Ask RideMan #2 - Seat Belts and Witches' Wheel

http://pointbuzz.com/content/ask-rideman-seat-belts-witches-wheel

Very interesting! Seems like Huss Enterprises are a bit more complicated than other flat rides due to the presence of multiple hydraulic motors. It really is one of the only "scary" flat rides that you see in major parks since they don't have a lot of the "flip upside-down over and over" type rides.

As I recall, the Skylab at Kings Island had a lot of problems with the hydraulic lift arm...which allegedly led to its removal in the late 90's. A Google search indicates that Canada's Wonderland operates the last Skylab model in North America (Orbiter).

Here is the official Witches' Wheel POV from Cedar Point's YouTube channel.

Thanks for that - an interesting read. This is my favorite non-roller coaster ride around. Up until my forties I could/would ride this bad boy over and over again until all with me were ill or tired of waiting for me to finish. Now ten years later I am one-and-done on it. Need that "refractory period" before I can go again....ah getting old.

After seeing Huss's updates to the Enterprise design I'd LOVE Cedar Point to get a new one in addition to this classic ride.

Fantastic article. I love the new "Ask RideMan" feature and look forward to the next edition.

When we got to the math section - my first thought was "boy I hope there isn't a test at the end of this..."!

45Wheelgun, (or anybody else) how is that math working out for you?

You will find that the same basic equations come up over and over again, and I try not to go into too much detail covering the same basic equations over and over again. My thought is to put enough detail there that you can check my work, but not make it too heavy. Am I doing OK with that?

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

RideMan said:

45Wheelgun, (or anybody else) how is that math working out for you?

I liked the math. It gave me a chance to dig in and learn about math typography. I also got an introduction to MathML.

But that's probably just me. :)

Very clear math in that article Dave, found the examples very clear and easy to follow. You should write math textbooks using ride physics as examples. Would make the math classes much more interesting compared to the classes I had!

Another awesome write up. Thanks Dave. :-)

Great writeup. It was amazing hearing and seeing this question and reaction countless times a day during a shift. Such an awesome ride.

While the fascination is there for the ride in the few minutes of fame it got, might as well share one of my favorite parts of the ride. It's the most simple, straightforward panel I've ever worked in front of.

Great article Dave; have been an Enterprise fan since riding it in my childhood; a long time ago. I have been pondering the use of the pulling cylinder for quite a while and there you explained it :-) Question around "Fully loaded, the Witches’ Wheel passenger load alone may be in excess of 13,000 pounds", I take it this includes the gondolas as well? Huss mentions a 150K load limit per gondola which in pounds is about half the # you mention. Also would you be able to point to any further Enterprise technical documentation such as operating and maintenance manuals? Thanks again!

Maybe Dave is talking about the load while in operation? The G force while in operation should add to the load.