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What was your first coaster to feature airtime?

Coaster Hipster

Giga Poster
Another entry in the "what was your first coaster?" series; this time it's about airtime! What coaster provided your first taste of getting kicked out of your seat? :)

Mine was Tonnerre de Zeus back in its heyday. So many pops of airtime for a comparatively short coaster. I didn't know what the word airtime mean (in fact, I didn't mutter a single word of English then) but the sensation was there and very distinctive.

Goliath at Walibi Holland was also my first big ejector camelback. Even today the first hill feels more powerful than many coasters I've ridden since! Writing that makes me want to go back to the Netherlands immediately... :p
 

zombieface

Roller Poster
My first true airtime coaster would have been Roar at SFDK (rip) or Giant dipper at Santa Cruz. I used to love the small pops of air (although I didn't know that's what it was) on mine trains when I was a lot younger.
 

Edward M

Strata Poster
As a kid, I loved Judge Roy Scream a whole lot, and I think it was mainly because of the airtime of a classic out and back wooden coaster. However, the first very notable ride I remember having amazing airtime was Evel Knievel (now American Thunder) at Six Flags St. Louis. Such a great ride. I would also say Screamin' Eagle shares a spot with Evel Knievel since I rode it on the same trip, and I loved its airtime as well.
 

GuyWithAStick

Captain Basic
Surprise surprise, another Viper answer here.

Although Demon in the last row does provide some serious ejector going down the first drop, and I'm 99% sure I rode that before.
 

Jarrett

Most Obnoxious Member 2016
My first time at Kings Island when I was five, riding Beastie I kept telling my parents that the drop on Beastie "made my stomach feel weird" which might have been airtime. Aside from that, I have good reason to believe it was Goliath at SFOG when I was twelve.
 

ThomVD

Giga Poster
Joris en de Draak was the first one, but back then it was so much of a rush that I didn't really actively notice the airtime.

Then I rode Goliath at Walibi and was blown away by the ejector airtime. The first time going over that first hill is still one of my best memories. Sadly it has lost its charm over the years, though I still quite like it.
 

Hixee

Flojector
Staff member
Administrator
Moderator
Social Media Team
Proper, balls to the wall, airtime was probably El Toro at Six Flags Great Adventure. That was certainly the most memorably intense airtime for me as a reasonably new enthusiast.

As for earlier than that? I suppose there must have been small pops of airtime on many coasters, but I remember Speed at Oakwood having a nice pop over the airtime hill, and to be honest probably something like Rita? Nothing particularly memorable, either way.
 

Mrsupersonic8

Roller Poster
My first airtime coaster was Galaxi at Sylvan Beach. Those drops really lift you out of your seat! However, my first true airtime machine was S̶u̶p̶e̶r̶m̶a̶n̶ Ride of Steel at Darien Lake.
 

theChainLift

Roller Poster
Magnum XL-200 in 1990. I was 7 and it rocked my world. Back then that was King. Still a fantastic Coaster. Arrow hit a Grand Slam with that one.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Zek_Teh_Kek

Hyper Poster
Just found this and thought it was an interesting topic!
I'd say my first airtime coaster (That I remember airtime on) would be Gemini. Some good pops here and there,
But then Magnum happened.
 

Matt N

CF Legend
My first experience was probably the floater on Thirteen's drop, but in terms of a coaster with multiple moments of airtime, my first experiences were:
  • Megafobia at Oakwood - Admittedly, I only rode this at the front, but it was towards the end of the day, and it had sped up quite a lot! I remember Megafobia having a fair bit of airtime, and it was really good! I was out of my seat over quite a few of the ride's hills, and I wasn't even in the back! My dad tells me that the back has "so much airtime it's scary", so I'd really like to reride Megafobia in the back!
  • Mako at SeaWorld Orlando - Mako was my first ever B&M hyper coaster when I rode it back in August 2016, and it certainly didn't disappoint! When I first rode it in row 2, I remember feeling almost a little perturbed by the amount of airtime I was getting over the drop; I thought you only got airtime over the drop in the back of the train! Then came those blissful airtime hills; tons of sustained airtime over each one! Mako definitely has the most airtime I've ever experienced on a coaster by some distance, which is a large part of the reason why Mako is still my number 1 2.5 years and 22 coasters later!
 

Hutch

Strata Poster
Yankee Canonball, which was also my first coaster ever (I think). Thing is almost 90 years old and it still provides some awesome pops and a bit of floater as well.
 

JJLehto

Hyper Poster
Dont remember, but thinking about it..must've been Comet at Hersheypark. Was the earliest park I went to not including the NJ boardwalk and as a kid it was not just what I could ride but had to have been the first pops of air (didnt get it on Jet Star or runaway trains or sooperdooperlooper ha)
First time I remember specifically getting airtime, though I didnt know the word (just called it floating) was Apollo's Chariot in 1999.
First ejector was El Toro, it was always floater before that, I was shocked and astounded at the strength of that air. Never experienced it before.
 

KommissarLT

Roller Poster
Zippin Pippin at Bay Beach Amusement Park. When I first rode it back in 2011 (the year it opened) the ejector hill near the end scared the crap out of me since this was before my enthusiast days and I genuinely thought I was going to fall out.
 
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