Do we need more thrilling flat rides at SFGam?

[DejaVu2001]

^ Space Shuttle America was replaced by Riptide Bay. And Batman (or TDK for that matter) is nowhere near Sky Trek Tower.

[Coaster Justin]

I think they should remove those smoking sections (Move them to Gurnee Mills) and add flats in those areas. Maybe Pull a Kennywood and build flats over show areas?

[DejaVu2001]

^ You must be thinking of Great Adventure. We don't have any large circular smoking areas

[JimPanky]

I know it seems out of place for sfga but I love zipper. It could work with the theme in county fair. Would be hard to find the space for it there though.

[Goku1910]

Oh god.

[JimPanky]

what zipper is one of the most popular flat rides

[Goku1910]

zipper is also a carnival ride that is most likely no longer even manufactured. Not a great fit for SFGAm

[JimPanky]

Anyone else like zipper?

[JimPanky]

is little dipper still manufactured new? It's a classic and getting it was a great idea. Getting a classic used zipper wouldn't be a bad idea.

[Goku1910]

oh my god the reasoning is making my brain hurt. Little Dipper is 90% new so.....The only thing that didn't change was the train and it's overall design.

[SFGAm#1Fan]

Let's just say SFGAm will add a Zipper the day they tear down B Battle and bring back DejaVu. (Which I pray that they will one day )

[Goku1910]

Logic =






FLAWLESS.




That was sarcasm.

[SFGAm#1Fan]

In all honesty, SFGAm has one of the best well rounded flat ride collections out there. Only flat ride I can see in SFGAm's future is a Sky Screamer which we all know is going to happen at some point. I think it would be cool If they re-programed King Choas's ride cycle like they did for FF a few seasons back (I believe it was 08 or 09?). I thought that was a fun and thrilling experience. I also wish that they could increase Revolution's spin cycle time toward the end. I am a huge fan of spining rides and I hate how on Revolution you get only a few seconds of a really intense spin toward the end of the ride cycle. Obvously, those rides are not designed to do that but it's something I wish they would do as those two rides would be much more thrilling.

[UWW-10]

^ If I could add...a well maintained collection.

The originals are approaching 40 years old (2016 would mark 40 years). And extensive rehabs have been completed on many of them within the last 5-6 seasons. Like everything else in this world, things just aren't made like they use to be! It seems to me these newer contraptions tend to "bug out" a lot more than the predecessors of the past.

I'm not saying we don't need new "upgrades" every now and then....but do take time to realize the dedication and appreciation that GAm has to maintain and upkeep the classics.

[SFGAm#1Fan]

^I agree 100%. I do love all the love and attention that the park gives their classic flat rides.

[FParker185]

Chance will still make a Zipper, and they do offer a Park Model with a bolted foundation. Only problem is the 100 person an hour capacity and 8 stop loading. Besides that Zipper is one of the greatest rides ever built.

I do wish SFGAm would add some flats that were designed after like 1988 though, Jesters Wild Ride is really our one and only modern flat. I suppose we can also count Giant Drop, not really a flat though, and still an early 90's design.

[Coaster Justin]

Chance will still make a Zipper, and they do offer a Park Model with a bolted foundation. Only problem is the 100 person an hour capacity and 8 stop loading. Besides that Zipper is one of the greatest rides ever built.

I do wish SFGAm would add some flats that were designed after like 1988 though, Jesters Wild Ride is really our one and only modern flat. I suppose we can also count Giant Drop, not really a flat though, and still an early 90's design.

King Chaos
Revolution

[FParker185]

First Top Spin was built in 1988/9 and Frisbee was around the same time, perhaps the early 90's at the latest. Neither are modern in any definition or by any stretch of the imagination.

[PfightingPolish]

The Zipper seems way too fold-up carnival-ish, to me, for a Six Flags park. I understand we have a number of rides that could be considered in that realm — Condor and Hometown Fun Machine come to mind — but something about the Zipper, be it the wire-mesh cages or the way they individually and sometimes violently flip around, just feels too small-time for "Go Big, Go Six Flags."

I mean, it's not uncommon for traveling fairs and festivals to have a Revolution-type ride, a River Rocker-type ride and a Giant Drop-type ride. But Great America's are a lot better set up, themed and plotted out. I'm not sure there's a way you could do that with the Zipper. The darn ride just looks cheap. No thanks.

[PfightingPolish]

As an aside, if you enjoy being spun in every which direction, I might recommend St. Louis' Xcalibur. Notes:

• I enjoyed it and was fine, but my girlfriend said she felt like she was going to puke and I've seen others call it a vomit-inducer as well.
• The ride looks a little like Revolution but is a completely different experience. It's more of a combination of Orbit and Revolution, if Revolution were to go all the way around and upside down slowly. Here's some video.
• It's been somewhat of a maintenance nightmare for St. Louis, so it's probably not going to be something you see a lot of other places. Anything with that big of an arm, bearing that much weight, enduring that much force and torque is understandably difficult to work with.
• Would I want it here? No, too visually similar to Revolution and the experience is pretty adequately covered by riding both Revolution and Orbit in a day. Maybe I could see them replacing Revolution with it at some point as "Revolution's Revenge" or "The War of 1812" (you know, the follow-up to the revolution ... ?) or "Revolution II: Electric Boogaloo" or something, but I have a feeling it will probably just hit the scrap heap once St. Louis is done with it, especially since it was already through one relocation (from Great Adventure).

[FParker185]

Exclibur is a Nauta Bussink Giant Evolution, only 3 were ever made, they were made in like the early 90's or so, all 3 traveled fairs in Europe at some point. SFStL's is the only one still operating. I think there is one in storage in Italy somewhere, and the other is stored somewhere in China last being used at the World Carnival. SFGAdv cut it off it's trailers and ground mounted it, it got screwed it up pretty bad which is why it had to be taken down and sent to SFStL, but most of the maintenance headaches stem from the modifications.

Here's a vid from 2005 when one of the other one's was traveling Germany, you can see how the main arm extends and retracts for loading. I hear that's one of the major issues on SF's I guess it was permanently made to be in the extended (loading) position and not the retracted (operating) position.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsuahqKW134

[PfightingPolish]

I guess it was permanently made to be in the extended (loading) position and not the retracted (operating) position.

Ah yes, the beautiful logic of screwing with the intended physics of a ride, then wondering why it breaks. It's only, at the very least, a six-figure investment, after all.

I summarize my feelings the same way I summarized them when I got rear-ended by a late-running park employee on my way into the grounds the first time we went last year: One flag.

[Radical-Illusion]

Since we seem to be on the subject of spinning flat rides, one that I really enjoyed (Even though I believe its carnival like) Was Chaos, Like SFNE had, but was removed. Otherwise, I'm just curious... has anyone been on the Survivor Ride at California's Great America? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJ4Lieh6NGM I think something like that would be nice to see although it is sort of like Jesters Wild Ride, and Revolution but in one.

[Coaster Justin]

Since we seem to be on the subject of spinning flat rides, one that I really enjoyed (Even though I believe its carnival like) Was Chaos, Like SFNE had, but was removed. Otherwise, I'm just curious... has anyone been on the Survivor Ride at California's Great America? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJ4Lieh6NGM I think something like that would be nice to see although it is sort of like Jesters Wild Ride, and Revolution but in one.

I doubt you will see any park add a Chaos. Those rides were removed in 2004-2007 due to a major accident that happened at Michigan's Adventure in 2001.

[PfightingPolish]

I think something like that would be nice to see although it is sort of like Jesters Wild Ride, and Revolution but in one.

People are screaming, ergo it is nothing like Jester's Wild Ride. OK, maybe people scream in laughter at Jester's Wild Ride, but that's from the outside. Or screamingly cry tears when they realize the time they wasted while they're on the ride. I digress.

On the Survivor ride: Never rode it, but I could imagine that with a hockey goal at the end, a Blackhawks theme and a big speaker that plays a goal horn, Here Come The Hawks and Chelsea Dagger after every ride. That would be awesome.