New China in 08: Vekoma "Stingray" compact flyer

http://www.rcdb.com/ig4124.htm?picture=1

Volare, the sequel? Looks ouchrageous!

As long as the speed isn't extreme, I think it could be a fun ride. Vekoma's flying trains are extremely comfortable.

It's short and has a pretty uninspired layout. I'll reserve final judgement until I ride it (next time I go to China ;)) but I'm not impressed.

Hobbes: "What's the point of attaching a number to everything you do?"
Calvin: "If your numbers go up, it means you're having more fun."

If the Zamperla flyer had THOSE drops....they'd need a nurse at the exit platform. ;)

Looks FUN, but admittedly too short....

The layout reminds me of a moth circling a bug zapper light. ;)

"I go out at 3 o' clock for a quart of milk and come home to my son treating his body like an amusement park!" - Estelle Costanza

A friend of mine brought up a good point: with that big drop leading into the station how in the world will they run more than one train? Will the flat spot just prior to it be a block brake that would prevent the train from continuing should there still be a train in the station?

How dreadful. I don't need to ride it to pass judgement... maybe only to pass out.

Mamoosh said:
A friend of mine brought up a good point: with that big drop leading into the station how in the world will they run more than one train?

They won't :) RCDB says one 2-car train.

Mamoosh said:
A friend of mine brought up a good point: with that big drop leading into the station how in the world will they run more than one train? Will the flat spot just prior to it be a block brake that would prevent the train from continuing should there still be a train in the station?

Well, hell, Intamin doesn't have a problem with a 30 ton train going from 50+mph to stop in like 100 feet of track.

This thing looks crazy! I still haven't been on a Vekoma Flyer, but I hear alot of peeps like em. I sure have more fun on a Vekoma SLC than a Batman clone.

Given the 'stated' capacity, I'm guessing there's only one train. Given the layout? There had BETTER be only one train.

Vekoma or no, I have to say I like the current shorter/smaller/meaner/cheaper design trend...

-'Playa

NOTE: Severe fecal impaction may render the above words highly debatable.

I am betting only one train operations on this thing. Looks quite interesting however. Almost a similar concept to S&S's El Loco but in a flying position.

Zero G Thrills

I think this ride will be fun.

Here is a video: http://www.rollercoasterpro.com/ryan/stingray.wmv

There are two types of people in the world. People who like coasters and idiots.
www.freewebs.com/alexibrahim (new forums have been added)

^Hey thanks for the link! Cool video, it does look a little 'fast' in parts. Can't wait to try it out.

^^ another "NoLimits" video -
does the new version of new limits have tools for eporting these videos?

I think it looks like a cool ride, if the seats are comfy.
I think it has a good choice of elements.

airtime for everyone

I think the layout is pretty cool along with a flying coaster having a vertical lift.

This will be a good addition to parks with limited space that would like a flying coaster.

My favorite MJ tune: "Billie Jean" which I have been listening to alot now. RIP MJ.

I think it looks neat. I would probably rather one of those than an el loco.

Interesting concept. Way too short. Done by the time any of us would start to get into it I'm sure.

I do like the station fly-by. But it needs some other element(s) before returning to the station.

I'm thinking another pass by the station with a barrel roll and possibly an overbank turn around that faces you inside like on a vert loop.

Thanks for another great season, VF!

I loved the Vekoma flyers. IMO they were overall better than the B&M's!

Thats perfect for a park that doesn't expect to have any guests. I mean if they have more than 20 guests a day the lines for that thing would be astronomical! Seriously this things capacity is just about as good as Intamin's safety record.

They say 525 an hour?!?! Thats ludicrous, their regular flyers would be lucky to hit that kind of number and whats their "theoretical capacity" double this? Not to mention the downtimes....

I hope this is a extreme upcharge attraction, as your local sky coaster can put through more people than this thing.

Where did the idea come from? A bunch of folks sitting around a table in the Netherlands saying "how can we take one of our only ride concepts that people don't hate and get the least amount of people possible on the ride?". Thats the only way this could have possibly come to creation. I applaud the new ideas (that look possibly fun besides the waste of half a loop into the staiton), I am in shock and appalled at the practicality.

Vekoma this is complete dereliction of designer responsibilities.

Maybe you should change your username to VekomaHater. While the coaster will admittedly have a low PPH, your argument is very off-base.

Designers aren't responsible for the capacity of their rides. The parks buying rides are responsible. Vekoma came up with this concept ride and marketed it--are they to blame if a park buys it knowing that it has a low PPH? The expected capacity of this ride isn't much lower than that of Intamin's ZacSpin, and those rides seem to be doing just fine at small to medium sized parks.

Not every ride in a park is going to have a capacity in the thousands. Most flat rides don't hit 500 PPH; why should this ride be counted differently because it's on a track? At any rate, the park is named after a ferris wheel and this will be its only coaster--it doesn't sound like a huge park to me. I think the ride will fit in great.

And I know you're exaggerating, but your claim that a Skycoaster would get higher than this ride is so absurdly incorrect that it hurts your argument. A decent-sized, single-sided Skycoaster run by an efficient crew can put through about thirty riders an hour.