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Holiday World | Thunderbird | Launched B&M Wing Coaster

^ Welcome to CoasterForce! We have a "New to CF" thread designed for newcomers: viewtopic.php?f=10&t=10930&start=1946

Here are some photos from the test launch, posted to Holiday World's FB page:

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^ I have wondered the same thing, and would be interested if the train length has to deal with cutting weight for the launch. 0-60 mph in 3.5 mph is hardly fast in roller coaster terms, and adding additional cars would only slow that launch speed.

It could have boiled down to costs of the magnetic launch. However, having shorter trains allows for tighter transitions?
 
Also, Holiday World doesn't necessarily need a very high capacity on Thunderbird. The other B&M wing coasters were built at parks that experience higher attendance, such as Six Flags Great America and Thorpe Park.
 
Increasing the number of cars adds more mass, which requires more energy to launch the train. They could've had nine or ten cars per train if they really wanted to, but the energy required to launch the train to the necessary (or desired) speed would have been much greater. Ultimately, it would cost the park much more money to operate the ride.
 
Another video. It's Lauren and Leah talking about the legacy of their dad, Will.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SA6TCMk9uZQ[/youtube]

It also shows more POV up to the 2 overbank/horseshoe turns.
 
Fixed it. But yeah, like Koppen said, if anybody wants to embed a youtube vid, copy paste the link, remove the "s" from "https" and place it between [youtube][/youtube].
 
Re: Holiday World | Thunderbird | Launched B&M Wing Coaster

I knew that. I was in a rush and forgot to remove it. Honest mistake.

Sent from my VS840 4G using Tapatalk
 
This video shows some good onride and offride shots that may or may not have appeared on other videos. Still don't get to see the inline-twist at the end which is a little annoying.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2KW_cGKJzE[/youtube]

I wasn't particularly interested when the ride was first announced, but now I've seen some of the testing videos I think it has potential to be one of the best if not the best B&M wing coaster. It seems that the launch or maybe the shorter trains give it a little extra speed needed to make it go through the elements faster than the other wing coasters. Plus, the colours of the track and trains are gorgeous.
 
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUcBBinVbts[/youtube]
Some really cool night time off-ride footage. And I must say, the lights on the wings look spectacular.
 
^ Now let's just hope they can all stay illuminated! Gatekeeper, I'm looking at you.
 
Talked to a friend who's ridden it. They said that the vests are unlocked and that it's comparable to GateKeeper. Said their favorite part was the launch and that the Immelman was really good. There is a POV out but I'm not sure I can post it because it's not ours. You can find it on YouTube, though. I have no idea how the weather is over there but here in Ohio (4 hours away) it's pretty chilly out so it might be running a tad slower than it normally would. I remember at Banshee's media day it started to run faster and faster as the day went on and the coaster warmed up. Might be interesting to see a POV taken at the end of the day to see if it sped up at all.

Personally I think it looks to be a solid ride. Really looking forward to that launch, immelman, zero-g, and s-curve. Wish they'd have made the near miss at the end look a bit more worn and destroyed but my guess is that the wood will age naturally and give it an even more authentic look.
 
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