UltraCOOL ADA50 Bedienungsanleitung PDF herunterladen (Seite 20)

20 AMUSEMENT TODAY October 2010

not a major issue. People seem

thrilled with it. What helps

make the lengthy queues tol-

erable is the way guests be-

come involved with the ride.

As people ascend the steps,

they are in close contact with

the sheer vertical dimensions

of the slide, even steeper than

Point of No Return. As they

get nearer to the platform,

they realize it involves a trap

door that heightens the antici-

pation. Once close to board-

ing, the queue wraps around

the loading capsule allowing

onlookers to witness several

people vanish through the trap

door before their eyes. It's all

orchestrated brilliantly and it

creates an unmistakable group

adrenaline buzz. The gasps,

ooohs, and screams indicate

that seeing it all dispatched

up close and personal makes it

worth the climb. Riders com-

ing off laughing all exclaim

that it was "worth the wait."

Scorpion's Tail launches a

rider about every 20 seconds.

This gives Noah's Ark an

hourly capacity of about 180

riders. To reach this, the park

has an efcient system. "We're

making sure they are properly

prepared at the bottom," says

Gantz. Riders must weigh at

least 90 pounds to insure they

make the loop. Also, addition-

al clothing such as t-shirts and

footwear, must be left behind.

Anything that would hinder

momentum is taken care of

before guests work their way

to the top. While one rider is

dispatched, the next rider is

being weighed a second time.

It works well, practically like

clockwork. Spectators are en-

tertained by watching scream-

ing riders dropped through

the translucent tubes one after

another.

To say the slide is a near-

vertical loop is somewhat of

a stretch. But the overbanked

turn reaches 45 degrees and

riders feel that uphill decel-

eration and then a pull of

heightened momentum just as

one would on a looping roller

coaster. A countdown of 3-2-1

gives each guest a split second

to prepare for the 40 mph jour-

ney. From a height of 80 feet,

riders are dropped into the

looping 400-foot journey end-

ing in a splashing additional

drop following the "loop."

Feeling the oor drop from

under you is an unmistakable

thrill, and it is one of several

components to this unique at-

traction.

When asked if any sur-

prises have appeared since

opening, Tim Gantz said he

was concerned on how many

people might get stuck and

not make the complete circuit.

"I was surprised at how little

it really happens." Gantz in-

dicates on a typical day, the

number of people that don't

make the entire course usually

you could count on one hand.

When this does happen, the

ride is automatically blocked

and a manager immediately

assists the rider out of the tube

through a prepared "escape

hatch." Operation resumes

very quickly the park reports.

To keep this occurrence to a

minimum, technicians climb

the slide every day to make

sure all spray nozzles are

working properly.

The park credits Tracy Mi-

chaels from their group sales

department in coming up with

the name. Gantz smiles, "Usu-

ally we throw several names

around, but when I heard that,

I said 'That's it. We're done dis-

cussing it.'

"Bert the Conqueror said

it rst, 'That's the best ride

I've ever been on.' And I keep

hearing it from our guests,"

says Gantz. "This is the most

groundbreaking ride since the

launch of Black Anaconda (the

park's uphill watercoaster) in

2005."

With public relations seg-

ments – in addition to the

Travel Channel – on the Today

Show, CNN News, the History

Channel and features in Popular

Mechanics and Popular Science,

as well as a lot of local media

attention, it would appear this

scorpion took its sting out in

favor of a very successful sea-

son for Noah's Ark.

LOOP

Continued from page 19

AT PHOTOS / TIM BALDWIN

Above, A rider on the new

Scorpion's Tail, awaits for

the floor to drop open to

begin her ride through

the looping waterslide. At

top right, a rider travels

the uphill portion, while

the bottom right photo

shows the slide's translu-

cent material that allows

non-riders to see riders

as they slide their way

through the ride.

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