Kings Island's Firehawk comes down in a non-gentle way

BrettV said:

The grass grew in after the first year or two and it looked a little better. Coming off the lift in the Worlds of Adventure years it looked like you could fall onto cars in the parking lot. In the Cedar Fair years it looked like you could fall onto empty parking spaces.

I think I'd prefer the Six Flags years. Falling onto cars would at least leave you (somewhat) in tact. Pavement...wouldn't. As softer matter (i.e. my face) that's being thrust earthward at a high rate of speed comes into contact with a harder, stationary object that will not give (i.e. pavement), the softer matter can't stop that quickly, so must seek an alternate route: in pavement's case, that route will be a rather sudden 90 degree turn in any direction. This would result in my face being...spread out a good bit. On the other hand, as that same softer matter (my smiling mug) comes into contact with a harder, stationary object that will cave in under the weight of my body (i.e. the roof of a car), it slows...dramatically, but continues mostly in the same direction, resulting in my face being identifiable, at least.

Hmm...but then if I live? Lying broken and face-down on the roof of a car, the unimaginable physical anguish of my shattered limbs, ribs, skull...waiting for what would likely seem like hours to pass out as I bleed out...

...

Yeah, I'll take the Cedar Fair one. Never mind.

How great would it be if they had added nets under the “fly” sections just to mess with people? Then add signs in the queue saying there are safety nets, you know, just in case...

Manta has a net up a majority of the lifthill. It's because the midway goes under the lift, but I have heard many folks say it's a landing net.

Yeah I remember that. But I’m picturing signs like on TTD warning that a rollback is a normal occurance. “Occasionally a rider will slip out of the restraint. Don’t worry, the rider will gently land in the safety net before slowly being retrieved and sent out again on the next train.”

Vater said:

Hmm...but then if I live? Lying broken and face-down on the roof of a car, the unimaginable physical anguish of my shattered limbs, ribs, skull...waiting for what would likely seem like hours to pass out as I bleed out...

They could fix you up. However you'd be "more machine now than man."

I think it would be an interesting experiment to see reactions if a train left the station full, was diverted from its normal course (without being seen by those in the station) and returned from the station with an empty back row. If you know they were running full trains and definitely saw two people climb into the train but the row was empty when the train returned to the station and it was your turn to ride, would you say anything? Ask what happened? Or just climb in and ride?

Best coaster prank scene ever...

Really Vater?

Either you're just messing with me, or you really got to change your screen name.

Heh. I assumed it was a reference to either Robocop or the Six Million Dollar Man. I guess it’s fitting that I can’t even spell my own name.