Hersheypark (HP) Discussion Thread

[coasterfreak101Gimme Some Candy!]

If those are the brackets that are holding the trims, then they're no longer than the iSpeed trims - and those don't look to affect the ride at all! Do they all already have the fins on them?

[Skycoastin SteveFive babies drowned in a fire]

I'm 6'5" with shoes on, but I will be wearing flip flops and riding barefoot, so I should be ok.

You need to find the thinnest flip flops out there! Like those cheap, disposable, paper thin, foam things. The ones that come in like a sheet, and you "snap" them together.

Well I imagine that if I am riding barefoot, they have to measure me barefoot, and there is zero chance that I am taller than 6'5" barefoot.

[TXman308I teach at the school of donkey!]

Wait, so all the speculation about those brackets being trims was true???



Anyways -2g's? I know it's only going to be for a split second but isn't that a little extreme?

[Magnum PAHarry Potter is a sick donkey.]

Logging official complaint here, so there's no confusion...

May have trims, really? Before I state my piece, let me just say that I understand that if it's creating forces that are deemed too much for the average rider, it needs to be slowed. I get that. But...

Why, with today's technology, is a ride designed that needs to be trimmed before it even opens? It's mind boggling. I couldn't understand it with I-305, I don't get it now. Are Intamin's calculators broken?

I understand that B&M coasters have had trims in recent years as well. But their's are different. They are mechanical brakes that can be turned on and off. They are there to be used if needed.

Intamin trims are simple fins, fixed to a bracket. If they are there, they are on.

For me, there is nothing that is more of a buzz kill on a ride than to feel it drag when it shouldn't - it's the one reason I didn't like I-305 as much as Millennium Force. I felt the late-hill trim was too much. I hope that these brakes either come off, or truly have minimal impact on the ride.

Again, I understand that these brakes are deemed necessary because of the forces these coasters create. But the question is, why are these coasters being designed that way?

[AstrojackI'll drink donkey urine before I'll drink a Pepsi.]

Skyrush, the first coaster to induce red outs Hopefully the 6'5 height limit will only be for the winged seats. I remember when Sky Rocket had a height limit of 6 feet just for the 4th row. Can't wait to start reading peoples experiences on this ride. Looks like a really fun coaster.

[NegativeGLoverI Love Donkeys!]

I don't normally respond, but in this case, I think I can warrant a small response. Coming from an mechanical engineers perspective - sometimes simulations/design just don't tell the whole story. I designed and built a device a couple years back that took tons of trial and error. Not to get too much into the engineering behind it, but it was a beam design with a strain gauge attached to it to take force readings - pretty simple mechanical principles. Well, I ran hundreds of simulations with Solidworks (one of the best programs for such things) and used the results to refine my design. By the time it was machined it should have been basically a bulletproof design - WRONG. About 15 design iterations later I finally got it to work right. The theoretical computer program was about 7% of what was really happening when I built the thing. It was close, but not quite right.

Upscale that and take all the complexities of a coaster into consideration and it truly is amazing they can get as close as they do in the engineering of something like this. What if their simulations/calculations were off 7%. If they predicted 70 mph then - wallah! She's running 75 mpg when built. That 5 mph is going to make a lot more difference in what goes on than what you think. I'm pretty certain that with the heights and speed we are seeing today and the forces that are being put on structures - they're doing a darn fine job. Computers and calculations can only tell you so much!

[Magnum PAHarry Potter is a sick donkey.]

I'm pretty certain that with the heights and speed we are seeing today and the forces that are being put on structures - they're doing a darn fine job. Computers and calculations can only tell you so much!

I understand what you're saying, and I appreciate your insight. I don't need to get into what I do for a living, but I can say that I'm not engineering illiterate either...

But I don't really buy the "what's on the computer isn't what always comes out in real life" line of thought when dealing with today's roller coasters. The industry, let alone Intamin, has been building these things for quite some time. If this was the first steel 200 foot roller coaster ever built, then I'd understand if it needed tweaked in real life.

Skyrush, from a layout perspective, is really nothing new, though I do believe the new train design influenced the layout. But from a layout perspective, if it truly needs to be trimmed already, then there was yet again another design flaw on Intamin's part, or maybe Hershey's.

And ultimately, though I'm all for pushing limits, if you design something that gets too close to the "too much" line that you end up crossing the line in actuality, and you have to adjust (trim) later, then you wen too far in the design phase.

I do think Skyrush will kick some serious tail in a week. I wish that there were no trim fins - and that they could slow the lift down to get the same affect. If there has to be brake fins, I like that there are three mini-trims - that is an excellent idea that should keep their impact minimal. We'll know soon enough...

[vacoaster09A donkey is a domesticated member of the Equidae or horse family.]

They said trimming from 76.3 to 76 mph. Are we making an issue about .3 mph? Speeds, Forces, are all unique to every ride... Unless its a clone, I don't think it's fair to say that they ought to have practice at the particular ride when its new in its own right. No coaster project is the same. Ride it and be happy! IF not.. don't ride it.

[Magnum PAHarry Potter is a sick donkey.]

They said trimming from 76.3 to 76 mph. Are we making an issue about .3 mph? Speeds, Forces, are all unique to every ride... Unless its a clone, I don't think it's fair to say that they ought to have practice at the particular ride when its new in its own right. No coaster project is the same. Ride it and be happy! IF not.. don't ride it.

Nope, we're talking about the three trim brake fins that have been reported as being installed. I never made a specific complaint about Skyrush, just Intamin in general. Pay attention. Thanks.

[jmichaThe only thing better than a naked woman is a naked donkey!]

Just think of it this way. If everything was always exactly the same as in computer calculations, what would the point of the testing phase be? To work out any discrepancies between simulations and reality. Like a slight trimming to bring the ride into what Intamin deems the safe operating speed range. It happens in many industries. Look at crash testing for automobiles, engineering for innovative buildings, electronics, etc. Nothing is ever exactly as a simulation will suggest.