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Manta- B&M Flyer for SWO opening May 22

You only partially failed Hixee.

Snoo said:
^As does most B&M Flyers I've seen.
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I've seen three so far:

Superman: Ultimate Flight @ SFGAdv
Superman: Ultimate Flight @ SFoG
Tatsu @ SFMM

I was stating that a majority of the ones that I've seen, you know, with these wonderful eyes, have had static floors.

I failed in realizing that Tatsu was the only one I've seen with the static floor. My memory is a bit hazy, and I could have sworn I've seen more than just Tatsu, but it isn't a detail which is too engraved into my mind. BUT, it clearly had the best capacity, by light years, over the other two.

Sorry. :lol:
 
^I naturally assumed you'd seen a picture of the B&Ms first Flying coaster at some point.

My bad.

;)
 
Honestly, the moving floor has so little to do with capacity, I can't even recall if the one 6 miles from me has it. (S:UF, 6FGAm)

The dual-station / single station is a far more important factor.
 
Hopefully Manta will actually operate both stations...

SFOG rarely does. I can only remember 3 occasions. And yes, you're does have the moving floor. It's not a surprise to hear about the loading, but I'm sure it will get better as time goes on.

I start working at Sea World on Monday-- looking forward to finally getting to view and maybe ride Manta.
 
bob_3_ said:
^ I doubt the new floor is to speed up loading. It probably takes the same amount of time to get the cars in position.
It just reduces the cost and maintenance.
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Having the static floor is all good. It takes time to move one up and down. Sometimes I'm waiting
on DD or Montu and the floors aren't moving. Kraken and Sheikra can be slow because they have to
line up the floor or wait for it to drop down.

CedarPoint6 said:
Hopefully Manta will actually operate both stations...
SFOG rarely does. I can only remember 3 occasions. And yes, you're does have the moving floor. It's not a surprise to hear about the loading, but I'm sure it will get better as time goes on.
I start working at Sea World on Monday-- looking forward to finally getting to view and maybe ride Manta.
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Manta has been operating both sides for quite some time now (on the 5th and the 11th when I
was there). There are lots of moving parts, computers, and workers who haven't been doing this
for very long. I think that when all of these are used to working for 8 or 10 hours per day for
5 or 7 days there will be less down time.
 
In defense of the coaster's team, I think they've been doing an excellent job with load times. The only problems that slow down the loading process are that of the coasters- in which vest sensors wont clear a train for dispatch, causing the operators to recheck those specific seats. The OCC operator in the rear of the station works with the front attendant to alieviate the fault. When all rows are clear - they flash simultaneously and the train is clear for dispatch. The Main Panel up in the box on the other hand has the ability to define which exact seat is causing the restraint fault. The problem with that is that in order to communicate with the load attendants, they'd have to use the attraction phones or communicate via loud speaker. This is why the issue is most always dealt with between platform team members.

So if you're curious as to why the coaster has slow loading intervals at times, blame B&M and the safety engineers who programed that portion of the ride.
 
Right, because if they did it like Intamin, then you'd simply be able to dispatch the train with people's vests/restraints unlocked / unsecured.
 
Thats a pretty unfair statement. The problem is that the restraint is physically locked into place, and sometimes the vest piece trips the sensor - causing the coaster to say otherwise. There are times when a restraint will be pretty far down and the ride system doesn't check it. Keep in mind SWO is working on ironing out these issues as the soft openings continue. It's all part of the process - and soon everything will run like clockwork.
 
Let's be frank, the flying coaster is a logistical cluster ****.

The flying coaster requires an extensive restraint system to provide a quality level of safety for riders. Obviously, when you are laying down (compared to sitting down), better restraints will be required.

Loading times are tough for flying coasters, no matter the park or manufacturer.

In order to improve those load times, Sea World just needs to get its staff to work as efficiently as possible to ensure each passenger is loaded and cleared as fast as possible, simple as.

You also realize Mike T, that the station operation you described has been around since the mid 90s? I say this because you make it sound like it is cutting edge technology. :razz:
 
^ Right, and even if I was championing it out - in all honestly it is a very different operational proceedure - especially having that second OCC panel in the rear of the station.

Hyde what you don't realize is that sometimes it doesn't matter how fast you go, or how effecient and effective the crew is. Sometimes technology will get the best of you - which is evident in this scenario. The ride is very ripe and there's STILL folk from B&M on-site monitoring the operations of it. That right there should tell you that its a work of progress. And even so, if you want to compare Kraken or Dueling Dragon's crew to Manta's crew - Manta's crew is light years ahead of the game.

Here's a little fact to throw in there. I've waiting for Manta from the entrance sign (From Entrance to Platform accomodates an hour's worth of queue) and only ended up waiting 18 minutes before the airgates opened for my ride. They're doing a very good job... much better than Six Flag's operation of Superman.
 
UC said:
He's describing the issues with the loading times - not championing it as new technology...
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I know, but by describing the technology in Mike's post to an excruciating degree, it came across as "championing it as new technology."

Mike T said:
Right, and even if I was championing it out - in all honestly it is a very different operational proceedure
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Not really, the operational procedure you described is used on other coasters and thrill rides. The only difference is the additional panel at the rear of the station.

Mike T said:
Hyde what you don't realize is that sometimes it doesn't matter how fast you go, or how effecient and effective the crew is. Sometimes technology will get the best of you - which is evident in this scenario.
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Don't forget that I am a Cedar Point fanboy.

New roller coasters are always hampered by kinks in technology. I experienced this full force with the opening of TTD back in 2003...and 2004...and 2005...and parts of 2006. :razz:

My point was that ride staff are also responsible to load times, not only the partial tech set backs.
 
UC said:
I took what he said as detailed insight, not as a blind defense of a ride team.
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Sorry, I've been posting too much in the CP rumors thread which is nothing but blind. :razz:

It's good to hear that from the get go Sea World is able to put forth a better job than Six Flags with Superman: UF. It is a great coaster but sadly falls short of the mark.
 
Yeah, I work at a park, too. I've been certified to work 5 very different coasters and a handful of flats.

I understand the limitations and technology of this ride.

It's a learning process for the crew, and that's really all there is to it. It isn't the manufacturer's fault that Busch/SeaWorld has never had this type of coaster before.

Even in established installations, these restraints have a lot going on to them, and unless the guest is familiar with the system, as well as the ride crew, then this is a process that tends to be pretty slow.

Oh, and it's fairly typical for there to be folks from the manufacturer for the first week or two of general operation.
 
Yeah, I work at a park, too. I've been certified to work 5 very different coasters and a handful of flats.
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Awesome...

I understand the limitations and technology of this ride.
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So assuming you're in the Chicago area, I'm guessing you've worked Superman Ultimate Flight at Great America, or know people who have?

It's a learning process for the crew, and that's really all there is to it. It isn't the manufacturer's fault that Busch/SeaWorld has never had this type of coaster before.
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No its not, but don't act like Busch went into this blindly not knowing what they were getting themselves into. Busch and B&M have a better working relationship than any other brand in the industry; they work very close together to obtain the product that they want in their parks. When they did their research, the creative team at SeaWorld rode every B&M flying coaster in the states as well as Air at Alton Towers. In doing their research they also looked into the operational integrity of the ride.

Even in established installations, these restraints have a lot going on to them, and unless the guest is familiar with the system, as well as the ride crew, then this is a process that tends to be pretty slow.
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The guests job, like with any other looping B&M coaster is to pull down the restraint. The leg fins close as the vest is retracted towards the rider's body. It all acts as one unit. What makes the Flyer restraints so nice is that they are very flexable in design and can accomodate larger body dimensions than that of an Inverted or Sitdown roller coaster. Next time you ride a flying coaster note that there aren't any ADA specific rows (big boy seats). Theoretically the process should be easier than loading something like Montu or Raptor - due to the absence of a seatbelt and the flexability of the restraint itself.

The problems that I'm addressing come from a physically locked restraint not being cleared as "locked" by the ride system - often causing operators to meerly push a little bit on the faulty restraint to obtain a ready status. This is generally where you'll see the most lag in dispatch intervals, because it's like solving a puzzel. The attendant at the face of the train is in charge of finding the faulty seat, while the attendant at the rear of the train instructs him to the row which said fault is located. The issue is that the rear attendant's OCC panel will only indicate rows, and not specific seats - meaning the first load attendant has to recheck all 4 restraints. Only the main control box can indentify the exact seat on the train, as their console contains more screens and overall control of the operations.

Oh, and it's fairly typical for there to be folks from the manufacturer for the first week or two of general operation.
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You're kidding...(FYI They're there for more than a week or two... :wink: )
 
^ In the years I have been going on Kraken, I've only ever waited more than 15 mins once...and that was due to the ride shutting because of lightning. :p
 
Strange, as our superman panel tells us exactly what seat isn't locked properly.

Oh, and if you think those legs flaps are always going to close automatically, I've got some bad news for you. As much as I like B&M, those seem to fail pretty regularly.

Eh. Like any other ride out there, Manta will have 'teething' issues.
 
^I hate you that's so unfair =[ In the most lighthearted way I mean.

Make sure you get loads of photos =D
 
I got to see it today! From afar anyway. We were there for processing. Tomorrow is the new employee park tour, so I guess I'll get to see it closer then! Assuming this rain stops...
 
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