SFoT imploding Wildcatter

I can't find an article online, but local TV stations have been reporting that the park will be imploding what is left of the ride in about 5 minutes. Most of the ride has already been demolished and they will be using explosives to knock over the tower portion of the ride. I'm sure some video will be available tonight. Wildcatter is the 1st gen Intamin freefall being removed to make way for the Tony Hawk coaster.

Why would they implode it? Wouldn't it be easier, cheaper and less messy to bring it down piece by piece?

Yeah! Goodbye.

^?

So how many are we down to now. half a dozen? I don't know if it's true or not, but I'vew heard that they have a buyer for Demon Drop and should be gone after this season. So we may know in about a month what Demon Drop's fate is.

More like one, I think. Isn't Demon Drop the only one left? Or does SFMM still have one?

NBC5 in Dallas/Fort Worth has posted pictures of the implosion.

http://www.nbc5i.com/slideshow/dfwscene/14253586/detail.html

Magic Mountain still has their tower.

That's pretty wild (no pun intended).

That's too bad. Personally, I like these old free falls better than the new s&s ones (whoever made the one at Beech Bend, that one is dynomyte!).

They have more of a dead weight dropping feel than the new s&s towers...

Didn't this one have the lights that lit up as the cars went up the lift?

Headline News showed some video of it a little while ago.

Aerial video from WFAA in Dallas:

http://www.wfaa.com/video/index.html?nvid=180183&shu=1

That looked much easier than taking it down in pieces.

It keeps them from having to squeeze an expensive rented crane into a very tight space.

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bigboy said:
It keeps them from having to squeeze an expensive rented crane into a very tight space.

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Not only that but taking it apart piece by piece is a hassle. You have to hire a whole bunch of people to take it down piece by piece (not to mention that expensive rental crane you mentioned). Just imagine how many nuts, bolts, and components make up that tower that have to be removed manually.

With one implosion, they brought down the entire 130-foot structure within seconds. Saved a lot of time and money IMO.

*** Edited 10/2/2007 9:16:18 PM UTC by kRaXLeRidAh***

Implosions also equal free press.

the pic and video ar cool. Kind of like watching the ride go flaccid.

Heck, that ride is called Freefall at SFOG. I still remember my first ride on that sucker.

I wonder how they deal with the crumpled mess of steel thats on the ground now.

Cut it up and scrap it. That was a controlled demolition, I wouldn't really call it an implosion. Symantics I guess.

There's one at Movie World in Italy, and several in Japan; Central Park, Nagashima Spa Land, and Rusutsu Resort all have them.