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Accident at Alton Towers

The Scaremongering by the newspapers (if you can actually call the mail etc that anymore, hardly factual are they?) is just so so wrong. I can't believe they're actually allowed to publish such rubbish about people being "Stuck upside down" and "Screaming for help". I guess they will have reporters on site taking pictures for every ride stoppage for the next few months of the season!

At least it may make it a bit quieter for when I go in a few weeks (Going on 15th and 16th May - guess it should be dead/ish?) (P.S Did have an old account but for the life of me cannot remember the details!!! :( )
 
I'm going on the 9th May and looking forward to everything being a walk on! :--D Been 2 years since I've rode the UKs fave coaster due to an awful spite (lift hill maintenance). Its timed well with the little "heatwave" coming to Britain, should be 22 degrees apparently so no need for my coat.
 
Am I the only one glad the passengers were stuck hanging from the track? That's the correct position of the trains right?
If Oblivion was stuck with passengers hanging from the track, then I would have concern.
 
scw55 said:
Am I the only one glad the passengers were stuck hanging from the track? That's the correct position of the trains right?
If Oblivion was stuck with passengers hanging from the track, then I would have concern.

You know how the daily fail make it sound though - they make it sound as if they're hanging onto their seats with their own hands etc!

People commenting saying how the harness' could have easily been released the the press of a wrong button etc while the rides in motion =D>

Better queue times for us I suppose!! Just hope everythings working in a couple of week, bar Nemesis-Sub Terror, which I won't really miss anyway!
 
It's so **** difficult to release restraints when you WANT to for crying out loud. Unless the train is in the staion, in correct position.

People are so dumb. Everyone thinks they're an expert, I don't get it.

Sent from my MotoG3 using Tapatalk
 
People are dumb.

However, despite knowing that nothing could happen, I'd still probably feel a bit freaked out stuck on a lift hill of a flyer. I KNOW it's safe, but I hate having my whole body weight pressing againt the restraints on flyer lift hills. It's just really unpleasant, and to be honest I can understand, to an extent, why people would feel a bit panicked.

I'm not excusing the lazy/sensationalistic reporting, just the reactions of of the people on the ride.
 
gavin said:
People are dumb.

However, despite knowing that nothing could happen, I'd still probably feel a bit freaked out stuck on a lift hill of a flyer. I KNOW it's safe, but I hate having my whole body weight pressing againt the restraints on flyer lift hills. It's just really unpleasant, and to be honest I can understand, to an extent, why people would feel a bit panicked.

I'm not excusing the lazy/sensationalistic reporting, just the reactions of of the people on the ride.

I think they should be glad they didn't get stuck on Manta/Tatsu then.... Galactica is about 60ft off the ground? (Still high enough to kill yourself if they did 'fling' open - which we know they cant'). At least on Tatsu you probably wouldn't to be able to hear their 'screams for help' all the way up there!!
 
gavin said:
People are dumb.

However, despite knowing that nothing could happen, I'd still probably feel a bit freaked out stuck on a lift hill of a flyer. I KNOW it's safe, but I hate having my whole body weight pressing againt the restraints on flyer lift hills. It's just really unpleasant, and to be honest I can understand, to an extent, why people would feel a bit panicked.

I'm not excusing the lazy/sensationalistic reporting, just the reactions of of the people on the ride.

Have you ridden a GIB before and if so, did you have the same dislike?

I ask because I've never really thought of it on a flyer before but was absolutely bricking myself on Stunt Fall because I was hanging against the restraint.
 
Yeah pretty much. I like the GIBs, but don't enjoy that lift hill at all.

I guess at least with a flyer, you've got your legs held up as well. With the GIBs, is literally just a regular OTSR with your legs left dangling in front of you.
 
I highly doubt anyone was screaming for help. It's rare that people do that when broken down, most people think it's interesting or funny at least for the first 10-15 mins. And even after that, their mood is mostly controllable depending on how staff handle the situation. If guests are well communicated to regularly, even if there is no new information, they tend to stay calm. If it's raining their mood dwindles faster, but that's understandable.

Air's riding position is inherently unnerving though, I get that... So maybe. But I still think that's ****, much like that it is "upside down".
 
I've just come back from a AT trip and rode Smiler for the first time since its reopening. Holy **** it's aged terribly. It was never smooth but now it's just vile.

Horrible abrasive, uncomfortable and painful ride. Blerugh.
 
zazobo said:
I've just come back from a AT trip and rode Smiler for the first time since its reopening. Holy **** it's aged terribly. It was never smooth but now it's just vile.

Horrible abrasive, uncomfortable and painful ride. Blerugh.
Strange because I find it absolutely fine? It's no different from before the accident, the only rough parts are the bottom of the first drop and the second half of the cobra roll, but that's only if your on the outside seats. On the inside seats is absolutely fine, the second half of the cobra roll can be bad bit if you brace for it, it's fine...
 
I was really surprised at just how bad I found it. Maybe I had a bad seat- second row far left. But came off with a banging headache which is very unusual for me.

It's a shame as I actually really liked the Smiler before, found it to be really good fun.
 
zazobo said:
I was really surprised at just how bad I found it. Maybe I had a bad seat- second row far left. But came off with a banging headache which is very unusual for me.

It's a shame as I actually really liked the Smiler before, found it to be really good fun.

Found the Smiler rough too - other half wasn't particularly keen. Could tell I had ridden it 7 times across the 2 days. If it wasn't for the black foam on the side of the restraints my neck would be sore! The 2nd part of the 2nd Cobra roll is the worst, along with the start of the Barrel Roll (1 inversion from the end?)

Wasn't the smoothest however it is a Gerst! Can't expect much
 
Totally agree with the bits of track you've mentioned. It was always a wee bit 'gersty' when it opened but it just seemed quite a bit more severe recently.

Shame really!
 
zazobo said:
Totally agree with the bits of track you've mentioned. It was always a wee bit 'gersty' when it opened but it just seemed quite a bit more severe recently.

Shame really!

It did throw me about quite a bit to be fair, thinking about it on hindsight. Even the 3rd inversion throws you around a bit - Its smooth right until it throws you into any form of inversion and it just seems to 'jolt' you around it a bit - snapping like motions.
 
JSMarsden said:
Its smooth right until it throws you into any form of inversion and it just seems to 'jolt' you around it a bit - snapping like motions.

Well, the fact it has 14 inversions in under 3 minutes probably doesn't help then. :p
 
The only two elements that i dont like on the smiler are the last 2 inversions. They just seem a bit forced and unnecessary. I really enjoy rides in the front row but anywhere else in the train and i don't enjoy it at all.
 
I have a feeling that the second half of the cobra roll is so janky because of clearance issues with the first half of the batwing next to it. They had to design the cobra roll around this other element, forcing it lower, with a later/quicker "roll" into the half loop.

Smiler.jpg


In a similar fashion, the second half of the batwing has to pass clearances with the first half of the cobra roll, meaning it forces the train higher than it really should. And this caused the rollbacks, which eventually lead to the crash. So while the cause of the actual accident was down to human error, the original cause of the rollback that caused the accident was the design of the coaster itself.

These weird design limitations can also be seen in the last inversion, which is too flat to be a corkscrew, but too wide to be an inline twist. But if it wasn't like that, it wouldn't have reached the turn to the brake run.

4863849.jpg
 
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