Hydra 8-09-04, Lift hill goes vertical

I still think its gonna be a corkscrew. "S" curve comes in second.

I'm going with a turn. It seems to me that the station will be right next to the lift and almost looks like storage track or something under the lift.. the little blue supports would be too close to the ground (if it were the station) to get the train through an inversion

I'm surprised nobody's commented yet on the "layout" over at Eastcoasters.com. I'm sorry that I'm not very good at linking on this forum, but it's in the latest update of Hydra pictures there. While I can't read it very well, it looks like it has a number of trenches it goes into, and possibly whips over the lake at the end. It's looking very nice! :)

I don't believe the layout they posted.

Oh geez. This has to be one of the worst kept coaster 'secrets' ever.

Where the hell do they keep that blueprint? Seems like everyone has copy.

er, um, hhmmm

It looks pretty real to me, Rctycoon2k.

Is this drop going to simply fall downward, rather than the typical B&M turn/first hill?

Where is the layout, I must be the last enthusiast on earth not to have seen it...

Nope, not the last.

You all are just pulling our leg, right? I can't find it.

It was up there last night...oh well.

Anyway, the best part about all of this believing/not believing there will be an inversion before the lift is that there is less than two weeks away before they announce.

So now there are only 13 days left to explain why there just can't be an inline twist before the lift! ;)

Joe

For those that missed it, the layout went something like this: S-curve, lift, drop slightly to the right (trench), dive loop (trench), zero-g, elevated flatspin, cobra roll (trench), flatspin, upward helix. The simplified version, If I typed in any more detail, it would confuse people. Whatever was posted over at Eastcoaster, I'm remaining neutral on the legitamacy of it, but to me it looked like a legit contract document (blueprint), but who knows, I can wait the 13 days for the official announcement. :) *** Edited 8/27/2004 11:34:26 AM UTC by DorneyDante***

1. That wasn't an S-curve before the lift
2. It's an inclined dive loop, unlike any we've seen before...I'm sure people will be debating whether it's an inversion or not.
3. It's not an elevated flatspin...it starts on the ground.
4. There's an S-curve and a lil' bunny hill before the final flatspin.

At least those are my guesses.

jc

Click on view it large on the right. http://www.dorneypark.com/public/inside_park/rides/thrill/hydra/index.cfm

Re: Legendary's "guesses":

1. Still looks like an "S" curve to me - although I keep in mind the PM's we exchanged.

2. Seems reasonable enough.

3. Unless they totally changed the queue entrance, how the hell is that thing going to be on the ground? It'd almost have to be high enough (on the entry side of the inversion) for people to walk under and some kind of canopy. Of course, unless you simply meant to contrast DorneyDante's "elevated" guess - in which case then I understand what you mean - it's going to be pretty low.

However, I'll disagree with that too. The support drawings are good indicators of height. For those of you lucky enough to have caught the blueprint before it disappeared, look at those support drawings - the exit from the zero-g drops down like they normally do, but it immediately goes back up and into the first flat spin. It actually looks to be almost as high as the zero-g on the entry side (which makes sense based on the queue entry) - I'm going to say it's it will be elevated.

4. Looks to me like there will be a peak on the "S" turn right in the middle. Not sure exactly how high, but it won't just be a flat "S" turn. It also looked to bottom out on the other end of the "S" - giving you a down - up - down "S" turn out of the cobra roll. Then the bunny hill into the final flat spin. Two "up and down" motions between those two inversions.

I think DorneyDante was pretty close in his description, but I'd say:

Out of station, tight, highly banked "S", the turnaround & lift that are built already, drop (into trench), inclined dive loop (more of an overbanked 270 degree turnaround - very grey area on that 'inversion' - exit in trench), standard 'up, twist, down-style' zero-g roll, up into the flatspin and down out of it, cobra roll (entry and exit in trenches), an "S" curve that peaks halfway through, bunny hill dipping into trench, flat spin, helix, brakes.

That accounts for 6 inversions (they seem to be calling the inclined dive loop an inversion) and all 5 dips "below ground level"

Of course all of this assumes the blueprint posted was indeed legit...

No vertical loop?...Sweet! I always wanted to see more coaster not include that inversion. Now if we can see more sea serpents inversions and more batwings!!

If we're taking votes on inversions....can I see FEWER Cobra Rolls....most overused element EVAR!

Indeed. I'd much rather see a sea serpent or batwing than a cobra roll. But vertical loops are even better.

Ah, but Gonchar, what if the blueprints you saw have been revised...?

What if the inline out of the station now goes the other way (look at the supports, doesn't it look like it is to the right and not the left? The blueprints make it look like a left handed inline...but you *still* think it's an S-curve so I don't even know why I'm mentioning this to you ;))?

What if the 0-G roll goes left instead of right, as the blueprints you saw suggest?

The first flatspin will be plenty tall for people to walk under to get to the station. It will start on the ground. B&M makes more than one size of flatspin, you know. :P

And you're right, the S-curve after the cobra roll will indeed have an "up and "down" to it - very similar to Medusa SFGAd's S-curve after the helix.

Again, just my guesses! ;)

jc

I suppose anything is possible, Joe.

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The first flatspin will be plenty tall for people to walk under to get to the station. It will start on the ground. B&M makes more than one size of flatspin, you know.

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Of course they do. Heck, the two on this coaster are different sizes. However, I'm basing that on two things:

1. The fact that it HAS to be at least off the ground far enought to allow the queue and subsequent canopy to fit underneath

and

2. The support drawings up to this point are matching up with their real-world counterparts and longer lines on the drawing have equated with higher supports (obviously) - the supports on the flat spin will be moderately tall if the formula holds true. Certainly more than what I'd call "on the ground"

Again, this all assumes the posted drawing is legit. :)