Why did inverts catch on?

Wouldn't boomerangs be like a Flavor of the Month(tm)?

I think that inverts are most popular for their comfort....your legs aren't cramped up inside a train, nor being pressured into a standing position. I also believe you can do more with inverts because if there was a sitdown "clone", it would be banging the rider around (think Aroow Looper to the 5th).

Just my opinion....
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RollerCoasters aren't my whole life... they just make my life whole

I'd say go with what Lord G

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"Do what you believe in and believe in what you do," Jeffrey E. McCants

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Lord Gonchar said:

Ok, I stuck my butt in the air, that was cute - where are the good rides?

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TMI, LG, TMI....;)

bill, who would be thrilled to get an Impulse or hyper in FL, even if they ARE *flavors of the month*...I certainly would LOSE my mind if we were the next to get a 4-d....even IF it were in Atlanta...(damn that Joe C., he gets ALL the good presents)...;)
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It seems today, that all you see, are violins in movies, and sax on TV....

There is just somehting comforting about freely hanging down between the rails........

I don't think I need to say anymore ;)

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If given the choice I'd choose a hamburger over a hotdog anyday of the week.

I agree with ebeth's notion that inverts are more popular than stand-ups because of comfort. This may not be the entire story, but it's a big part of it. Stand-ups bang my head around, and the restraints are not comfortable for me. Every time I have been to Cedar Point I ride Mantis only one time, whereas I could spend hours on Raptor.

As far as stand-ups having fewer elements, I would think that a large percentage of the general public does not even realize this.

I'm personally glad that inverts are more popular than stand-ups. I am unable to compare with flyers because I have not yet had the pleasure of riding one.

Gator,

PLEASE! You can have SFoG I tells ya, I will gladly take all the quality down in Florida! Then I wouldn't have to deal with such atrocious park operations anymore!

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Top Thrill Dragster -- The most intense, unbelievable, and spectacular fifteen seconds on any coaster, anywhere, ever.

Inverts rule cause the pacing is great, the lateral G's on invert helix are amazing, it's disorienting, and smooth.

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Cedar Point's Mean Streak and World's Of Fun's Dentonator both share the same logo......That's cheap!!!!

Sorry, I'm going to go against the "respected enthusiast" position here on flyers. The first one I rode was X-Flight, and I thought it was great, and still do. SUF's pretzel loop is undoubtedly my favorite inversion on ANY coaster, especially riding in the back row. The dive into that loop is thrilling, and although I don't know how many Gs you pull at the bottom, it sure feels like a lot in that position. Flyers in general have been very popular, and judging from that, I think it's only a matter of time before we see more extensive layouts with more tricks on newer flyers.

As for standups, I think many people have found out the biggest problem with them: most of them hurt to ride (although I don't think this is true of Chang). Furthermore, your visual perspective and orientation relative to your longitudinal motion isn't that different with a standup vs. a
standard sitdown coaster, so the standup position doesn't provide that different of a ride sensation. That, however, changes substantially when you enter the flying position and your longituinal motion is parallel to, rather than perpendicular to, the line of your body. All of a sudden, vertical Gs feel like "launch" Gs--quite a change in sensation.

Why are inverteds so popular? I think it's a combination of the open feeling they give and the comfort of having unlimited legroom. Also, the first one was a killer effort by B&M, and set an excellent opening standard for the genre. I'm surprised we haven't seen their size evolve beyond that of Alpie, but I think we are seeing an all-around slowdown of the late 90s/early 2000s "Golden Age of Coasters". Thus, it's not surprising that we haven't seen many new standups or inverts in the US recently.

Here are the numbers of new coasters opened in the US by year, according to RCDB:

1990 9

1991 12

1992 12

1993 21

1994 15

1995 17

1996 26

1997 28

1998 36

1999 57

2000 49

2001 38

2002 29

2003 25

Pretty easy to see that the great building wave that started around 1996 reached its peak in 1999 and is now fizzling out. Along with that, we'll see less of the past "gimmick" coasters and more of the "new wave" of rides. Sure we'll continue to see tried-and-true forms like woodies and sitdown loopers, but parks are going to need to draw guests, and they need something attention-getting. That's why we will continue to see innovative "gimmick" designs over the coming years: sizzle.

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Projected count for 2003: 32 parks & 110 coasters. Actual as of 7/15/03: 20 parks & 78 coasters.
http://home.earthlink.net/~boyydz/index.html
*** This post was edited by ACBLuke 7/15/2003 5:26:41 PM ***