Windseeker seats: neat-o

I saw CW`s seats on the back of a truck today driving home from work. Also the tower is going up as of two days ago at CW.

It seems as if KI's tower is going up, too.

http://www.visitkingsisland.com/public/fun/webcams/index.cfm

It will be interesting to see how many people ride this. At 300 feet I could see a lot people being too scared.

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned the S@S Screamin' Swings yet. I have always found those rides a bit scary. They just feel so vulnerable.

Meh. Screamin' Swings are a walk in the park. Seriously, they're pretty tame, though Kennywood's was a bit unnerving the first time I rode it because of the lack of a seatbelt, but that added to the thrill.

Lack of a seat belt?...well that explains everything then. The only one I have ever been on is that very one and it didn't have a seat belt. I figured that they never came with seat belts, but i guess i was wrong. To be honest that thing scared me a little while the Pitfall did not. But a seatbelt would make a difference.

How high up are you when you go parasailing?

I didn't find that to be scary at all...it was actually pretty relaxing.

I did the parasailing at CP and bought the package that gave you the longest length of line. I believe it was 1,000 feet (maybe 800, I don't remember for sure). Obviously 1,000 feet of line doesn't mean you're 1,000 feet up, but at the highest point I was definitely higher than MF and appeared to be close to Dragster's height.

For me, the fear factor for these types of things is a combination of 3 factors:

1. Relative scale of the view

When I went para-sailing, I must have been 300-400 feet up. The view was not especially terrifying because all I saw was water. Doesn't look that different from high up. Likewise, when I went skydiving, I was so high that buildings and roads were not perceivable. I felt like I was looking at a map. I was still terrified of course, but my terror came from anticipation of the plunge and being not attached to anything (except my tandem partner).
On Windseeker, I think the view will be pretty scary because of the new view of familiar things (Eiffel tower, Racer, Vortex, D'back)

2. How safe is this? What's holding me in?

As someone else mentioned, my heart beats pretty fast on the loose twisting swings of the Zephyr. I have no issues on the strong, stable iron (plus bars) of the Eiffel Tower. This issue alone made skydiving a 100+ on the 1-10 scale. On Windseeker, I expect a heavy (but not extreme) dose of fear from the open seats. Yes, they are rigidly attached and there are strong looking harnesses, but 300 feet of air under my toes makes me a bit queezy.

3. The big "Oh SH#^*!!" moment

Drop Zone, Skydiving, and nearly every coaster has one. Usually a big plunge. Windseeker doesn't seem to have one. On the contrary, I think all but the most acrophobic riders will settle into a groove because things become very predictable after the big ascent.

I won't know until I ride, but I think the lack of #3 listed above will strike a nice balance with the high #1 and #2. Those that gulp and give it a try will likely overcome their fear and ride again. Their fear may be replaced by the fun flying sensation. I expect to hear "It wasn't as scary as I thought it would be" from many folks.

In any case, I can't wait to ride it!

There is something about us being wired to be afraid of height too; a built in survival mechanism.

I read somewhere in my haunt designing days that the only two fears that are hardwired into our brains are a fear of loud noises, and a fear of falling (which is probably the same as fear of heights). Those are the only two fears that people have instinctively. All other fears are learned.

What about fear itself? ;)

^What about Jason and Sharks? ;)

Demon, why would people be afraid of me? ;)

^Because you run around killing people with a hockey mask - but were much SCARIER with the one-eye-hole bag on your head ;)

Re: Screamin' Swings - if you ever get the rides with just a LITTLE bit of space between you and the restraint (I mean an inch or two, nothing even remotely unsafe) - you might find them to be quite a bit more thrilling. Wild Adventures used to let the riders secure themselves and then check to make sure the restraints locked....but didn't really push down like most places do. Made a huge difference in ride experience (sadly, HFE took that ride out along with the Power Surge). The only other place I got that kind of ride was at the defunct Celebration Centre in Logan...

^I rode some ride at Wild Adventures - not sure what it was called - but you were supported totally by a OTSRestraint with no seat belt. I mean no seat belt that locks from the OSTR to the seat - like on B&M coasters. It was some sort of revolving inverting hanging ride - and my entire weight was on this OSTR with no seat belt! It was VERY unnerving.

It was the only time I can think of when I felt unsafe - and would have been able to enjoy the ride if there had been that extra seat belt.

Back in 2006 and a few times since then on Skyhawk I had a few rides like rollergator mentioned with some space between myself and the lapbar, and they were amazing. Even with the short swing cycle, they were a lot of fun. I find that ride is much more enjoyable if you're sitting on the side where you face down at the midway on the back swings (is that the red side? Its been too long since my last ride).

I have a feeling that on Windseeker I may not be looking down very often, even though it doesn't bother me on Power Tower.

In a story Friday, Miceage reported that the Knotts Windseeker will not begin it's spin until the ride has risen. This is due to the tight clearance space at the base of the tower. I hadn't seen it mentioned here so thought I'd throw that out there.

Nothing would be scarier than swinging right into a support on Jaguar. :-)

I was wondering about that. It did look pretty tight in there. Wonder if they'll wait to start it spinning until it gets all the way to the top, or until it clears all obstacles -- say, when it trips a sensor on the way up.

The official animation of Cedar Point's WindSeeker (which is nearly identical to the other park's animations) shows that the spinning starts slowly about halfway up with the fastest revolutions happening as it approaches the top.