There is nor a lot of people who like wing coasters for some odd reason. X Flight here @ SFGAm has somewhat of a bad reputation. A lot of people don't like it. When I visited Cedar Point this past summer, I went of their new GateKeeper. Same thing happened at Cedar Point. When I ask people if they liked it their response was "No". I asked about 20 people that day what they though of GateKepper and about 12 of those people said they did not like it and they thought it was a HUGE letdown and a boring ride.
You answered your own question. 1) only 60% of your survey respondents disliked it. That's "a lot" but not really... There are too many coasters to count that have 60% or higher disapproval rate. 2) They said it was "a letdown and boring" not that it was just a terrible ride. It's a letdown and boring because that's the way B&M designed them to be. The ride type was very new, and clearly they weren't going for "world's most intense roller coaster".
Maybe it's just me, but does being on the freaking side of the track not count for anything? I have also been on Gatekeeper and I admit, comparing it to X-Flight makes X-Flight look pretty bad. Gatekeeper's taller, faster and longer. I personally love winged coasters. Eats up the line and are rather thrilling.
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)
JimPanky wrote:X-Flight is very thrilling. It moves all around going from one great aerobatic maneuver to the next.
^Agree!
The reason people hate them is because they think they're forceless, boring, and aren't tall, fast, etc...
Well, it all depends on the person. Some prefer short, but intense coasters. Some prefer long, tall, fast coasters. This type of coaster was designed to make you feel like riding on the wing of an airplane.
I love wing coasters and enjoy them, and I would like to try out other wing coasters in the future(especially Heide Park's wing coaster, it has an interesting layout!)
The only wing coaster I've been on is X-Flight and I personally enjoyed. Nothing too thrilling but overall pretty fun. I can see why people wouldn't like them though. I think that Flug der Dämonen has the most interesting layout of the all the wing riders, especially since it has lots of tight turns and inversions.
Founder of http://www.sfgamnation.com Favorite Steel: 1. Maverick 2. The Incredible Hulk 3. Millennium Force Favorite Wood: 1. Outlaw Run 2. The Beast 3. American Eagle
Personally, I found X-Flight to be smooth, fun, and forceful, hence why it holds the number two spot overall in my count. (EastCoasterGeneral of CoasterForce fame agrees that the ride is phenomenal.) The rides weren't designed to rival Nemesis in terms of intensity, but they do provide a fantastic sensation of flying on the edge of an aeroplane wing.
"Remove this man before I commit an act of violence against him." -Ron Swanson
I think you're experience is to be expected at Cedar Point. They have so many world-class coasters that whenever they make a new addition it has to be groundbreaking. Gatekeeper wasn't a super tall, speed demon, so it was a let down to people at Cedar Point.
"Everyone, listen to me! These jerks killed Superboy. They've tried to kill us. Now they say they're going to tear this city apart. I say... like hell."
I have never been to Cedar Point or Dollywood so I haven't been on any other Wing Coaster besides XF and can't compare but even if I did, I probably would still vote XF as my favorite
I've ridden 3 wing coasters, and none of them are incredibly forceful or intense. They're all fun, but just don't have that WOW moment to me. As far as X-flight, I still do like the ride, and I think it was a great addition to the park. It looks amazing, and does deliver on that to an extent, and can get the people like us more into thrills. However, it's also a very mild ride and can get to the people who don't like really intense rides. It also seems to take advantage of the unique design of the trains and can offer a different ride depending on what side you sit on. Gatekeeper can do the same thing, but Cedar Point pushed the limits of it, making it the tallest, fastest, longest wing rider. That will scare off the people who don't like the intense rides, but then again, it regularly had a 3 hour line in it's opening year. I suspect that would be different in the later years. Wild Eagle, while decent, is the worst of the 3 I've ridden. It's just a standard layout with no good moments. The elements don't use the layout of the train, and it comes off as bland.
I think people do like wing riders for the most part, it just may not be their favorite ride.
XFlight is actually my favorite ride at the park.. i love hanging off the track like that i think its awesome!! I love the left side the best.. my daughter and i would ride it all day if the lines weren't so long when we come.