![]() ![]() On Nitro, I can pull the lap bar and secure myself easily in row 9 of any train, but row 8, the pawls do not latch in the same place, so I needed 2 operators to unsuccessfully try to get the all clear from the computer (this was on back to back rides on a slow morning.) Also, the foot guards in the front of the each unit (car) can easily disqualify a person with longer legs that could easily fit in the back seat which has no guards. On FOF, for instance, there is as much as a 1 inch difference between to two seats in the back row of train 1 and train 2. Sure, it is easy to set each ratchet at 2 or 3 clicks, but there can be a lot of play between the seatbelts/ratchets that maintenance simply does not have the time to adjust them ALL to be the same. The measurement/adjustments are made by men, not machines, so they are not consistent throughout every seat of all the trains being used. ![]() Not the test seat out front, which are often adjusted to be less forgiving than the ones in use on the trains. Now, as a guest who has expanded my girth since those days of working at Busch, I can tell you that the only way to know exactly whether you will fit in the train is to try the seat. We used to have "power hours" where we would put our strongest crew members on the platform to see how close we could get to the theoretical capacity.Well, I can give you the Busch Garden's company line and reality of my experience at parks this past year.īusch Gardens used to post Alpengeist's size requirement as "guests with chest measurements approaching 52" may be able to be accommodated in rows 4/5" (the big boy seats) Apollo's stated that guests with 48" inch waists may not be accommodated (sorry, I never actually worked on Apollo, so I can't remember the exact wording of the sign). We were told for an ideal dispatch, the train would park on the brake run for a few seconds and to not break our necks trying to get trains out any faster. Alpengeist could just barely do it (within about 3-5 seconds with back to back perfect cycles). However, I don't think the brake run is set up to pace the trains so it is possible to clear all 3 without one parking for at least some time. I assume the cycle is long enough that even if the crew achieved a perfect cycle (dispatching the train as soon as the lift is clear), it will not set-up. The question I need answered is whether Banshee is capable of dispatching as soon as A-block (the lift) is clear. ![]() Even a good crew would struggle to load the train before it hits the 3rd inversion (I'm speculating here since I haven't been to KI this year.) At that point, the train will be in the safety brakes long before the dispatched train can reach the apex of the lift. It is a very quick, so the train is almost back to the station before the crew can get the next train out for dispatch. In Banshee's case, it seems the B block (the majority of the course post lift) is very much like Afterburn at Carowinds. Especially since most parks do not use more than 4 operators on the platform. Most of the time, the actual cycle is long enough that the train will not crest the lift while the other trains are moving along the course. (It may be important to note that Banshee is the 1st since then to utilize 3 train operation.)įrom a operational standpoint, it isn't really needed. No US inverted coaster since then has had one. I believe that B&M has been eliminating mid course brake runs ever since the inverted coaster wars ended with Alpengeist. Considering that the park was able to build what is still the tallest full circuit inverted coaster in an area with so many obstacles (where Banshee pretty much has none due to the huge expanse of land the SOB occupied) is a feat in itself. There are several obstacles: the covered bridge between France and Germany, the Skyride cable that travels directly between 2 of the inversions, Loch Ness's brake run at the far end of the course and the Le Scoot log flume sharing the same ravine on the return run. Alpengeist is crammed into what amounts to a narrow ravine in the middle of the park. It is also important to note the space limitations involved. (if the ride was on flat land like Montu, they still may have been able to get it in.) With the majority of Alpengeist's layout after the cobra roll being uphill, the 7th inversion had to be sacrificed. Even if it was not used, the fact that it exists means that the layout had to be conceived so the train can make it back to the station in the event that it is used (Banshee does not have that constraint. It has already been mentioned that Alpengeist loses a lot of energy due to the block brake. ![]()
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