Six Flags Great America sets Eagle backward, simulator returns

I can't believe how much fun I had riding the eagle backwards. It brings new life to an older coaster and I hope they leave it turned around for good this time.

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Go Pack Go!

How long are they going to try to milk Space Shuttle America? Six Flags Over Texas' is brand new and I have NEVER seen shorter lines for their simulator.

In a nutshell, SSA Sucks :)

How's the Eagle running? Are they braking it a lot or is she a screamin' eagle?
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-Matt in Iowa
193 coasters ridden -- #1 Shivering Timbers
Just say no to Gerstlauer!

The backwards side is running with minimal brake usage. It is moving at a good clip through the helix and the airtime on the hills are pretty good. Its a definite improvement.

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"The Peoples Elbow" or "The Spinaroonie?. Cant decide which is the most electrifying move in sports entertainment!!! LOL

Is it gonna run that way through the whole season?

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Chris Knight
All Your Base are belong to us
That's not roughness that intensity

The American Eagle is back.

The ride on the backwards side I had yesterday was absolutely stellar: wonderful air and the helix break was almost non-existant, leading to some excellent laterals. Rugged.

The forward side is not running as well, but there's a noticable improvement over the last couple of years. There's decent air, but the helix break is still pretty strong. I noticed that when racing, the blue train (unbreaked at the helix) got a good 2 or 3 train-length lead on the red side.

It was also really cool to see the ops make the extra effort to race the trains whenever possible. Excellent.

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"He's blazin' away like the stars in the universe.." A. Vega + M. Rev "Ghostrider"

Someday there will be something here. *** This post was edited by chris on 5/6/2002. ***

I would also like to comment on Eagle backwards. It is a great ride, with lots of airtime. The one part that always gets me is the exit of the barrell. You don't know its comming, and it is a jolt to the right at a high rate of speed. You don't expect it, and you don't see it coming.

I am also interested to know when they will flip it back around. So far, with the exception of Michelle Hoffman's statement at NCC in January, no one has mentioned if this is "temporary" or a "permernate" thing. I hope they don't change it back.

Chris mentioned that the ride-ops are trying to make the extra effort to race the trains. I agree with him on this one. But, if you want to add that "extra push over the cliff" so to speek, their is a hand signal that you can give as a guest to try and get them to race your train. Kind of hard to explain in words, but if you take your hands and put them above your head, and pass that back and fort (kind of like using your hands to chop something), but point your hands up to the roof of the building...that is the "signal" they use to race. I use it all the time, and the crew likes it. So, just an FYI for those that want to use it.

--Brian

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Brian A. Plencner
E-Mail: saurses@attbi.com

Rode Eagle Backwards on Saturday and at Advocate Health day. I found the Blue side to be braked more than the Red side but I figured that was just because Blue was running backwards.

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Top 5 Coasters
1.Deja Vu(SFGAm) 2.Raging Bull(SFGAm) 3.Millennium Force(CP)
4.CornBall Express(IB)
5.Viper(SFGAm)

Maybe Six Flags Magic Mountain will follow suit with their Colossus and run it permanently, not just during FrightFest in October.

Colossus has problems running backwards, with the trains they are currently using, they can't run it backwards, which is why they have to use Psyclone's trains every October, I really don't like Colossus's trains, too "plasticy" for my tastes, but oh well.

I like Space Shuttle america, it is origional, i found it just too weird to be going to Dino Island in a space shuttle, gotta love going through those "boosters" on the ride though :)

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Welcome one and all, y'all come have a ball!
Things a bear-y fine, ridin' on the old Knott's bear-y line! *** This post was edited by MilleniumForce6279 on 5/6/2002. ***

I'm assuming that it's the blue side running backwards. I remember quite a while ago (I wanna say in '95) when they ran the eagle backwards in May, that was great, but I wish it would've been the entire year, because it adds so much to the park when they run it backwards, it's like a whole extra coaster. Looking forward to getting on it this year though.

Psycho - Yeah, the blue side is running backwards.

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"He's blazin' away like the stars in the universe.." A. Vega + M. Rev "Ghostrider"

Someday there will be something here.

At last....I get to ride The American Eagle backwards and I don't have to watch Dino Island 3-d anymore!

What would be the downside of continuing to run one side backwards. Why can't this be a permanent thing? Like someone else said, it's sort of like having another caster.

Maybe if they get enough positive feedback this season with Eagle backwards, they possibly might just make it a permanent thing.

How about if all of us that visit the park, take a moment to visit guest relations and fill out a comment sheet stating that we would like to see Eagle stay backwards for good? It couldnt hurt to try.

That is probably what happened to have the wall removed by the Demon. They probably got enough complaints about it from guests to make the move.

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"The Peoples Elbow" or "The Spinaroonie?. Cant decide which is the most electrifying move in sports entertainment!!! LOL

Chitown - That's a good idea.

I'd hope, however, that the park would notice that people are willing to wait for the backwards side, while the forwards side is a walk-on. I'd normaly write it off as novelty, but the backwards side is really that much better.

I hope it lasts this time.

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"He's blazin' away like the stars in the universe.." A. Vega + M. Rev "Ghostrider"

Someday there will be something here.