IAAPA 2006 Trip Report

I went this past Friday and Saturday to the IAAPA 2006 trade show in Atlanta. My main reason was to network and eventually try to get into the industry as an engineer. However I still had a good time visiting the different booths and rides. Here are some highlights from some of the booths.

Zamperla:

The Kang a Hop ride was definitely a popular attraction and one that I really enjoyed. For those not to familiar, the trains are shaped like a Kangaroo and the ride rotates in a circular motion. While it is moving in a circular motion at a modest rpm, the vehicle hops up and down, to provide some thrilling and fun airtime. The ride can go either forward or reverse, and it starts either one way, and midway changes direction. I went on this one I think 4 times Friday and 3 times on Saturday. It really is a fun ride and the perfect family addition. At the Zamperla booth they also had a few other rides. The other one I went was another spinning ride, but what was neat is the elevation was controlled by using ones feet to peddle.

Moser Rides:

The rides here I went on includes their mini drop ride, there outdoor attraction that finally opened the last day, and a mini looping star that was controlled by peddling. The mini drop ride was really fun, in that it allowed for more than one drop. It doesn't really compare to a larger drop ride such as Drop Zone at PKI, but did provide some nice negative g's and did it multiple times. The looping star ride was not my type, in that how far upside down or high you went is controlled by how much you peddle. It’s odd to try and peddle upside down, and allows for some uncomfortable positions. The outdoor attraction I really did like, and felt it was rather intense. Definitely not a family attraction but did provide some strong g's and unique motions.

SBF:

The only ride I went on here was traffic jam. It was a nice family flat ride, but not really that thrilling. It did have a really cool lighting and looked nice.

S&S:

The swing was there outdoor attraction. However this version was definitely more intense then the one I went on at Kenny wood. I believe it was a prototype and had a new motor, and pulled 4.5 g's which is 1 more than the other versions. It really blew way the Kennywood version and was a great ride. I went on this one twice but was not open the last day of the event.

Other notes:

Most of the coaster company booths were similar to what they had in past years, although new trends are the motorbike coaster being available from a variety of companies now and not just Vekoma. S&S now has a water ride division that is new, so will be interesting to see if that does well for them. The general impression of Mark Shapiro CEO of Six Flags is that he is still learning quite a bit. Was overheard that he was asking who makes those cool flat rides, Huss?

The best thrill ride that you could ride at the show was the S&S Swing, while best family ride was the Zamperla Kang a Hop. *** Edited 11/21/2006 1:31:12 PM UTC by Beast Fan***