI MF trains on the Hershey Wildcat, which, as Rollergator eloquently put it, turned it into a "Mildcat"!.

At least that was my experience. What once felt aggressive and out of control felt milder and more "choreographed" and "engineered". Extreme moments of airtime with the PTCs had much less kick and power with the GCIs, and weaker moments of airtime with the PTCs were non-existent with the GCIs. This was based on marathoning on the Wildcat (over 30 laps) the last year it ran with the PTCs, as well as similar sessions on it its next TWO seasons with the GCIs. (I basically marathon on EVERY woodie I ride as they are my fave coasters at each park I visit - only hypers can come close, for my taste)

At any rate, I will take a catious "wait and see" approach about these changes, but I certainly am not excited like others are about taking my favorite woodie trains off one of my "home coasters" and replacing them with my LEAST favorite woodie trains!

I've never had a problem with the lap bars on MF trains. I think it's just another one of those things that enthusiasts like to bitch about.

So are you denying that those heavy lap bars constantly press down on your lap, getting tighter and tighter as the ride goes along?

I'm not one to speak out and complain about something unless I feel it's a pretty big issue. I'm as much of a GCI fan as the next guy. Their coasters are nice and their team is top-notch. However, the lapbars on their trains are far too heavy, fall continuously as the train navigates the track, and often cause the ride-experience to be unenjoyable (even my non-enthusiast friends pointed this out on Kentucky Rumbler last summer). We aren't just "bitching to be bitching." We have pointed out something that we truly believe is a problem...one that seems like it could be easily fixed.

So there, Jeff. ;)

^I agree, Dan. Sometimes there are things on a ride (like the MF lap bars, OTSRs, etc.) that are clearly less comfortable than other set-ups. It is what it is, and we all have our opinions - there is room for everyone's opinions.

As far as enthusiasts bitching to bitch, well - I have my bitches and always will, and there will always be other enthusiasts who will, in fact, bitch about others bitching :) Again, there is room for everyone's gripes and positive opinions, too.

Just take one ride on Viper at SF Great America and tell me it would be better if you were pinned to the seat. Great America has a special, custom, set-up that makes if VERY clear they did NOT want riders being stapled. While still delivering a very safe ride.

*Big collective hug*

(Stapling in any form, on a ride, still sucks).

You know what I hate? Hugs.

I guess I'm just lucky. When I ride on a Millennium Flyer, the lap bar locks into its first locking position (which is technically the third notch, but it is the highest position where the bar will lock) and it simply can't come down far enough to lock into a lower position.

Maybe the solution to your problem is to gain a little weight! :)

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

RideMan said:
I guess I'm just lucky. When I ride on a Millennium Flyer, the lap bar locks into its first locking position (which is technically the third notch, but it is the highest position where the bar will lock) and it simply can't come down far enough to lock into a lower position.

Maybe the solution to your problem is to gain a little weight! :)

But then, there wouldn't be enough room to get any airtime! :)

With regards to "bitching just to bitch"...

To echo what Dan and CoasterDemon said, I am in no way "bitching just to bitch". I am simply explaining one of the reasons why I prefer PTCs and am not looking forward to the GCI's on Gwazi. Instead of just saying, "I like PTCs better" without backing up why, I think it was better to explain why - which just happens to mirror the experiences of other riders regarding the lap bars.

But as I said, my bigger concern is whether the new trains will make the ride feel tamer and less airtime-packed, which was what they did for Hershey Wildcat - at least the two seasons when I rode them on there.

Like Coaster Demon said, everybody has their likes and dislikes! If I was into "bitching just to bitch", I would never have sung the praises of rides like Georgia Cyclone and the original Texas Giant, which many enthusiasts have frequently complained about being too "rough"! :) Which is not to say they were "bitching just to bitch", they were honestly stating their tastes. But if I were looking for any reason to "bitch", it would have been easier to join in with those "bitching" about those rides, as they seemed to be in the majority!

So are you denying that those heavy lap bars constantly press down on your lap, getting tighter and tighter as the ride goes along?

I can honestly say I've never had this happen. I much prefer the GCI lapbars to the PTC ones any day of the week and twice on Sunday.

I haven't experienced that either, but then again I always pull the bars down until they actually touch my lap in the first place.

Same here.