in the future....

Ok this doesn't really belong in this forum but I couldn't think of anywhere else to put it. It didn't fit anywhere else. How long do you guys think it will take someone to break 500 ft? I'd guess about 5 years tops, seeing at it took only 3 to make it from 300 to 400 ft. But as you go higher it gets harder and harder to build, which explains the extra 2 years. What do you all think?

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life without danger is a waste of oxygen

I would say wait til you ride TTD then get back to me if you're still wanting a 500 footer. The bigger these rides get the more ridiculous they'll be. A 500 footer will end up having a 150 foot tall pull out. To add any elements to these coasters will require a ton of room. Overbank turns will have huge radii, loops will be the size of Magnum and it will just overcome a park. Seriously, I've heard the magnitude of TTD and that you can't possibly get a feel for it's size until you see it in person. I for one would not complain if there never came a day that a 500 footer was built. 500 ft will just bring more complainers because parks aren't going to want to add elements to these things. So you'll have those who continually b*tch about it and it will never be good enough anyways. As soon as they build a 500 footer we'll start hearing, well when 600? then when 700? Are you never satisfied? So to conclude my rant, wait till you see this ride, ride this ride, and then come back and start asking about 500 footers.

Peace I'm Out

If they ever do go over 500 ft., it would be interesting of where Cedar Point would actually put it. They can still move rides and extend land [for Dragster, this and Millennium Force are now being put in perspective from the views/comparisons] But what type of ride would be the new record-breaker in the later decade?? I'm not looking for an arguement... thinking about these things are fun, but nothing needs to be worried around now about space problems.

To be honest, I don't think we will see a 500 footer for a long time. The fact that they are even breaking the 400 foot mark so soon is just crazy. Only 3 years after Millennium Force.

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Aww.....Florida! But That's America's Wang

A 500 foot coaster wouldn't be THAT much faster than 1 400 ft one.......

My best guess for CP to build a 500 ft. ride, is to make the Top Thrill launch stronger and make the tophat higher.

...Which would probably make the structure, not designed for another 100 feet of track buckle and collapse, and make the pull-up and pull-out have some serious positive G's, in turn, probably giving many people black-out's, which then supports Markey, which then...

You get the idea.

Actually.. I think Andy will be the first one squealing and grinning when they announce, if they do, the construction of a.. let's say.. 500 footer. at least.

Considering that you've posted 30 times in 3 days I won't pay too much attention to that crap post. I'm not real sure where you get your information. I don't believe I ever stated that I wouldn't be excited or that I wouldn't ride or be pumped. I said what I said "I for one would not complain if there never came a day that a 500 footer was built". Let me break this sentence down for ya big guy. By saying I would not complain, that means that I'm not awaiting the day a 500 footer gets built like others are already thinking about. If there never came a day that a 500 footer was built, meaning that I could give a rats but if the never built a 500 footer. Now, in the sentence "I for one would not complain if there never came a day that a 500 footer was builg", where you do get the idea that I wouldn't be excited if they did build one? It's not like I would be like "oh geez, a 500 footer, that's not very exciting". Are you that incompetent to think that? Stop putting words into my mouth and take my opinion for what it is, an opinion.

Peace I'm Out

Until the industry comes up with an insane new way to build a massive coaster, you won't see a 500 footer at CP. My point is that Cedar Point will not build a 500 foot hyper, impulse, or rocket style coaster because they already have those ride experiences covered. It would be simply pointless to build a larger version of MF especially because MF is still world-known for being the best of the best. Wicked Twister is a mere year old.. they are not going to build a larger one. Dragster isn't even done. I can't think of any other coaster designs that could possibly be built that tall. My best guess is that cedar point will build either a ghostrider style wooden coaster or a new B&M looper of some sort in about 3 years. We'll see the 500 footer appear much further down the road.

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Ryan McCanimal
Webmaster of Thrillgallery.com
"eye for an eye makes the whole world blind"

I have already designed the first 520 foot tall, 500 + foot drop; conventional continuous track roller coaster with an 82 degree angle initial plunge! -out and back style. If you will?

It has the most innovative technology incorporated into it's design to be utmost safe.

Ohh, and I won't mind if you not try'n to ride!

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520, 500+, 160. prepare.

Your design tops out at 160 mph? How do you figure? With no air resistance included you would have to be going 103 mph over the top. If this coaster hit an 82 degree angle, in order to keep riders from dying it would have to have a parabolic curve with an average radius of 324 feet moving at an average of 119 mph. Scince it hits 82 degrees, the radius is just under the height of the downward maneuver. The pull out of the drop begins at 136 mph with a radius of 305 feet to maintain 4 Gs so as not to be too much for its riders. The pullout of the drop would end at 160 mph with a 427.8 radius. When averaged it shows 366.4 foot radius at 148 mph. Being almost a 90 degree arc, the average radius should give a rough representation of the height of the pull out: 366.4. Adding these two together should give a close height.

So if a 500 foot drop reaches speeds of 160 mph, it would have to start at 103 mph. If it started at 103 mph and reached 82 degrees, it would have to to have 690 rounded off feet of clearance to be safe for riders in terms of Gs. Lemme guess, no limits? scream machines? hyper rails?

what are you gabb'n about?

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If you build it, they will come!

Leave station. Climb lift (42degree angle, 11mph). Reach top. Release gained potential energy and receive a nice dosage of kinetic energy at a comfortable 82degrees. simple. not deadly.

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520, 500+, 160. prepare.

I think given the timing of MMs PR statement about X, MM is taking Dragster very seriously. MM does not have a rocket style coaster, so I suspect the 500 foot mark may be broker sooner, rather than later.

Given CPs interview on VM, I also think CP is aware of this, and may infact be thinking of 500 feet as well.

Does anyone know if the Dragster tower was designed or be used as a duel use tower for 2 coasters. That would certainly save some serious money down the road.

Tom

good thinking, but i doubt it'd be use for future coasters.

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If you build it, they will come!

I'm doubting it will happen soon for all the reasons that Ryan mentioned... at least at Cedar Point. The bigger, taller, and faster you make these things, the larger each element has to be, and the more room they take up. Not to mention they get progressively more expensive. Cedar Point has no motivation to spend that kind of money, doesn't really have the room for too many HUGE coasters like that (remember, moving existing rides costs money too), and they have no desire to have 'duplicate' ride experiences. You're not going to see a woodie or a flyer at 500 feet and insane speeds. Their next coaster will be something new and unique, and not necessarily a record breaker in absolute terms. It might be a record breaker for the TYPE of coaster (tallest fastest flyer, maybe?), but that's probably it.

And as for MM, it's more likely they'd just try to top TTD and not necessarily go for 500 feet, just to get back in the record books. Because while Cedar Point and Magic Mountain don't compete for customers, they certainly do compete for places in the record books.

irys said:
Ok this doesn't really belong in this forum but I couldn't think of anywhere else to put it. It didn't fit anywhere else...

How about in the general area? You don't have much mention of TTD.

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Andrew L. of Waterville, Ohio
"I gotta be crazy...I'm on a pilgrimage to see a moose!"

spryboy, in the VM interview, CP did state they started on Dragster when SD2K took the title - I suspect MM has started on something given MF took Goliaths record, and Dragster is taking the Superman TE record. I dont expect it to happen anytime soon - but with Dragster beating MF by over 100 feet, it is not that much of a stretch to think MM would beat Superman TE by 100 feet.

My $.02

Tom

Tom, it says that they started on Top Thrill Dragster once Millennium Force was released. Not after SD2K.