Quick KK question

I was just wondering, does Kingda Ka have anything that tells you when you are going to launch like Top Thrill Dragster's christmas tree, or do you just wait for the magnetic brakes to drop and assume you will be launching within the next few seconds?

There is a little fog horn you hear then a slight role back and then your launched.

They also recently added an "Arms down, head back, hold on" spiel, but it's not related to the launch.

Just a couple seconds after the breaks go down there is a slight roll back and then you launch. This is the same as TTD, you just don't have the Christmas Tree.

Yes, you hear a loud bang, and smoke appears around the end of the launch track ;)

^smart a$$ hehehehe

Yes, it's the best sound in the world, I love it, i get so psyched up when i hear it ( I waited 3 hours and it was soo worth it) it's a fog horn ( I didn't notice any smoke) and a pull back and BAM! it's really great.

Coastermania, he was referring to the recent KK breakdown.

The fog horn seems like it would be a bit more suspensful than the Christmas tree, doesnt seem like you would know exactly when the launch is gonna happen.

^What Crashmando said. :-)

The foghorn is a bit more "suspenseful". You don't have a lot of time to anticipate the launch. ;-)

-Tina

*** Edited 6/13/2005 9:18:32 AM UTC by coasterqueenTRN***

"A lot of time" is relative. Three seconds in the queue may not seem like much, but when you're getting ready for an Intamin drop ride to DROP, or an S&S tower to LAUNCH, or an Intamin strata to break down ;), the time can seem like an eternity...

The "slight roll back" is like the *hiss* you hear on air-launches, you know there's not MUCH time lift...and the suspense just BUILDS... :)

Is the timing of the launch (rollback, fins, pause, go) the same as on Dragster? Is the timing on Dragster the same as on Xcelerator? Are all the timings the same as Storm Runner and that really cute little rocket in Europe?

There two "cute little rockets" in Europe this year. RitaMilla, which looks WAY more cute than intense, and Kanonen, which looks JUST right (IMO, based solely on video)....:)

I *believe* they're all the same in terms of mechanical operation...

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Crashmando said:
There is a little fog horn you hear then a slight role back and then your launched.

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Right now it's a very silent foghorn ;)

I was only on KK once on Sunday of memorial day weekend. I don't remember hearing a fog horn.