MF Altered Support pics

Does anyone have photos of the support on Millennium Force that was altered due to clearance issues?

Thanks.

Sure. Look HERE and HERE.

(sorry, those are stretched 6 pixels vertically and 80 pixels horizontally because I didn't know what I was doing when I encoded them...)

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Why would they alter the supports now after so many years? I don't get it...

People leaning too far out were able to hit their hands on the support as the train traveled through the overbanked turn. Speaking from experience, it can still be done but DO NOT TRY IT. It's stupid and it hurts like hell. (in my own defense, I really didn't think you could hit it. I had NO idea that it was even an issue 'till after I had done it.) It stopped my idiotic ways that's for sure!

From what Im told, The old support, You really didn't have to try, Average size people were hitting it just from having their arms up.

Im not sure if anyone was seriously injured or not. But I know some who were shocked when they hit it.

Chuck, who also reminds you to keep your hands inside the car on Beast Helix.

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It's stupid and it hurts like hell. (in my own defense, I really didn't think you could hit it. I had NO idea that it was even an issue 'till after I had done it.) It stopped my idiotic ways that's for sure!

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= me + s:ros support. yikes.
*** Edited 6/16/2006 12:25:06 AM UTC by SFDL_Dude***

Why would they alter the supports now after so many years? I don't get it...

That's not a recent alteration.

Alan, was that coming out of the first helix?

Wasn't it modified after its inaugural season?

I know of someone that had a blue hand with red fingertips after hitting that support on purpose. Keep in mind you are going about 50-60 MpH when you're whizzing by that support. Ouch!

~Rob Willi

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Charles Nungester said:

Chuck, who also reminds you to keep your hands inside the car on Beast Helix.

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Learned the hard way a few years ago. The absolute worst though was a ride on Chang a few years back...there was an decorative grass just before the last corkscrew on the left side and I smacked it pretty good one way or another. Stung for quite a while.

This is sort of on topic. One time on Dueling Dragons - Fire, just before the vertical loop there was a broken sprinkler head shooting water straight up at riders. It wasn't pleasant at all, but probably didn't hurt as much as a support.

Oh, my brother got a pretty good gash on Chang last fall from shrubbage near the last corkscrew.

Good call!

Ya my one friend's dad said he hit that Force turn support with his hand before they cut some of it out. *** Edited 6/16/2006 3:16:06 AM UTC by Rockrc480***

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HeyIsntThatRob? said:
I know of someone that had a blue hand with red fingertips after hitting that support on purpose. Keep in mind you are going about 50-60 MpH when you're whizzing by that support. Ouch!

~Rob Willi

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After experiencing what rain feels like on MF, I would never dream of trying to hit one of the supports ;).

Also (please take this with a grain of salt) I overheard a ride op on MF bragging to another ride op that he had "touched the tunnel roof" on the ride.

^ Not possible. The tunnel is just too high up.

Yeah, that support was replaced for the '01 season. Apparently no-one seemed to think it would be an issue until someone in '00 on "basket day" hit it. After that, the op's had to say "please keep your hands and arms inside the ride at all times" to every guest on each and every train... And yeah, it hurts like hell. Don't do it.

There are a lot of rides that you normally wouldn't expect to hit anything, but they're there.

Unfortunately, when you're tall and ride with your hands up you find out these things pretty easy... Which is a (albeit very small) part of why I don't really put my hands up anymore.
*** Edited 6/16/2006 3:46:26 AM UTC by rOLLocOASt***

That was always one of my favorite things to do on MF. Side train right and scare the hell out of the people behind by reaching for the posts in the overbanks and the turn around on the island. I am just an average 5' 10" and i would literally reach for them and never had a problem. I did not think it was possible.

^ On the island the supports are far enough away. The only place you could touch anything was on the first overbank.

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Charles Nungester said: Oh, my brother got a pretty good gash on Chang last fall from shrubbage near the last corkscrew.

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It can still be done on Chang...or at least it could on the Friday before HWN. It was unintentional and stung for quite a while!

Yeah, I hit the entrance into the tunnel on the Beast helix a couple years ago. Kinda stung, shocked me more than anything, though.

^Since Im tall, if Im riding with my hands up (which is about half the time, I sometimes just let them hang without holding onto anything) any tunnel/headchopper I bend the elbows back so that doesnt happen to me.