Since the last floorless model was built in 2005 (Hyrda at Dorney) this is all the US work B&M has done since. So my question is, why aren't parks buying floorless? You get a huuuuuge vertical loop, the cool interlocking corkscrew feature, the floorless is also going to be your mega-looper (5 of the ones in the US have 7 inversions which is the legal limit) and there are only 14 installations in the world (only 9 in the US). What does everyone else think of these rides?
Nitro at Adlabs Imagica in India is a floorless built in late 2013 and Hair Raiser at Ocean Park in China opened in 2011.
Maybe nobody's buying any because they don't need them? Most of the major parks have a similar ride type. I can only think of a few parks that don't have a floorless coaster.
RollingCoasting wrote:But some non-coaster rides have more than 8 inversions.. so why would there be a limit for coasters?
THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING! I want the US to get some balls on them for coasters. I want great big brass balls like Arrow had. 85 mph hyper coaster with 4 inversions? * DO IT! A trio of megaloopers where the wheels don't stay on the tracks? WHO CARES! Complaining that your head rattles? YOU SUCK AT RIDING COASTERS!
It's just sad that Ron Toomer never could ride any of his creations because he couldn't * fit his balls in the trains.
We need some park GMs/owners to step and show the balls their predecessors had in the 80s/90s during the roller coaster wars.
I think the reason the US hasn't built anything with more than 7 inversions is because it's not a big trend to have the most inversions anymore. Parks are competing for different records and unique rides rather than trying to get the most inversions in one ride. It's also easy to see that a lot of the highest ranking coasters don't have inversions, so maybe parks would rather have a high ranking ride than a painful record breaking ride that no one likes?
The same goes for the decline in floorless coasters being built. It's just not the trendy coaster model anymore. It happened to stand up, flying, inverts, and more. The newest technology comes out and everyone wants the next model.
And the trendiest coaster model right now seems to be RMC revamps. I think in a few years the revamps will slow down and a new type of coaster will be popular.
I think 2017 will be a big deciding factor between Free Spins and Dive Coasters as the next big thing. If launched flyer do the become popular it will be in a few years. Probably after CP gets one, if that's actually going to happen.
I could be wrong though. I predicted wing coasters to become as popular as inverts were. But I think RMC took the thunder away from the wing coasters.
But on the topic of launched flyers. I don't think they'd be as much fun as other launched coasters. One of the best parts about the launch is the g-force and wind pushing against your face. In the flying position you can't get that feeling. The launched flyer would have to have an insane inversion after the launch to differentiate it from other flyers.
A launch into a giant pretzel loop would be pretty sweet.
Cedar Point alone wouldn't spark the dive coaster comeback but the rumored Silver Dollar City and Six Flags Fiesta Texas (not happening next year) might.
Plus Six Flags is going to put a giant coaster at Magic Mountain in the next couple years. They don't have a dive coaster yet...
I could see Six Flags putting a Free Spin in almost every park though.
I love floorless coasters. My first was Bizarro at SFGAd, then Dark Knight at SFNE. Both of those were in 2013. The following year I rode my top Floorless at SFFT, and finally Rougarou in 2015.
It seems like the other side always wins on American Eagle Also, I've ridden Goliath 23 times in one day. HBU? (Sorry in advance for unnecessary commas and parenthesis every where)