Whatcha' think, another 11 years until we hit 400f

Im only comparing this between magnum and MF. It took 11 years to go from 200-300ft. Where do you guys see CP in another 11 years. Think we will hit 400, think will go higher.. Whats the limit for CP!

We probably could hit 400 ft now but people have limits. I don't think we will have to wait another 11 years to see the 400 mark broken and when it is done I don't see Cedar Point doing it. I could see in another 5 to 7 years a roller coaster in Japan or the U.K. (you know how Black Pool Pleasure Beach is and trying to get the recored) getting the record for it. But I think it would be cool if Cedar Point hit the 400ft mark

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Millennium Force ride count: 0

Y'know, eventually, the drop is going to be so big that this is a play by play on how the drop will go:
500ft- "AHH, we're so high!"
450ft- "This is the BEST!"
400ft- "AHH!"
350ft- "ahh!"
300ft- "ahh? This drop is long."
200ft- "umm... still going"
100ft- "Finally, the bottom..."

I hate to say it, but eventually we're going to peak (no pun intended) at heights. Really, tho, the other elements are also what make the ride worthwhile- this is where the future of rides are, figuring out how to twist us around and how.

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"To ALCOHOL- the cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems."
--Homer J. Simpson

It is technically possible to build a coaster taller than 1,000 feet tall today. Wherever you live, there are probably broadcast sticks that high somewhere nearby. It isn't a technological problem. The problem is that as the height goes up, the space requirements go up. Notice that Millennium Force only has one hill between the station and the turnaround? The extremely steep lift hill helps with the footprint a bit, but the basic problem is simply the sheer amount of ground needed to make a big coaster work.

Not to say that it can't be done. But look at it this way: as the height goes up, so does the cost, while the speed only increases with the square root of the height...and we are going to bump into some limitations on how *fast* the coasters can go before wind becomes a really big problem. In fact, as the coaster gets bigger, all of the problems get bigger.

So consider the park's perspective: If the park builds a coaster that is 310 feet tall, it will be the World's Tallest. The next coaster might be 325 feet, but it will also be the World's Tallest. That leaves open the possibility of building one 335 feet or 340 feet or 350 feet. The park gets just as much benefit from breaking a record as it does for smashing it into itty bitty pieces. But the added benefit of going *way* beyond the record is so small that it's not worth bothering with given the hassles.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

I agree with Dave that parks tend to build coaster big enough to break the height records, but not by a lot (for economic and space reasons). So in 10 to 15 years, based on this small incremental progression, we could see a 400 foot coaster. Assuming we don’t have a big economic recession and people have money to spend at amusement parks.
As the for size problem, I wonder if it would be possible to build a lift hill that is nearly vertical (instead of 45 degrees like MF). Or build some sort of elevator system that lifts the train straight up and then connects with the top of the hill. This would eliminate at least 50% of the total length of the lift hill. I’m sure it would not be cheap, but if a park has limited space and really wants a 400 foot coaster, you never know.

Sounds to me like you are describing a Thrust Air 2000. To me that would be possible, but what limits are the GP willing to go for the ultimate thrill? Would you build a 1,000 ft coaster at a cost of say $100mil. knowing that only 7% of the GP may even consider to ride it? I don't think anyone would be willing to take that financial risk.

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Neil
By popular vote, the official start of the
millennium has been moved to
May 13, 2000

I know that almost any hight can be done. Look at stratospher for exapmle. But just how high and fast are people willing to go. I personally will ride anything. The more G's the better!! But on average, what height and speed do you think "common folk" will say, "Enough is enough."

I've always wondered if the lines for MF this year might be a little shorter than most of us in here think due to the intimidation factor of the ride.

Another serious consideration is the pull-out. You can't just go straight down and back up. As it is, MF appears to have a very quick transition from 80 degrees to horizontal. I'm sure you're all familiar with the feeling of your butt getting sucked in to the seat on Magnum... imagine what it'll be like on this thing! The taller you go, the longer the pull out has to be to keep your brain out of your feet.

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Jeff
Webmaster/Guide to The Point
"And he says 'I'm goin' crazy up there at the lake...'"

Anyone remember how the lines were on magnum when it opened?

I was at CP in '90 and I think the Magnum lines were anywhere from about 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours. That was the longest I had ever waited to ride a rollercoaster.

That’s a good point about the pull-out. A review of Goliath (on Thrillride I think) said that it had a good kick at the bottom of the first hill. I am sure MF will be even more intense since it is faster, taller, and steeper. At some point you have to reach the physical limits of a person. It will be interesting to see where those limits are as parks continue to build bigger coasters 

At a certain point the wind resistance on an object keeps it from falling any faster. I beleive this is called terminal velocity. For you math wizards out there: If a rollercoaster was angled straight down how long of a drop would it take to reach terminal velocity and then pull out of it safely? There is no reason for any rollercoaster to be higher than that.
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HA HA HA, MELLENIUM FORCE, YEAH BUDDY!

I'm not sure if this is what RPM was trying to describe, but a horizontal elevator lift could be the future of hight in coasters. Imagine if you will the structure of PT with four vertical towers. Now imagine the control hut for PT. Were the control hut is for PT is in the center of the tower structure could be a large floor with track on it. The train would roll onto this peice of track and lock into place so that it doesn't move. Next the floor and track would begin to rise like that of an elevator in a office building up the PT-like structure. At the top of this structure, the rising track would stop and lock in with the track that would then be the top of the decent. The train would then roll off of the rising track and begin it's decent downward off of the first hill. The elevator would then lower back down to the ground were another train would be waiting for it to take it to the top. I hope this makes sense.
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"CP is very good value!" -- A RCT Guest at CP

I heard somewhere in Japan they are already planning on one that is over 400ft. Dont take my word for it i dont live there so this isnt first hand knowledge.

FunPhantom - reaching terminal velocity is a personal goal of mine. Someday I'll get up the guts (and money) to skydive, and I beleive that's about the only way to reach it. I don't think they can build a self-supporting structure tall enough. Maybe down the side of a mountain? We need RideMan to help! He knows! How tall would a coaster have to be to reach terminal velocity?

I think it's interesting how CP does in the world's tallest categories. In 1978, Gemini was the world's tallest coaster. 11 Years later, they break 200 ft with Magnum, then 11 years later, they break 300 ft with MF. 11 year cycles..maybe 400ft in 2011.

Amazing that it took 11 years to go from 125-200. But it still took 11 years to go from 200-300. I think it might take a little longer to go to 400, though. There still are not a whole lot of 200ft coasters in the world, and it's been 11 years. I have a feeling that 300 foot coasters will be even more rare in 11 years than 200 footers are now. They're just too big. I think what we'll see is an explosion of rides between 225-260 in the next 10 years. Maybe 5 300+foot tall rides, and maybe, just maybe, a 400 footer.

Jman

Its patern I tell you...A new height record every 11 years...Every 2 years a new major..AGGGHhhhh

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Sorry, but the writer of this message has been sacked by the hierarchy of this website. You may continue on with your CP Place enjoyment...thank you

"And now for something completely different" MPFC

Yeah, except the 100ft record was set in I believe the 1900s. [Shoot, it took 300 years to get to 100] It took about 85 years to reach 200. It took 11 to reach 300. By that reasoning, it will take around 3 years to reach 400ft.

Looking for a pattern??? Some time ago I took out my TI-86 and entered the year and lift height of BS,G,M,MF. If X is the year first opened and Y is the lift height, y=(5.7201e-32)*1.03959883^x. Made into a graph, the curve is rising faster the farther we get.
2007 400ft (7 yrs later)
2012 500ft (5 yrs)
2017 600ft (5 yrs)
2021 700ft (4 yrs)
2025 800ft (4 yrs)
2027 900ft (2 yrs)
2030 1000ft (3 yrs)
2032 1100ft (2 yrs)
2049 2000ft
2059 3000ft
2066 4000ft
2076 6000ft
2090 10000ft
2100 15161 ft
(after this, you should be dead, so you won't care anymore)

Any questions? :)