Tonight on Dateline NBC

Just caught a preview for Dateline tonight (Tues. 5/16 @ 10pm) they are doing a bit on Amusement Park safety. This has been a rather heated topic around these parts, so it's certain to touch off further debate.

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Neil
Pittsburgh, PA
MF Count: 0 :(

I just watched the report on Dateline and there was a congressman stating that most states do not regulate their rides. He also said that "rides now get up to 6.5 G's that of what an astronaut experiances." Is that not the biggest piece of propaganda that you have ever heard. If there is any ride that pulls that many G's let me know. I want on!!!

Sounded to me they were gettin their cheeze dog carnivals confused with well ran and maintained amusement parks such as CP.

I think Taz's Texas Tornado has 6.5 G's. The problem of course with that individual's analogy is that a roller coaster does not have sustained G's at that level. He compared it to astronauts in a space shuttle, which experience less than 6.5 G's, but those forces are sustained for longer periods of time. Those two things are not fair to compare.


*** This post was edited by Camel on 5/17/2000. *** *** This post was edited by Camel on 5/17/2000. ***

I saw that show also, they featured Raptor, Mantis,Magnum, but no millennium force!

I think that carnavil rides should be checked and maintained daily but not permanent parks(especially seasonal ones) because several full time mechanics are assigned to certain rides.

Actually, they showed pictures of those rides, plus I think they showed Stealth quite a few times also, but they featured some piece of you-know-what carny Himaleya ride. I was amazed at how they continually tried to link travelling carnevals to permanent amusement parks. I guess the few similarities are blurred to those who are not as big as enthusiasts as some of us are. I really don't see many similarities between the two.

It drove me nuts how they also tried to link that Himaleya to the large roller coasters that are for the most part, permanent.

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Born in Toledo. God I miss CP. *** This post was edited by Kahnverse on 5/17/2000. ***

There was a GREAT POV of Mantis at the beginning. They also had good pictures of Magnum and Raptor.

Just one more thing, since when do we need the Federal Government to protect us from everything? Tobacco, guns, SUV's now (gasp) roller coasters.

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Kahnverse, the point isn't protecting us, they want control over everything.

Get this one
it is the Ohio Dept of AGRICULTURE that regulates and checks our rides here in Ohio-
first they check for legal fertilizer on our corn
then they check G-forces on Raptor and MF
oh brother!!
Safer on the rides then in the car on the way to the Po!nt!!!
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Welcome back Raptor riders-how was your flight??

This is one case where they are trying to stir up controversy regarding the amusemement industry...I mean its all over about all the record breaking rides such as MF and what better hand to deal the viewers is this crap...I mean it has us talking right?? Thats what they wanted...to plant the seed of doubt in peoples minds..Me personally shut it off it got me so pissed!!

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http://www.msu.edu/~armbrus9/cp.html
http://www.msu.edu/~levydust/mf.html
new MF photos

Did anyone else notice that they called rides like the Himalaya roller coasters? I think that NBC should have done a little more investigating...

I hate the Himalaya. If any ride is dangerous, that's surely it. Please try and convince me that a small person riding with a larger person could not fly out of that thing. Not necessarily the one at CP, but the ones at carnivals. They crank the speed up so much I almost lost a leg, I swear. I slid to the outside of the car, like you always do and got my leg nailed inbetween the lapbar and the side of the car. My leg was trapped and losing blood flow. I wanted to cry! I couldn't even put any pressure on it for an hour! The sad part is I go to the same carnival and ride it again, year after year.

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aIrtIme'S oVeRrAtEd...

True, they do seem to want control over everything. They just disguise it as protection. I am glad to see all of you can see through the PR of the gov for what it really is.

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Working on Super Himalaya was not fun. It was definitely not the highlight of my summer last year. Here's what happened every time:

Guest: "Does this ride go backwards?"
Me: "No"
Guest: "Why not?"
Me: "Um, because the controls don't let it go that way."
Guest: "Well that's stupid"
Me: "Riiight"
(seat assignment, usually with the person getting in the wrong seat...go around, check bars, lock exits, sit down at controls, start ride...)
Guests: "Faster! Faster!"
(glare)
Guests: "Make it go backwards!"
(glare)
(ride stops, guests are all upset that the ride sucked so bad...what did they expect?)

I'll never forget the day there was a *line* in the queues for the Super Himalaya. All I could think of was "Wow, I've never seen so many people waste so much time before."

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Natalie
ATL Zone 3 Sweeps 2000

One time my friends actually joined a 10 minute line for Super Himalaya! So I sat down and rested instead. Of course I could have done that while riding the ride, too...

Hey Backstreet Girl, sorry to hear about a bad experience on The Super Himalaya:) This is one of the highlights of EVERY trip to the Point with the kiddies (5 year old & 8 year old). This is one of the few rides we all can ride together and we LOVE IT.

Re: Ohio inspectors--
Yes, it is the Department of Agriculture. Unlike some states, though, the amusement ride inspectors in the Ohio Department of Agriculture are, in fact, amusement ride inspectors. They don't do eggs, they don't do elevators, they don't do farm and feed...but they know amusement rides like you wouldn't believe.

Re: Super Himalaya--
Cedar Point's Himalaya is a Mack, which I believe means it can go forward only at up to 12 RPM. And it is set just about right, unlike the Reverchon Himalaya at *ahem* another park, which, while it is permitted to go 12 RPM, only goes 10, which makes for a really boring ride...

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

I for one am in favor for tougher inspection rules for all amusement parks. I felt confident that CP was safe, and they make sure that their rides are maintained and safe, but I've been to some parks that I wasn't so sure about. And if there's nothing to make these smaller parks keep their rides safe, some of them may not do it voluntarily.

And if I ever lost a loved one on what was supposed to be a ride for amusement, you can bet I'd want to know why, and I know I'd be pressuring lawmakers to make laws tougher.

Honestly, I don't think tougher laws would make a difference in parks like CP, because they already go the distance to keep the park safe. I would like to see legislation to ensure that other parks I go to are as safe as CP.

Just another point that carnivals are not as safe as amusment parks.
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