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Upside Down Coasters?

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Fox95

Roller Poster
I've never been on a upside down coaster before and I'm going to Dollywood in a few weeks. What does it feel like to go upside down? I'm hoping to make Wild Eagle my first one or is that a bad idea?
 
Why is everyone going to Dollywood this year ? :) . The feeling of going upside down is not really some i can describe. Before i went upside down for the first time i thought it was going to be really weird, but in the end it didn't feel strange. I haven't been on Wild Eagle, but i have been on similar coasters and it may be a little bit too major for a first upside down experience, but it wouldn't necessarily be worse than say TT or MM at Dollywood. My advise would be, just go for it :)
 
The feeling is not that strange. When I was going to ride Boomerang, my first looper, I was so scared. In the end, it didn't feel that strange and I liked the feeling.

I would say Tennessee Tornado is the best to start out with, but if you want to avoid Wild Eagle crowds, go to that first. Either one is fine, but don't start with Mystery Mine. The hang time might seem scary unless you are used to the feel on Tennessee Tornado and Wild Eagle.

So, I would say Tennessee Tornado is best, unless you want to avoid crowds, then Wild Eagle.
 
All of the loopers at Dollywood use very fluid, modern design techniques and it should all feel very free-flowing and natural, and not strange at all.
 
Upside down isn't weird at all. Lay on the side of your bed with your head hanging off looking upside down. There ya go.
 
I always likened inversions to a turn - similar in high high g-forces.

Dollywood is a great place for inversions - Tennessee Tornado has one of the coolest vertical loops out there.

Be sure to write a trip report to let us know how your first upside down roller coaster goes.
 
My first time upside-down was Turbo at Brighton pier. The experience was over so quickly, that I don't really remember it at all.
 
Good enough g-forces will "plaster" you into your seat throughout the inversion (at least with the classic vertical loop), so if you close your eyes the entire way, in a way you won't actually feel like you're upside down. As for a slower inversion with hang time, just think of it as good floater air over a normal hill.
 
Both the car you sit in and the track ahead of you - in other words, your immediate surroundings - will remain the same side up as you are, no matter how it is oriented in relation to the ground. Unless the coaster you ride has significant hang time, it will feel like a long, sharp turn or a weird "going steeply uphill" sensation when the train inverts. It's just that the horizon does a flip or two, but it's really hard to notice, especially on your first ride. Unless you're really prepared for it, it's easy to miss the moment you are upside down. With the G-forces of a moving train, it's hard to tell an inversion from a regular coaster turn.
 
It's hard to describe what it feels like to ride an upside down coaster. I would say though what I feel is exhilarating and this must be what it feels like to fly a fighter jet. One of the best examples of this is Dominator at King's Dominion.
 
Most inversions are just visual. The vertical G forces pull you down into your seat so it feels like normal gravitational force, like what you're experiencing right now at your computer most likely (that is, unless you're in space or hanging upside-down currently or something :p). If you've ridden a roller coaster before, think about the forces at the bottom of a drop where it levels out and the forces suck you into your seat at forces stronger than normal gravitational forces. That's what a loop feels like but for a sustained period and everything spinning around you. Some aren't even that intense and you don't feel the stronger forces, just normal force with the visuals. That's all roller coasters are, force and visuals.

I actually took my friend on her first looping coasters at Dollywood in August. I got her on Wild Eagle and Mystery Mine. She said she enjoyed Wild Eagle the most, and just about killed me for letting her get on Mystery Mine (even though I TOLD her several times that she'd hate it). She was terrified on both of the loopers, though. The things she said she didn't like were the Mystery Mine's hang time and Wild Eagle's loop.

My advice on their loopers:

*Wild Eagle- Least intense, feels like normal forces holding you in your seat during inversions, maybe a tad extra if you ride in the back. This is the first coaster I would recommend you try if it's your first looper. The views are spectacular and it feels more like flying than riding a roller coaster. It's my favorite one there.
*Tennessee Tornado- The forces pulling you into your seat on the three inversions on this ride are nuts. I honestly think you could stay in through those inversions without the restraint because they're so intense; the restraint doesn't bash your head either. I find that Wild Eagle feels safer and smoother so that's why I recommend it first, but this wouldn't be a bad choice either. It's my favorite Arrow looper just because of that crazy intense loop out of the drop and that iron butterfly towards the back of the layout.
*Mystery Mine- This thing is awful. Fun, but awful. The shaping before the inversions even start makes it so rough and headbashy (Is that a word? It should be :p) that you might not even want to do a 90+ degree drop and two inversions after getting beaten up. The drop pulls you out of your seat (maybe you like that?) and the heartline roll out of it you barely notice (though it might bash your head once) and honestly, the dive loop is the worst part of the ride. The forces transfer to being all negative, leaving you suspended by just a hydraulic restraint. Even worse, the padding on the restraint is just on the insides, not undersides, so it leaves almost all your body weight on your shoulders, the forces conveniently transferred through a hard plastic-y bar that hurts. Definitely do the other two first before making a choice about this one.

Another piece of generic advice I give people that are new to inversions before they ride is to look forward through looping elements (all of Tennessee Tornado's inversions, the second half of MM's dive loop, Wild Eagle's first and third inversions) and sideways through rolling elements. (Mystery Mine's 1.5 heartlines, Wild Eagle's second and fourth inversion)

I did my first inversions in the dark on Rock 'n Roller Coaster and Flight of Fear, and then moved outdoors with Son of Beast being my first outdoor looper where I got both the force and visuals. Rock 'n Roller Coaster's weren't bad, but it took me until the other two to get over my fear of them. Sadly, though, Dollywood doesn't have any dark coasters, so I'd advise either Wild Eagle or Tennessee Tornado first. That's how I feel I would have handled the situation if I were new to inversions at Dollywood.

Best of luck! PM me if you have any questions, I'll be happy to answer them for you! :) And inversions or not, have fun at Dollywood!
 
I'd say it feels like doing a back flip. You have probably done it before on a trampoline. If you haven't then just try doing a forward roll. It's a similar feeling.

If you find that looping coasters give you motion sickness, then I suggest Dramamine. It works for me.
 
I love inversions but I was scared for years of going upside down. My first coaster with a inverson was Canobie Corkscrew and I've absolutely loved inversions since. My fear cost me some coasters in Florida when I was younger. You'll love them just not on a vekoma :wink: .
 
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