Wonder Woman Golden Lasso Coaster
So as some of you might be wondering "hey, wasn't Wonder Woman at Fiesta Texas suppose to be open by now?" and yes, the opening was originally around the beginning of March (March 3rd to be exact), but unfortunately like all prototypes, there's a bit of work to be done aside from constructing the ride and unfortunately the very first Raptor is no exception.
Skip to 6:21 for the testing footage. >>> |
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Faster than a speeding bullet.
While Wonder Woman may be part of the Justice League, the phrase synonymous with her neighbor may have found its way into Wonder Woman Golden Lasso Coaster. During testing crews started out with a train of four cars and after each run was successful they would increase the length by adding another car, then another, then another. With that increasing weight, the potential energy accumulated by the train at the crest of the hill is more. In addition, the distribution of weight for each vehicle is less leading to fewer losses across the course. What that means is... it's fast and in this case: TOO FAST.
A range of design.
When coasters like this are designed there's not a lot of data to go off of. A firm can only test as much as they have the financial means for as well as the space for. Take the massive airtime hill after the Late-Turn-Down-Raven-Div--whatever it's called, that element as well as others are designed to provide a range of forces whether it be positive, negative, lateral, etc., they are meant to provide a force within that range of safety. That means anything outside of that can and will be problematic. After all the last thing a park wants is a lawsuit and with guests being less tolerant and more litigious this day and age, it's better the park delay the opening than risk the possibility of bodily injury.
Hitting it out of the park, or past the front gate.
For those who may not be as familiar with what I'm talking about, let me use an analogy that might clear things up.
Think of an applied force like a baseball. In the game there is a range or area in which if the ball is sent through that area, the ball can be sent sailing for a nice out of the park home run. Anywhere outside of that range and you can have catastrophic consequences such as a foul or out. The same goes for coasters, if they don't hit that range all the time, they are exerting more than the regulated limit on the rider which can lead to whiplash, head injuries, neck injuries or just about any other part of your body such as your back. The last thing you as a rider would want is a sore back after too many Gs were forced into you on the last over bank turn on Wonder Woman Golden Lasso Coaster.
Think of an applied force like a baseball. In the game there is a range or area in which if the ball is sent through that area, the ball can be sent sailing for a nice out of the park home run. Anywhere outside of that range and you can have catastrophic consequences such as a foul or out. The same goes for coasters, if they don't hit that range all the time, they are exerting more than the regulated limit on the rider which can lead to whiplash, head injuries, neck injuries or just about any other part of your body such as your back. The last thing you as a rider would want is a sore back after too many Gs were forced into you on the last over bank turn on Wonder Woman Golden Lasso Coaster.
For your safety...
This saying is much more relevant than to just when the ride or coaster is operating. When a coaster is being built it much run countless cycles (around 100 to 500) before any living rider can hop aboard. It's all about safety in every sense of the term when building a first of its kind ride or coaster or even one that has been built before. There is great caution both proactive and reactive when a ride or coaster is built in order to ensure the utmost daring experience all while keeping you 99.999999% safe (I say that because unfortunately they're not 100% guaranteed). Every sensor, every wheel, every inch (or millimeter, the superior measuring system ;P ) must be inspected to ensure nothing can go wrong.
Sign of the times.
Finally for those who may be new to the concept of coaster, park and firm politics, there's a TON of legal work that must be done. In a way the firm/manufacturer building the ride owns that piece of land and the ride until the ride comes back as complete with positive test results. From there a ride or coaster is signed over to the park who then can start planning an opening and letting human riders climb aboard.
PSA: summing safety up
I'll leave you with this summary of what I said above, but in a more PSA format that I posted on Instagram:
"To the people less familiar with coasters: this is a perfect example of why coasters can have delayed openings.
For those who have yet to see (although I doubt it's many) Wonder Woman Golden Lasso Coaster just began full train testing @sixflagsfiestatexas and .... it's going too fast. Now you might think "what's wrong with that?", well, each element is designed to only provide a range of lateral and vertical & negative or positive G forces. When a test comes back with numbers outside of that safe range, that's a problem. In addition, the train is empty so when loaded with water dummies or guests, it will go even faster. Think of it like a baseball: there's a certain area or range in which if just right leads to a nice out of the park home run, anything outside of that, while in theory is 'safe', could lead to catastrophic problem (ie: a foul or out). Given how guests are willing to try more intense rides, they are also increasingly litigious. After all, the ride belongs to the manufacturer until they feel it's safe enough for humans to ride and then sign it over to the park. That's why it takes so long and can be problematic for new rides that have never been built before, there's a steep learning curve, but you MUST be patient.
So the next time a ride is delayed for further testing or 'commissioning', please don't complain, it's for your safety unless you'd like the possibility of bodily injury."
"To the people less familiar with coasters: this is a perfect example of why coasters can have delayed openings.
For those who have yet to see (although I doubt it's many) Wonder Woman Golden Lasso Coaster just began full train testing @sixflagsfiestatexas and .... it's going too fast. Now you might think "what's wrong with that?", well, each element is designed to only provide a range of lateral and vertical & negative or positive G forces. When a test comes back with numbers outside of that safe range, that's a problem. In addition, the train is empty so when loaded with water dummies or guests, it will go even faster. Think of it like a baseball: there's a certain area or range in which if just right leads to a nice out of the park home run, anything outside of that, while in theory is 'safe', could lead to catastrophic problem (ie: a foul or out). Given how guests are willing to try more intense rides, they are also increasingly litigious. After all, the ride belongs to the manufacturer until they feel it's safe enough for humans to ride and then sign it over to the park. That's why it takes so long and can be problematic for new rides that have never been built before, there's a steep learning curve, but you MUST be patient.
So the next time a ride is delayed for further testing or 'commissioning', please don't complain, it's for your safety unless you'd like the possibility of bodily injury."