Amusement Authority

Cantilevered Coaster V3 Preview Video

2011-11-28T17:57:00.001-08:00

I've been modeling a new chassis configuration for the cantilevered roller coaster. Here's a quick preview video. Sorry for the bad quality. Hopefully we'll have a full track layout next time.

Happy Thanksgiving Day!

2011-11-23T10:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving from the Amusement Authority blog! The holiday season is upon us! It's time to start thinking about what's on your shopping list. The easiest way to avoid all the inconveniences of holiday shopping lines and crowds is to order your gifts online. But what does this have to do with this blog? Well, why not help support this site and get your holiday shopping done at the same time? I would really appreciate it if you can help support this site by using our Amazon.com search box. It's simple to use: just type the name of the product you are looking for in the Amazon.com search box and it will automatically take you to the Amazon website of the product. Simply order the gift as normal and a (tiny) fraction of what you spend will go to this site. Thanks for reading and have a good holiday weekend!

All About G-Forces

2011-11-10T18:32:00.001-08:00

A roller coaster designer’s main goal is to produce as many safe accelerations on the rider’s body as possible. If you're travelling at a certain speed, and not shifting, you can't feel it, just like you can’t feel the rotation of the Earth, despite the large rate at which we are spinning. Humans can't feel speed; we can only feel or sense acceleration.
G loading is expressed as a ratio of the force developed in changing speed or direction relative to the force felt due to the earth’s gravity. The smaller the curve radius and the higher the speed, the higher the g force. Thus, a 2g force on a 100 pound body causes it to weigh 200 pounds. Race car drivers in the Indianapolis 500 are subjected to more than 3g’s in the corners and there are loop coasters that subject passengers to as much as 5g’s.

Not all g forces increase the weight of the passenger. As a vehicle goes over the top of a hill the load on the passenger becomes less than earth’s gravity and, in the extreme, could throw an unrestrained passenger out of the car. Some coasters do subject passengers to slightly negative g’s which cause them to raise off their seats and become “weightless” for a short period. This is often a desirable feature. Coasters with numerous airtime moments often rank among the best in the world.

Restraint design is directly affected by the g-forces felt during the ride. ASTM standards recommend types of restraints based on the range of g-forces. If all rides were geared to the weakest among the population, there would be no rides. The more safe accelerations on a ride the better.

Cedar Point Police Department Video

2011-11-02T17:53:00.001-07:00

Classic video of the Cedar Point Police Department.

S&S Worldwide's new thrill ride

2011-10-26T17:37:00.000-07:00

Blooloop recently posted a fantastic interview with a vice president from S&S Worldwide. What really caught my mention was the talk of a new ride described as a thrill version of the Free Fly coaster, which will offer a new sensation to the industry, and be exclusive to S&S. Here are the known facts directly from the article:

...we have a new concept but you will not see it out in the open.
It is a thrill version of our Free Fly “family” coaster, capable of a truly unique ride sensation never before experienced and exclusive to S&S...
...we’ve patented the mechanical piece that creates the ride experience.
We vetted the idea with significant people in the industry last year at IAAPA and over the year.
...a new product, especially one of the caliber we are introducing, S&S is making a statement: beyond being creative...
...we have partnered with an engineering firm in Southern California that specializes in aerospace and government contracts, and have additional tools and engineering resources we don’t. This union has created a feasibility study and product analysis I doubt has ever been done before.
...decision to bring in the best talent, worldwide, to create, engineer and validate not only the ride, but also the effects the ride experience has on the human body.
...the ride concept, which has a “4th-dimension type ride experience” but at half the cost of a 4D coaster, is extreme and thrilling beyond previous experience...

What really got my attention from the above information was the fact they have already patented the concept. Knowing this, I scoured the internet to try and find this patent. Well, I didn't find any new patents related to S&S Worldwide or any of their engineers but this didn't exactly surprise me because it sounds like they want to keep this under wraps.

However, after an extensive search, I believe I found the patent and the type of ride system they could be talking about here. It doesn't have a name that I know of at this point so I am going to dub it "the gyro-coaster."

The seat assembly is capable of fully rotating about a first axis, second axis, and third axis independent of the track system. The rotation can be free or controlled. Each individual vehcile assembly could have a different degree of motion than the other vehicle assemblies. The launch tower concept looks pretty cool too!

Here's the evidence that leads me to believe this is the ride we are looking for.

The patent was filed in 2009. S&S discussed the idea at the IAPPA show in 2010, thus the timeline works out and makes sense.
The patent attorney's office is in Salt Lake City, Utah, not far from S&S headquarters.
The inventor resides in Southern California (and presumably works for the hired engineering firm). I couldn't find any other information on the inventor, which is odd.
When S&S Arrow filed the patent for the 4d coaster they used James Sonntag as their patent attorney, the same person who shows up on this new patent.

Is this all just coincidence? I have no idea if it actually is but the evidence would lead me to believe we are looking at new ride concepts from S&S Worldwide. You can see why they would bring in another firm to do analysis- some pretty complicated dynamics there! If this is true, I am really excited by this design concept. The possibilities are endless; the human body being the major limiting factor. What are your thoughts?

Dinosaur Ride Layout

2011-10-24T20:28:00.000-07:00

Here's a few overhead pictures of the layout for Dinosaur at Disney's Animal Kingdom. I believe the layout is the exact same as the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland.

Sneak Peak at Upcoming Project

2011-10-17T18:46:00.000-07:00

I'd like to apologize for not posting anything substantial lately. I have been busy writing an article for Coaster Critic as well as working on a project which I will share the details on in due time. For now, here is a little sneak peek preview.

Can you guess what it is?

Committee on Amusement Rides and Devices to Meet in Arizona

2011-10-10T19:24:00.000-07:00

ASTM Committee F24 on Amusement Rides and Devices to Meet in Scottsdale , Arizona

Over 150 Global Safety Experts Anticipated

ASTM International Committee F24 on Amusement Rides and Devices, which produces global safety standards for the amusement industry, will be holding three days of meetings from Oct. 13-15, 2011 at the Valley Ho Hotel in Scottsdale , Arizona . Approximately 50 separate meetings will be held, each one focusing on a specific safety element of the amusement industry. Areas that are covered include, but are not limited to, ride design, operations, and maintenance. Meetings are open to both members and non-members of ASTM and registration is available at http://www.astm.org/ on the ASTM F24 Committee site at http://www.astm.org/COMMIT/COMMITTEE/F24.htm.

Picture of the Week: Windseeker

2011-09-26T18:23:00.000-07:00

The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman ride layout

2011-09-19T18:37:00.000-07:00

I love looking at ride layouts or diagrams. If you've ever wondered what the overhead ride layout of the Amazing Adventures of Spiderman at Universal's Islands of Adventure looks like this is the best one I've seen. Attached is a diagram of what is probably the layout, at least it looks like it is pretty accurate from what I can remember. It's a very disorienting ride. Number 50 is the unload and load stations. How does Spiderman work? The ride basically uses a six axis Stewart platform mounted to a vehicle chassis with the added ability to rotate due to a ring and pinion gear system. Attached are a few drawings from the patent for this amazing amusement ride vehicle.

How a Zamperla Demolition Derby Works - The Explanation

2011-09-17T11:48:00.000-07:00

Last week I was trying to figure out how a Zamperla Demolition Derby ride worked. After a lot of research and digging through the interwebs I have finally found some answers. I actually haven't figured out how Zamperla's modern version works, but I have found a few patents for earlier versions of the ride. You see, the demolition derby is actually based on a ride called "the crazy daisy" (or crazy dazy) built by Philiadelphia Toboggan Coasters (PTC). There's also another variation called the Cuddle Up (or cuddle-up) which I think depends on the number of turntables involved. Anyways, here are a few of the patents with diagrams of the flat rides with intersecting ride paths:

Questions for Stengel Engineering Interview

2011-09-12T06:30:00.000-07:00

The Ingenieur Büro Stengel ("Ingenieur Büro" is German for "Engineering Office") company was started by Werner Stengel. Simply put, Werner Stengel has been involved with more roller coasters than anyone. Stengel is involved with so many roller coasters because he does not build or sell the roller coasters, but works with most of the manufacturers that do. The type of work provided by Stengel varies from client to client and project to project. These services include design, layout and calculations for every aspect of roller coasters as well as other amusement rides.

Submit your questions for our future interview with Andreas Wild of Stengel Engineering!

How does a Zamperla Demolition Derby work?

2011-09-09T16:51:00.001-07:00

Can anybody here explain how a Zamperla Demolition Derby ride works? From my understanding there are two turn tables which spin in opposite directions and the cars, which are free to spin in their own independent circles, are transferred from one turn table to another. It's the "hand off" between turn tables that specifically interests me. How do they do it? This ride system is used at the Disney studios park in Paris as Cars Race Rally. A new twist on the design is being built at California Adventure as Mater's Junkyard.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cars_Race_Rally
Zamperla Demolition Derby - YouTube

And check out 30:09 in this video to see a picture of the turn tables exposed: Radiator Springs Reality - Imagineering Cars Land - D23 Expo 2011 - YouTube

Rollercoaster Tycoon 3D coming to Nintendo 3DS

2011-09-07T18:15:00.000-07:00

Since its inception in 1999, Chris Sawyer's original RollerCoaster Tycoon and its sequels have captivated audiences with a gaming experience that put a whole new spin on the world of theme parks. Now, 12 years later and over 11 million units sold, Atari, one of the world's most recognized publishers and producers of interactive entertainment, is bringing RollerCoaster Tycoon back with a captivating 3D gameplay experience! Next year immerse yourself in the pinnacle of all theme park simulators with RollerCoaster Tycoon 3D, tailored exclusively for Nintendo 3DS(TM).

"RollerCoaster Tycoon 3D marks the return of one of the most popular game franchises and delivers an innovative, robust and unrestricted theme park simulator to the next generation of Tycoon fans," said Jim Wilson, CEO of Atari.

From constructing the wildest roller coasters to picking out the perfect spot for your stores and amenities amidst jam-packed crowds, you can finally enjoy the classic RollerCoaster Tycoon experience on a handheld device for the first time ever.

Complete creative freedom with intuitive and streamline controlsFully enjoy the features that made the beloved series popular: a deep coaster construction system and robust theme park customization. Design the wildest, most imaginative roller coasters through the "Coaster Creator" option using a user-friendly, touchscreen toolset and a wide array of upgrade possibilities and themes at your disposal.

A deep and immersive management simulation experienceThe world of RollerCoaster Tycoon isn't just about creating roller coasters; managing theme parks is paramount to keeping finances flowing to build even more! This latest installment takes the demanding management simulation from the series and compresses it into a handheld form, creating a challenging yet manageable take on the genre for players of all ages.

New gameplay mode with special unlockable contentCompletely new to the series is the "Coaster Story" mode, which blends together tutorials and park challenges into a cohesive and entertaining narrative. Choose your own player character and set off on a journey around the world to expand your roller coaster empire.

As you progress, you'll unlock tons of unique attractions, themes, amenities and more.
Jump straight into "Park Sandbox" mode and take controlPlayers who want to get right into the action can quickly jump into the open-ended "Park Sandbox" mode and play RollerCoaster Tycoon 3D the classic way, where the only thing that matters is just how far you can take your own theme park. With the advanced networking capabilities of Nintendo 3DS, sharing your park creations is now easier than ever!
Read the full press release on PR Newswire via Marketwatch.

Dollywood Wild Eagle Layout

2011-09-06T17:50:00.000-07:00

Posted above is the overhead layout for Dollywood's new coaster for the 2012 season, Wild Eagle, a B&M wing rider coaster, the first to open in the United States. I'm a bit disappointed that the terrain wasn't used more in the design as in having drop go down the side of the mountain but still looks to be a quality addition. And the internet has been buzzing about it. Now which parks to go to next year? And when will Busch Gardens Williamsburg officially announce Verbolten?

Cedar Point Ridership Chart 1996-2008

2011-09-06T17:45:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered how many people have rode Millennium Force in one year? Cedar Point used to post on their website the number of riders each of their major rides had given every year for a couple of seasons. I believe they have unfortunately stopped posting this information but fortunately for us a few roller coaster enthusiasts have captured the data before it was taken down and put together an Excel spreadsheet chart for us to analyze.

One thing to note is the numbers for the train ride. I believe the peaks are when the park was utilizing two trains at one once instead of just one on those busiest of days. I am predicting Ocean Motion's ridership will increase this season due to its new placement at the front of the park. It's nice to see Top Thrill Dragster's performance has constantly been improving. I think the park's peak attendance was 3 million guests and has slowly been on the decline ever since.

What trends do you notice?

Vintage Park Pictures: Geauga Lake 1993

2011-08-22T04:30:00.000-07:00

It's time for another addition of our vintage park pictures. I've got two pictures to share that were taken at Geauga Lake in 1993. You can mostly only see a few of the kiddie rides but if you look closely in the background of one of the old pictures you can see a wooden roller coaster which possibly looks like the Big Dipper to me. More vintage park pictures are coming soon so be sure to subscribe to our site via RSS feed or Google friend connect.

Vintage Park Pictures: Universal Studios Hollywood 1985

2011-08-14T19:00:00.000-07:00

Time for a new series of posts titled "Vintage Theme Park Pictures." I discovered a treasure trove of pictures in some of my parents old photo albums. First up is a set of photos taken at Universal Studios Hollywood taken in 1985. The first picture is actually of the house used in Leave it to Beaver and Marcas Welby. These were all taken from the studios tram tour. I'll be bring many more of these vintage pictures to you soon so be sure to follow me on Twitter and subscribe to my YouTube for the latest updates.

Please vote for the cantilevered coaster design

2011-08-07T07:46:00.000-07:00

I would really appreciate it if you would consider voting for my design in CATIA's 2011Visualization contest. The cantilevered coaster is a revolutionary concept pushing the thrill ride to the next level of unpredictability and excitement by utilizing two tracks which follow different courses causing the vehicle to swing in a side to side yaw movement, pitch front to back, and an up and down vertical stroke. Please vote for me here.

Dollywood Slideshow

2011-08-04T05:53:00.000-07:00

I visited Dollywood back in May and had a great time. We stayed in one of the Dollywood Vacations cabins and I think it just might be better than any other place I've stayed (including onsite at Disney and Universal). Way to go Dollywood!

Enjoy the slideshow (which also includes pictures from the national park and Gatlinburg area). Song is Thunderhead (acoustic) by the Elms.

Holiday World 2012 Prediction

2011-08-03T04:55:00.000-07:00

Alright, so a few hours before the announcement and my guess is Holiday World will be building a Proslide Hydromagnetic Mammoth water coaster, which is the next version of the LIM powered waterslide and features a 6-person "Clover Wheel" tube. Paula claimed on Facebook they would be breaking a new record and giving up and old one which could be world's longest water coaster. Also, Dan Koch comment it was named after an extinct animal (Mammoth? Saber Tooth Tiger? Dinosaur?). The construction location is next to Wildebeest so I think this makes a lot of sense. The ride debuted at IAPPA 2010 convention in Orlando, as can be seen on Theme Park Review.

I am one of 24

2011-08-01T17:45:00.000-07:00

I've been selected as one of the 24 Jr. Researchers for the Ride Institute of Technology. What that actually means or entails I have no idea! Hopefully we will find out more tomorrow after HersheyyPark's 2012 announcement.

By the way, I love the terminology used in this sentence:
The Ride Institute of Technology has reviewed your application using a proprietary admixture of random forests, naïve Bayesian estimators, RESTful services, gossip protocols, data sharding, Byzantine quorums, erasure coding, vector clocks, and of course, combinatorial optimization.

HersheyPark 2012 Viral Marketing Campaign Update

2011-07-27T17:21:00.000-07:00

HersheyPark has launched another massive online viral campaign for their new 2012 roller coaster. Everything is pretty much spelled out up to this point here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attraction_2012_%28Hersheypark%29

Here's the information on the actual ride that is all but confirmed at this point:

Height: 212
Angle of first drop: 85 degrees

Color codes:
"pastel blue" (supports)
"traffic yellow" (tracks)
"Night Blue" (train)Hershey trademarked the name "SkyRush" (although this is not the "confirmed" name quite yet). There is also a heavy military-type theme shaping up....like a "test pilot" type feel.

Possible layout?

Also, a fuzzy image the coaster was released, and it essentially looks like a mini I305. It seems there is still a rumor that it could be a wingrider-style ride, although my bet is on a standard sit-down coaster.

A new clue was released today revealing the message: In the end only 4 will ride. Looks like this is a contest to be the first to ride the new coaster. Can't wait to see the final layout renderings (though I hope they hold off on those until a little while after vertical construction has begun. I love trying to figure out the layout just from the pictures of the footers). Figure out the next clue for yourself:

Roller Coaster Maintenance and Mechanical Components Handbook

2011-07-25T07:44:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered what a work instruction manual for a roller coaster entails? First of all, what am I even talking about? Well, a roller coaster or amusement park ride manufacturer creates a manual of how to safely operate and inspect their thrill machine. This is basically a work instruction book given to the park and contains all of the preventive maintenance steps as well, safe operating procedures, and anything else needed to maintain the ride. Some of these handbooks even contain mechanical drawings and engineering calculations!

So what does one of these manuals look like? Well, it just so happens that I have been able to find one on the internet and will share it with you. You can download the pdf here. You might learn a thing or to about how a roller coaster works! Be sure to check out some of our other diagrams.

Roller Coaster Maintenance and Mechanical Components Handbook.pdf download

Why Disney's Customer Service is Better than Universal

2011-07-16T20:02:00.000-07:00

On our recent vacation at Universal Orlando Resort, we waited over an hour in line for Rip Ride Rocket and they closed the ride right before we were about to get on. At that point, the park was closed and we didn't get to do anything else and had essentially wasted the last hour or two of our time in the park. There was no compensation for us or any others waiting in line. We left the park very disappointed and frustrated, along with countless other guests- not a good lasting impression for first time visitors. I understand there are mechanical problems, no big deal, especially if they are early in the day. My issue is that it was the end of the day and there was no attempt at correcting the feeling that our time and money had just been wasted- the two most important issues for me as a park guest. At Disney, they give you fast passes good at any park for x number of days. Thus their customer service will always be better in my eyes.