You know, other than being able to say you've ridden it, KK really isn't that great. And I didn't even have to deal with the frustration of waiting in a 2+ hour line. It's my #3 at Great Adventure.
For me, I'd probably say either X2 or Tatsu, realistically speaking. X2 because... well, it's X2. Tatsu because I'd love to ride a flying coaster that doesn't suck. Well, that I'd imagine doesn't suck
Let's see... 12 days til colonoscopy (appt got moved :D ) No school today :D
Mr. Oscar wrote:You know, other than being able to say you've ridden it, KK really isn't that great.
THIS... after riding Dragster I hated myself even more for throwing away almost an entire day at GAdv; standing in line for Ka, only for it to go down the rest of the day, and we had to leave the park.
*Edit to correct spelling*
Last edited by [jonrev] on June 13th, 2011, 1:34 am, edited 1 time in total.
Comforting to see six years later Kingda Ka is still a heaping pile of sh*t. I went to Great Adventure 05 right after it re-opened from the first extended closure and we got in line and watched it constantly break down for hours, then when we were about to get in the station it went down for the night and the queue was cleared. Then the next day it opened several hours late, we got in line, watched it break down several more times, finally got on it once. The next time I was at GADV in 08 we got in line for it and it broke down for the day while we were in line.
While Dragster is a bit more reliable, I (as well as many of you i'm sure) have had plenty of other similar experiences with that as well. Sometimes I wonder if Mack would be willing to make these huge launched coasters because Intamin has proven time after time these are horrible rides for a park to operate.
I think part of the problem is the hydraulic launch system is both ahead of it's time and ahead of the capabilities of current available materials. In the lower speed applications it seemingly works decently, but for these 100+mph applications that deals with extreme pressures and vast quantities of fluids, it just puts to much stress on the components.
Hypersonic proved that Air is equally unreliable and maintenance intensive. And LIM/LSM would require an unfeasible amount of energy and significantly longer launch track.
Six Flags and Cedar Fair asked for to much, and Intamin agreed to it.
Favorite Wood Coasters: The Voyage, Ravine Flyer II, Thunderhead, Balder Favorite Steel: Voltron Nevera, Steel Vengeance, Expedition GeForce, Olympia Looping Parks visited: 232, Coasters Ridden: Steel: 894, Wood: 179, Total: 1073
FParker185 wrote:I think part of the problem is the hydraulic launch system is both ahead of it's time and ahead of the capabilities of current available materials. In the lower speed applications it seemingly works decently, but for these 100+mph applications that deals with extreme pressures and vast quantities of fluids, it just puts to much stress on the components.
Hypersonic proved that Air is equally unreliable and maintenance intensive. And LIM/LSM would require an unfeasible amount of energy and significantly longer launch track.
Six Flags and Cedar Fair asked for to much, and Intamin agreed to it.
Weren't later models of Tidalwave installed with a hydraulic launch?
At launch, the clutch system engages the cable to the spinning flywheel, pulling the bob and train rapidly forwards. During the launch sequence, enough kinetic energy is removed from the flywheel to reduce its speed from approximately 1044 rpm to 872 rpm.[2] The train negotiates a 46-foot (14 m) diameter vertical loop before ascending the 148-foot (45 m) front tower, then descends backwards, going through the loop a second time, running at full speed backwards through the station, and ascending the 105-foot (32 m) rear tower. It is at this point where the best "airtime" on the ride is experienced.[citation needed] The train then returns to its starting position after being slowed by 66 sets of brakes, 33 in the station and 33 to the rear of the station.[1] Less than a second after the ride stops, the restraints release
The catch-car connects to the train to launch it. This is the catch-car found on Kingda Ka.An Accelerator Coaster's launch system operates on the same basic principle as a Super Soaker, but on a much larger scale. The coaster's power source is several hydraulic pumps, each capable of producing 500 horsepower (373 KW). These pumps push hydraulic fluid into several accumulators. These accumulators are divided into two compartments by a movable piston, one side filled with hydraulic fluid and the other with nitrogen gas. The nitrogen is held in large tanks directly beneath the actual accumulator. As the hydraulic fluid fills the accumulators, it pushes on the pistons, compressing the nitrogen. It takes approximately 45 seconds to pressurize the accumulators with all pumps operating. All of this pressure is released during each launch, which typically lasts between 2 and 4 seconds.
The heart of the launch system is a large winch, around which the launch cables are wound. This winch is driven by hydraulic turbines. The two launch cables are attached to the winch on its ends, and run through two grooves on top of the launch track. The cables are attached to the sides of the catch-car, which runs in a trough between the grooves. A third, single retractor cable is attached to the rear of the catch-car, it runs around a pulley wheel at the rear end of the launch track and returns to the hydraulic building along the bottom of the launch track, where it is wound in the opposing direction on the winch's drum.
The train connects to the catch-car with a solid piece of metal known as a "launch dog" that drops down from the center car. The launch dog is normally retracted and is held in place by a small magnet, but the launch area has electrical contacts that demagnetize the magnet and cause the launch dog to drop down. The launch dog drops down at an angle, similar to the chain dog that a lifted coaster uses to connect to the lift chain.
Once the train and catch-car are in position and all is clear, the operator presses the "Launch" button and the launch sequence begins:
1.The train's launch dog is released. 2.The drive tires that advance the train to the launch track retract. Because the launch track is sloped slightly upwards, the train rolls backwards a few inches, until it is stopped by the launch dog engaging the catch-car. 3.The anti-rollback magnetic brakes on the launch track retract. 4.Approximately five seconds later, the launch valves in the hydraulic room open. The compressed nitrogen in the accumulators forces the hydraulic fluid into the turbines that drive the winch. As the winch winds in the launch cables, the retractor cable is unwound from the winch. After the train moves off the electrical contacts in the launch area, its launch dog is held down only by the force of the accelerating catch-car. 5.Each section of brakes on the launch track pops back up immediately after the train passes a proximity switch. 6.When the train reaches full speed and all the pressure in the accumulators has been released, the catch-car, still connected to the train, enters its braking zone. The catch-car uses the same braking configuration as the train, but is much lighter, so it slows down very quickly. As the catch-car begins to slow down, the train's launch dog retracts - the shape where it drops into is a "v" shape, so the dog is forced back into position as it runs over the catch-car and is held in place by the magnet, as the train continues on its way. 7.Once the catch-car has stopped, the launch system resets - the winch reverses direction, returning the catch-car to the launch area using the third retractor cable, and the pumps begin recharging the accumulators. This normally takes about 45 seconds, after which the next train can be launched. If the train rolls back, it will be brought to a near stop (magnetic brakes cannot completely stop a train) well before the beginning of the launch track. Regardless of the position of the catch-car when the train passes it going backwards, there will be no interference as the train's launch dog will be retracted. After the train slows to a near stop, the brakes will be cycled up and down to control the train's speed until it is back in launch position. On the larger coasters, this "launch reset" process can take more than a minute as the train must be moved very slowly. Once the train is back in launch position, it can be launched again or can be returned to the station.
The basic launch sequence is often accompanied by various theme elements. The most common is "starting lights" that cycle down from yellow to green, the green light coming on just as the train begins to accelerate.
The number of pumps, accumulators, and turbines varies with the speed the coaster is designed to achieve. Kanonen (the world's slowest Accelerator Coaster) has a design speed of 47 mph (76 km/h), one pump, one accumulator, and eight turbines. Kingda Ka (the world's fastest roller coaster) has a design speed of 128 mph (206 km/h), seven pumps, four accumulators, and 32 turbines. The system as a whole is capable of producing up to 20,800 horsepower (15.5 MW) for each launch, although a typical launch uses less than 10,000 horsepower (7,500 kW).
The catch-car is stopped by magnetic brakes identical to those used to stop the train. In order to give the catch-car room to slow down, only about three quarters of the launch track can actually be used to launch the train, the catch-car needs 64 feet(20m) on a 100 km/h accelerator coaster (and significantly more on a faster coaster like Kingda Ka) to slow to a full stop.
One major advantage of this launch system compared to others is its low power consumption, the hydraulic pumps run constantly and actually use less energy than most chain lift drive motors[1].
Yeah, brad covered it well, however the Hydraulic launch is a modernized version of the Flywheel launch. Mechanically it's very similar, just in place of the flywheel is the hydraulic motor.
the Zamperla moto coasters actually have brought back the Flywheel launch. Almost completely identical to what Anton Schwarzkopf came up with 30+ years ago.
Favorite Wood Coasters: The Voyage, Ravine Flyer II, Thunderhead, Balder Favorite Steel: Voltron Nevera, Steel Vengeance, Expedition GeForce, Olympia Looping Parks visited: 232, Coasters Ridden: Steel: 894, Wood: 179, Total: 1073
