Shapiro visits Six Flags America while park has uncertain fate

Here's a story credited to the Washington Times I found while doing a google search on the new VP at SFA. At the end of the article it states that SF will spend about $80,000 to remove Iron Eagle. Here's the link:

http://www.wpherald.com/storyview.php?StoryID=20060224-111739-5418r*** This post was edited by Rescue131 2/26/2006 12:38:57 PM ***

Ahh so the red monument is finally going the way of Hammerhead? think of the possibilites for the space that it removal would leave available.

I'm wondering if the Iron Eagle will be removed before the begining of the season, or at the end, and if it isn't removed until the end of the season, will it be running at all during the season? The reason I ask is because Shapiro has been pressing that he wants guest to feel like they are getting a better value for their money. Parking fees and gate prices have gone up at SFA for this season, yet we have lost one, possibly two attractions. For me parades, fireworks or laser shows and more costumed characters aren't going to make up for removed rides. Now if the improve the things the need fixing, like having rides operate at peak capacity and with less down time, better customer service, etc., then I'm more willing to accect it as a fair trade off. I'm kind of excited now to see how things take shape this season not only at SFA, but at the other SF proerties I usually visit.

eh...

Iron Eagle was barely running to begin with. To be honest we were already being ripped off. Remove it and be done with it. Coaster Lover made a good point. With Iron Eagle history, Sky Escaper down for several years, that leaves Nantucket bare as a baby's bottom. Perhaps, they'll rip out that whole section of the park and build an ampitheatre.

Does anyone know why they are opening April 8? Don't they usually open the end of March? Just wondering. I'm actually pretty excited to go this year. Hopfully it will be improved with more employees.

Lord G wrote:

$2,000,000,000 in debt isn't a problem?

As of 26 Feb 2006 at 11:43:31 PM GMT the US national debt is: $8,257,498,411,492.54

or an average of $27,650.94 per US citizen. Makes 2billion seem small dont it? :)
lata, jeremy

edit: formatting*** This post was edited by 2Hostyl 2/26/2006 6:48:19 PM ***

Coasterniece I don't ever remember them opening the last weekend in March. They did try opening one or two seasons the first weekend in April but the second weekend in April has been the norm the past couple of seasons.

Why is the press so freaking clueless? Iron Eagle is not a roller coaster in any shape or form. Did they just assume that Iron Eagle was a roller coaster? How hard would it have been for them to do the minimal research to find out what kind of ride it was? This has driven me crazy for years. I sent in an editorial to the Baltimore Sun years ago that got published addressing the same issue. This was a year in which their were six amusment park deaths, but only one or two were on anything resembling a roller coaster. Naturally, everything was lumped together as occurring on a roller coaster.

Thinks about it like this; imagine that when reporting an automobile crash, that in a given day there was a school bus, a tractor trailer, an ambulance, a firetruck, a tour bus, and a Honda Civic involved in accidents. But when the traffic reporter tells you current conditions, he refers to everything as a car. It just wouldn't make any sense.

Andrew Eldritch from the goth rock band Sisters of Mercy addressed this very problem on his website. They are currently out on tour, but sometimes people still use a press photo from 91' or earlier that feature band members long gone. As he points out, the press could easily get a current bio, frequently asked questions so they don't ask dumb questions (and that's how they're labled-yes Andrew is slightly arrogant), a current photo, etc., but they're too lazy.So, oh yeah, woo-hoo! The Iron Eagle is dead! I do hope that they'll find another location for the light-chasing Six Flags sign though. I always thought that looked cool as arm swung around at night.
*** This post was edited by Intamin Fan 2/26/2006 8:25:36 PM ***

Nantucket does look kinda pathetic with both major thrill rides<iron eagle & the enterprise> being down for the count & hopefully they'll make some new additions to that section real soon although I'm wondering if the enterprise & not the eagle is truely the ride going as the enterprise seems more of an eyesore to me with that ugly fence around it than the eagle even though the eagle has been "grounded" so to speak more often than not the past couple seasons.

As cool as the SF logo sign on the eagle was I doubt it could be reused on another attraction as I beleive it was custom designed for that particular ride but one thing is for certain.With the eagle going as well as KC & the enterprise on the disabled list<probable chopping block> that leaves the park with absolutely no inverting flats of any kind.

On the bright side there's talk of converting some pay attractions to free attractions,man if they do that with the go-karts I can finally enjoy more than two rides per season on it & I just thought of something here,they could possibly move falling star over to iron eagle's location thus providing a ride there while freeing up space in SWT for something new in the future.

They'll never convert go-karts to a free ride - anywhere - least of all cash-strapped Six Flags.

2 words: LINE CONTROL.

You'll change your tune of it being free once you're waiting in line 4 hours for them.

Iron Eagle has already been removed from SFA Website. Aidos, Iron Eagle, it's been one hell of a ride. Also, KC is gone as well. We'll have to wait and see if the Enterprise is completely removed or not. I know of one senior manager at the park that has expressed a desire to bring the Enterprise back.

Dannerman, I agree, I know Shapiro said there will be no upcharge attractions at SF by 2007. However, there are some things that are best left as an upcharge attraction. Go-Karts, Sky Coaster and a Rock Climbing wall are three that should be upcharge attractions.

Shapiro, in a moment of INSANE candor, said:
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"The company has $2.4 billion in debt," he said. "We all have to make sacrifices."
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Red Garter Rob, apparently a *touch* more attuned to reality, responded:
This is NOT the kind of thing you tell an employee who has a wife and two kids, making $30k a year while you're pulling in a multi-million dollar salary.

I can't imagine that his answer went over all that well.

ROFL..."We all have to make sacrifices, YOU FIRST!"

Seriously, this is one of *those parks* where attitudes were none too spectacular to begin with, perhaps TRY to sound a little more upbeat? As I've stated before, even WITH the land values surrounding SFA (admittedly QUITE tempting I'm sure), I think with the appropriate marketing *and* OPERATIONS *and* staffing/management, SFA could turn an enormous profit, WAY more than needed to keep it AS a theme park.

Other interesting statements from the article:

"We have what no one else has. We have a captive audience."

True. Most parks at least have the pretense of calling them "guests."

"They have to believe you. You can't fake them out."

(Darn coaster geeks caught onto the no re-entry policy we wanted to slip past them.)

Six Flags is expected to sell off some of its 30 North American properties - an expectation that has helped drive Six Flags stock...

So the stock price increase apparently has less to do with no-smoking areas, official park fruits, and family-friendly attractions than it does with the potential for condos and strip malls on a number of park properties.

"I know the hardships many parents face in making the jaunt to Orlando or Anaheim. My mission is to make Six Flags the alternative - the better alternative, I should say."

If nothing else, the guy has chutzpah.

That's like my church refers to congregation members as "giving units." I was like "What the heck is a "giving unit?" Ahhh... the crazy things they learn in seminars.

Just for clarity, unless Huss or Schwarzkopf made it, it's not an Enterprise. We had the imitation Enterprise, although it certainly pulled a lot more g's than a regular Enterprise. If you can't get parts for the ride because the manufacturer is out of business, then spend the money and tear out the spindle (the gondolas have been long removed).

BFan, there's no reason at all why you couldn't put that sign on something else in the park like Tower of Doom or the top of the Wild One lfit. There was a similar sign at Morey's Piers on top of the former Schwarzkopf Jumbo Jet. The other thing you need to know is that only side of buildings is used for storage in Nantucket. The other building serves a very important purpose.

As much as I hate to admit it I think you're right in saying the enterprise might very well be removed as it's probably impossible to get a new motor for it.As to your suggestion to reuse the SF logo sign from the eagle on TOD it might be a good one,funny I didn't think of that before....of course in all probability that simply won't happen though.

Maybe they'll reuse the SF Logo sign on top of the new strip mall or the entrance to the condo complex that will replace SFA.....(kidding of course)

shaprio was born and raised in illinois i belived he seems like a great guy he trying his best and hes at a good start more staff family rides parades and safety and for the sale of the parks the parks with the revenue at rock bottom yes i see six flags selling the parks like orleans in a couple of years due to the location and the storm and he said mr six must stay is hes a trade mark for the parks and a marking tool that family and friends know the parks need to put the seasons passes and daily tickets at one price and not sell them at other locations keep up the advertisement with the number one soda company nation wide coke cola and keep up the rides safety and train the staff in customer service thats just my opionon for the parks for the years i been going to the parks and i see some staff needs training and the prices are up in some places and down in others*** This post was edited by alfredo 2/28/2006 4:23:20 AM ***

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$2,000,000,000 in debt isn't a problem? As of 26 Feb 2006 at 11:43:31 PM GMT the US national debt is: $8,257,498,411,492.54 or an average of $27,650.94 per US citizen. Makes 2billion seem small dont it?

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Current figures put the SF debt at $2.6 billion. With the company having 30 parks and 145 operating coasters, that rounds out to about $86.7 million per park or $17.9 million per coaster. Seems a lot to me...

LOL, and SF has no *taxing authority*...