Texas Sky Screamer

Windseeker at CP was my first and likely last trip on one of these rides. I have no problem with heights on roller coasters but something about Windseeker was just really unsettling and it looks like this takes everything I struggled with on Windseeker and makes it much, much worse. Yikes.

I'd have to agree with you, Matt. Windseeker doesn't even appeal to me, but add twisting chairs on chains, and there's not even a way to negotiate me riding it. More power to those who do.

I love heights, but I love me some feeling of stability at those heights for sure!

I actually wrote my previous post without having watched the video.

I just watched the video and my stomach was doing flip flops just watching it.

I agree. If you've got trouble with Windseeker it's for sure you won't care for these. I ride em every time I see one, but I think they're way scary, too. I dunno, something about nothing but 300 feet of nothing between my ass and the ground might be it. And the thin chain thing is just, well, not right at all and I don't care how redundant. Disconcerting to say the least.

Windseeker? Been on at KD/CP. Meh.

StarFlyer/Sky Screamer? Been on at GAdv/Luna Park. Liked 'em quite a bit.

THIS monster? I'd be on it like white on rice.

My knuckles will be white like rice.

For all the grief people give the WindSeekers, there is something to be said for the comfort of not having to worry about your seat twirling around in the wind. I love the WindSeekers and make sure to grab a lap on them each time I'm at the parks in which they're located. This looks mortifying.

bigboy said:

50 mph sounds a little suspect, especially given that we didn't have gusts up to 50 mph on Tuesday, much less sustained winds that high. From what I remember, Tower shuts down at 30 mph winds and Chute Out was at 25-30 mph. I would be surprised if they let Sky Screamer keep going in winds much higher than that.

He may have said the cutoff was 40 MPH but the gusts were 50? Now I don't remember. He also said "the red light isn't turning off" which is probably the only real information he had.

I've always been somewhat curious about the WindSeeker closing requirement was. It seems like the ride with all it's steel bars and beams that the wind wouldn't affect it that much, but I guess the safety requirements of the ride say otherwise.

I was on Windseeker last week at Kings Island. I rode with another single rider of whom I discovered was CoasterBuzz poster D_vo. Small world! Anyways... While at the top of the tower, the wind picked up and we witnessed the arms swinging back and forth in a wavelike pattern. It was a really cool sight to see, but I wouldn't have wanted it to be any worse than it already was.

I noticed Windseeker was down a while after that when I was in another part of the park, taking pictures.

I was a little unnerved on Windseeker because of the height, but what sucked more was that I started feeling nauseous. Spinning rides are hit or miss for me. I liked it otherwise, but it wasn't anything I'd feel pressed to do every time I visit.

enfynet said:
I've always been somewhat curious about the WindSeeker closing requirement was. It seems like the ride with all it's steel bars and beams that the wind wouldn't affect it that much, but I guess the safety requirements of the ride say otherwise.

I know, right? I mean they named em Windseeker, after all. And that, according to the manufacturer, was in direct response to operators who were requesting a high tower swing ride that could run safely during higher winds. Guess not. (who was that operator, anyway?...) There's been much rigmarole since they debuted what with baffles installed to keep the seats from each other, not to mention the stalling issue requiring an evac platform to be invented. You'd think a manufacturer would've somehow constructed a full size test piece first to identify and sort out some of the problems. Instead they allowed the hapless (in this case) Cedar Fair to pick up several of these rides.

I've always admired Mondial as a company with some of the world's greatest flats, but not many exist in the U.S. Most of their rides are transportable and can be converted to park models by removing the trailer and supplying a platform. As far as permanent installations go I believe they only offer big wheels and these Windseekers. No coasters or flumes.

Is it telling that Fun Spot Orlando originally announced a shorter but otherwise identical ride as part of their expansion then one day it disappeared from the plans? I bet it's not because a perfectly good star flyer is just down the street...

Actually, I'm pretty sure the concern with the Windseeker isn't the effect of wind on the ride overall, but rather the chance that the control cable bundle, which runs up the side of the tower in a track of sorts, will get blown out of that channel. That's what happened at CP the first time they decided to shut them all down.

I went on Windseeker at Knott's and vow never to ride again. The main problem was that I had to remove my glasses, which left me queasy for the rest of the day.

What is it with Knotts and glasses? I've read they don't allow them, even with straps, on certain coasters. First I've heard of it on Windseeker.

It's a combination of factors. A lot of the ride manufacturers "suggest" that glasses not be worn on their rides, while others say no altogether. It has been alluded that this is a California thing, as both the parks and builders underwriters have put this in writing, due the number of actions due to lost and flying objects. Also I've heard that DOSH interpets "suggest" as "must not", and I've heard that from more than one source, all of them which I trust.

I am not sure if I care to ride the Texas Sky Screamer.

I rode the the Star Flyer at the Pleasure Pier at Galveston. It didn't seem windy on the ground, but it was so while riding. I was twisting almost a quarter turn left and right. And this about half the height of the Texas Sky Screamer. The twisting motion was abit unsettling.

Even before I rode, I was wondering about the popularity of the Windseeker/ Star Flyer rides. It seemed to be the new ride ride that everyone wanted. And it seems most parks built them in by the dozen. Or in Cedar Fair's case, four in one year. Are these rides a park staple?

I do agree it is an interesting question of how / why these fads get started. Just a couple years ago, no major park was interested in building rides like these and now half the major chain parks have them. It reminds me of the wild mouse boom we saw back in the late 90s.

Right. Star Flyers were originally pretty much relegated to the FEC's, at least here in the states. With the success of rides in Europe I believe eyes started to turn to that type of ride. They certainly were all available to see at shows like IAAPA.

Cedar Fair seemed first out of the gate with the sturdier Windseeker, then Six Flags followed with a rash of Star Flyers. The portable ride manufacturers have also developed models for the road and they are popping up as the new thrill ride at fairs across the country.

Maybe someone can help me here, but doesn't the Star Flyer seem like it would be a significantly cheaper way to go? The only cost affecting factor would be how high up you need to go.

When is the Knott's Windseeker going back in operation?