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Where will the next new-gen Vekoma Flyer go?

Where?

  • Total voters
    34
FogZog

FogZog

Mega Poster
I find this question really exciting because I’m a huge fan of the new-gen Vekoma Flying Coaster model. F.L.Y feels prestigious and expensive which makes me wonder if it’s a feasible option for 80% of parks out there.

My mind goes straight to Universal and Disney when I imagine a park that would be able to match the level of theming on F.L.Y. Universal being a more realistic possibility as they have delved in Flying Coasters before and the model may be too intense for a Disney Park.

However, I think a park like Efteling or Toverland would be able to do the model justice and theme it impressively with a solid backstory. I just can’t see one going to a park in the Six Flags/Cedar Fair chain and becoming a Batman: The Ride or something.

Or maybe Silver Dollar City/Dollywood could pull one off. I’m not aware of any rumours out there about another one in the works but I think it’s fun imagining where the next one will end up.

Oooo imagine Galactica being replaced by one…
 
I would love to see Universal or Disney give one of these a go, a tamer layout would work wonders for a major Disney ride. However, I can really see this being a one-off smaller installation at one of these middle-eastern megaparks that seems to crop up once in a while and have a standout ride that executes an insane concept in some capacity. Similarly to how the Axis is going to Saudi, Doha got the 200ft indoor coaster, and Dubai got the Polercoaster. These indoor projects have been quite good for flashy, curveball attractions, which fits right in with a vekoma flyer.
 
Changa said:
I would love to see Universal or Disney give one of these a go, a tamer layout would work wonders for a major Disney ride. However, I can really see this being a one-off smaller installation at one of these middle-eastern megaparks that seems to crop up once in a while and have a standout ride that executes an insane concept in some capacity. Similarly to how the Axis is going to Saudi, Doha got the 200ft indoor coaster, and Dubai got the Polercoaster. These indoor projects have been quite good for flashy, curveball attractions, which fits right in with a vekoma flyer.
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I cant totally see one going to Dubai for sure. Deffo inside though as I don’t know how fun flying around in the heat would be unless its themes to hell or something.

And yes Disney! It could be great for a Pandora attraction
 
You're spot on about the new Vekoma Flyers being a whole different beast than the old ones! F.L.Y. is a masterpiece, but yeah, that price tag is probably scary for a lot of parks.

Universal does seem like the most likely contender in the US, especially since they've got the whole Harry Potter world that could fit a flyer perfectly (imagine swooping around Hogwarts!).

Efteling and Toverland would definitely knock it out of the park theming-wise, but I wonder if they have the budget. Six Flags slapping a superhero theme on it just feels wrong for such a unique coaster.

A guy can dream about a Galactica replacement though, eh? One thing's for sure, wherever the next one lands, it'll be a game-changer!
 
Energylandia? Considering their tendancy to buy Vekoma rollercoasters and they haven't got a Flyer yet 🤔

At the moment, I'm surprised we haven't seen at least one more Next-Gen Vekoma Flyer show up as of yet after FLY. I'd have thought we'd get one somewhere even if it's in China.
 
owenstreet7 said:
Energylandia? Considering their tendancy to buy Vekoma rollercoasters and they haven't got a Flyer yet 🤔

At the moment, I'm surprised we haven't seen at least one more Next-Gen Vekoma Flyer show up as of yet after FLY. I'd have thought we'd get one somewhere even if it's in China.
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They seem to of hit a brick wall in recent years. I fully believe they could pull a brilliant flyer off tho.
 
Is it possible that Phantasialand, along with the actual coaster, also bought some sort of exclusivity rights to the design? As in, Vekoma would agree to not sell another flying coaster within a certain radius from Phantasialand, or a fixed timeframe, or sumat? That could explain why we haven't had the merest whiff of another one since.
Wouldn't be the first time something like that had happened, I'm fairly sure that the SeaWorld company struck a deal with B&M to not sell any dive coasters to any US parks outside of Busch Gardens for a set number of years. Obviously that's expired now, but I'm sure that was a thing back in the noughties.
Or did I dream that? 🤔
 
Howie said:
Is it possible that Phantasialand, along with the actual coaster, also bought some sort of exclusivity rights to the design? As in, Vekoma would agree to not sell another flying coaster within a certain radius from Phantasialand, or a fixed timeframe, or sumat? That could explain why we haven't had the merest whiff of another one since.
Wouldn't be the first time something like that had happened, I'm fairly sure that the SeaWorld company struck a deal with B&M to not sell any dive coasters to any US parks outside of Busch Gardens for a set number of years. Obviously that's expired now, but I'm sure that was a thing back in the noughties.
Or did I dream that? 🤔
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I respect that tbh. F.L.Y deserved its time in the spotlight as a marvel of technology. But it was such a big tease because the model has so much potential!
Really excited for its future… please UGB make a Jurassic Flyer 🙃
 
In a perfect world: I think you're right that a Vekoma flying coaster would be a perfect addition to the Efteling lineup. Something like FLY would be about the right thrill level, be easy to incorporate a dark ride section into, and a ride themed to magical flight would definitely fit the park. Any Universal park would doubtless do well with the concept too, with Beijing being the obvious candidate right now (How To Train Your Dragon area expansion, anyone?).

In reality: probably some random park in a Tier 2 city in China gets a more standard lift-hill model flyer as its headlining coaster.
 
Howie said:
Is it possible that Phantasialand, along with the actual coaster, also bought some sort of exclusivity rights to the design? As in, Vekoma would agree to not sell another flying coaster within a certain radius from Phantasialand, or a fixed timeframe, or sumat? That could explain why we haven't had the merest whiff of another one since.
Wouldn't be the first time something like that had happened, I'm fairly sure that the SeaWorld company struck a deal with B&M to not sell any dive coasters to any US parks outside of Busch Gardens for a set number of years. Obviously that's expired now, but I'm sure that was a thing back in the noughties.
Or did I dream that? 🤔
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I know that Alton had dive machine exclusivity for a number of years with Oblivion and it wouldn't surprise me if Phantasialand had the same for F.L.Y

That being said my money is on Saudi Arabia for the next one, they've got money to burn and Vekoma has already started working there with the Qiddiya project
 
Howie said:
Is it possible that Phantasialand, along with the actual coaster, also bought some sort of exclusivity rights to the design? As in, Vekoma would agree to not sell another flying coaster within a certain radius from Phantasialand, or a fixed timeframe, or sumat? That could explain why we haven't had the merest whiff of another one since.
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I'm not sure how true this is - Vekoma openly advertised more generic renders of a different layout during FLY's construction which would suggest to me that they had the product ready to go to other parks. Maybe Phantasialand asked for exclusivity during the construction, or other parks are put off by the technology/sheer space required for the stations to work? Either way, I'd be surprised if we don't see another one pretty soon.
 
toofpikk said:
I'm not sure how true this is - Vekoma openly advertised more generic renders of a different layout during FLY's construction which would suggest to me that they had the product ready to go to other parks. Maybe Phantasialand asked for exclusivity during the construction, or other parks are put off by the technology/sheer space required for the stations to work? Either way, I'd be surprised if we don't see another one pretty soon.
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It might be possible that the US market might be put off by past installations of the previous generation's Flying Dutchman model?

I've heard those models didn't get very good reviews much like the SLCs. There are only 2 STCs at the moment which they're at Tripsdrill and Emerald Park (both in Europe).
 
I think the downside of the new generation flying model is that it's a very niche coaster model. The next installation will probably go to a park that has the money to buy one and is also willing to invest in some (light) theming and/or landscaping. I don't see Disney or Universal built one, since they are usually leaning towards building something first-of-its-kind. I won't put my money on Efteling or Toverland either, since I believe their next coaster will be a family coaster. Also, Phantasialand is very nearby for them.

My park count is relatively low in compare with most people on this forum, but based on my limited knowledge I can see parks like Port Aventura, Parc Asterix, Bush Gardens or Kings Dominion/Island build one.
 
For parc asterix, it doesn't seem to be in their plans. The model would be a great fit at Portaventura though, maybe to revitalise the polynesian area a bit, since it's getting a bit old.
 
Could be a one off considering how difficult/expensive it would be for a park to top FLY. Even if it was unthemed, not sure if there is the market for flying coasters there was in the 2000s. Even Vekoma's compact stingray model flopped with only one model sold, granted that had it's issues, but if that was built in 2000 and not 2009 I think it would of found another buyer.

Thinking of the current economic climate I don't know who would buy one. Steel has become exponentially more costly and to my mind it's pointless building a super short flying coaster given it's concept of simulated flight.

Disney is unlikely because they probably find the trains too restrictive for guests and they just generally don't like taking risks from outsider vendors and let's face it they just don't have the creativity to go forward with this concept.

Universal is more likely, but still doubtful. Like others have said they would probably want something more tailored.

China seems to be slowing down with theme park investments, particularly coasters from western manufacturers.

Dubai is in a similar position with a lot of projects going belly up.

Saudi Arabia could be an option, but if we see the thing actually open and how long it operate for is another question.

I can't see most European parks affording one, Energylandia would of been a potential option if the EU money hadn't dried up.

The US regional parks are also unlikely considering how they could build something just as gimmicky with way less effort and cost.
 
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