Funny enough, one of the most accurate NL2 recreations of Ka that I've found is set at a launch of 118mph too. Playing with the launch speed with +/-1 or 2mph also reflects notable differences in the speed that the train crests the top as you mentioned here. With that simulator's high focus on realism and physics, it's cool to see that parallel real life when someone recreates a ride with the same height, launch track length & end height, ride style, etc.. Gonna miss every bit of that 118mph.
หลายเดือนก่อน +9
I’ve already tried making one coaster with 206 km/p and that was beyond kinda ka lol
Yup, can confirm. I made my Ka recreation in NL2 following the Google Maps 3D data 1:1, so the height is as accurate as it can get aside from getting the CAD file straight from Intamin. I set my launch speed to 119 mph, and had the acceleration stop a bit before the end of the launch track to mimic the catchcar detatching early. At the moment the train was beginning the pullup at the base of the top hat, it was going 116 mph, which had the train cresting the tower at around 15mph. The math checks out!
That's probably mine, which is indeed set to launch at 118 MPH. It actually launched a bit slower before I updated it to NL2's latest physics model, which has a bit more friction/drag than the older ones.
@@JJJJ-he8bz people wouldn't get hurt they would have just experienced higher than normal force and considered most of that train was enthusiast they would have been okay with it
I just graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Physics because of my love for kinematics stemming from my childhood obsession with this ride. Every ride I had on Ka is a cherished memory for me and it genuinely hurt my soul to hear it was closing
Kingda Ka being built was an engineering marvel in and of itself. I just hope the TT2 situation resolves, and that tower stays standing. Ka and Dragster were both iconic. I’ve never feared a coaster after them.
So true! I rode TT2 during rider preview and whoooa man, it’s fast. Not sure about 120mph, but launching backwards on an empty stomach, I was near blackout for a split second. Hoping they get the issues resolved and open the ride to be safe and operations for ‘25 season.
The way you talked about it in the problematic video made it sound like it was launching at 100 or smth lol. 118 still felt insane, will miss it dearly. I'll forever be in your debt for getting to ride it a week before closing :')
@@gunsmoke132 oh yeah I work in industrial controls so I'm familiar with the technology. But the projects I've worked on are so small compared to the scale of a roller coaster. I guess having a large team of engineers makes it manageable.
They could’ve and should’ve let Kingda Ka operate one more year before closing it for good. It deserved a 20th anniversary. Absolutely outrageous decision.
Yeah well, now my local concert venue is charging for parking and banning outside chairs for the lawn area. Turns out, corporate greed trumps everything. But hey, at least we showed them.
@@Hyperbolic_G How exactly is it greed? Whether people like it or not, Ka was a money drain. It was incredibly unreliable and was down more often than it was operating, and required increasing amounts of expensive maintainance just to keep running at all. No matter how much thoosies froth at the mouth about it, closing it was absolutely the right decision.
Totally believable. I remember when Dragster first opened, there was a speedometer at the end of the launch track. In the early days, Dragster regularly hit 118-120. I even saw as high as 124. It used to absolutely fly over the top hat similarly to how TT2 does now. Later on, the ride started hitting 114-116, and as low as 110 (would barely crest the top hat). I think for this reason, they removed/disabled the speedometer.
Pretty sure he stated that the park and the marketing team did not know about the speed to avoid any repercussions. He was not meant to talk about this so he painted it as though it wasnt calculated deceiving marketing
@duderRechthat @duderRechthat Wouldn't it be more of a repercussion if that park did know and said the actual speed? I don't get what they wouldn't want to know it. Unless they are trying to have an excuse for false advertising or however that works. He was not meant to talk about it but now he can, but I don't see how it was a marketing thing because what he really did was explain why it is more complicated abd cannot go at a constant speed all the time. So that wouldn't be a marketing problem.
I got to ride after a maintenance reset. This video explains why I had ejector airtime over the top hat that day and every other time it was just a crawl. I thought maybe they left he key in the empty launch position but then you explained how the system will adjust to loaded trains. This was super interesting! Thanks Ryan!!!
Former Maxx Force Op here - Maxx force is very similar although ran faster than advertised speed, often running around 36.4 M/S to 35.7 M/S the fastest I had seen it launch would have been about 86 MPH, around 38.4 M/S
@@CelatraId imagine so, I work on Rita (obviously Stealths older yet smaller sister) and it does the exact same thing. I bet if you were to stand in Th13teens queue line and time how long it takes a Rita train to travel the same bit of track above you over and over, I highly doubt you'd get the same answer twice. And slightly off topic but not really, a Rita boosted launch absolutely flies! I'm not 100% on the exact speed it goes, as we hardly have any rollbacks, but the acceleration is vastly different! Expecially with that short launch straight 🤯
I really appreciate you putting this video out because ever since your king da ka problematic roller coasters episode you hinted that it wasn’t going at the advertise speed, but I was always curious to what it actually was so thank you. gonna miss this beast so much.
Another great video, Ryan. Ka will be dearly missed! I remember always seeing Kingda Ka on those top 10 roller coaster shows on tv as a kid and have always wanted to ride it. Sadly I’ll never get the chance :(
Been watching coaster content for pretty much all my life, and this is by far one of the most interesting videos I've seen yet. What an amazing insight ❤️
YESSSS. I was really hoping that you would eventually tell us because in a previous video years ago you alluded that you knew what the true speed was. TYSM. I finally have closure 😭.
Interesting video. This makes me wonder if Zamperla didn't know about these speed reductions when building TT2, because that thing flew over the top hat every time so it might've been going close to 120.
No matter what, that launch always felt like 128mph, lol! I can only imagine how that boost mode must of felt, which reminded me that I had the privilege to ride Chiller back in the day on boost mode! Cheers ElToroRyan!
I vaguely remember you doing a video kinda about this a while back But we all loved this don't matter and now will be a shot to the heart that its now gone will always love this and the operators that ran this last two days were like the first days run run run best ride ever
Very informative as always. The speed reduction was programmed in 07 or later. Prior to that it operated more like Dragster just reading the prior train launch speed to get the next one over. The speed reduction would bring the launch down as low as possible to reduce maintenance. Fully loaded boosted trains would happen with water dummies after cable replacements to quickly tension the cable. Fully loaded boosted trains with actual riders was rare but did happen. No faults, everyone enjoyed.
Appreciate the break down and the operator insight, really cool stuff! I'm not shocked as I work a thrill ride of sorts and this happens quite frequently. I wouldn't say it's entirely a lie, as there is a different between "top speed" potential and operating speed. You could say it's misleading, but doesn't change the fact it was a hell of a ride and an awesome experience! Thanks again Ryan, look forward to more ride op insights!!
I rode this on opening day. Me, my dad, and so on were apart of the first 100 riders on the coaster. Was cool. Our goal for that day was get on this ride and be first 100 on the ride. We got to the amusement park early rhat day and so on. Was 200% worth it. I remember that day well. Also got a special shirt that says i rode it on opening day and pictures from the ride....insane to think how much time has passed since that
Let's apply physics: 206 km/h = 57.2 m/s. To achieve this velocity by gravity, this means (velocity / g)^2*(g/2) = height -> 57.2 / 9.807 = 5.833 s. Squared and * (9.807/2) = 166.81 m drop! The rise though is ~130 m. With 166.81 m rise, we need to assume, obviously no friction losses and no velocity at the top. In normal operations, roughly estimated from video, the train passes the top at ~6 m/s. To achieve 6 m/s, you gotta drop (6 / 9.807)^2*(9.807/2) = 1.83 m. So without friction losses, the train needs a velocity of whatever is needed to rise ~132 m. So the velocity then would be: squareroot(height/(g/2))*g = 50.88 m/s = 183.18 km/h = 113.82 mph. So losing about 4 - 5 mph to friction (both track and air) seems reasonable. Why? Coasters like this, need ~ 0.03 - 0.04 m drop to maintain velocity over a distance of 1 m. The 130 m rise includes ~ 50 m for the inlet curvature and ~10 m for the top curvature, so ~ 190 m. to maintain speed, this needs conservatively, a 190 * 0.04 = 7.6 m drop. 118 mph = 189.86 km/h = 52.74 m/s. This in turn needs a (52.74/9.807)^2*(9.807/2)= 141.81 m drop. That's much closer to the 131.8 + 7.6 = 139.4 m theoretical rise needed to effectively rise 130 including friction losses (7.6 m) and maintain speed at the top of ~6 m/s (1.8 m). VERDICT: ~118 mph does make sense. Let's apply this knowledge to Top Thrill 2/Top Thrill Dragster: Rise here ~ 122 m. + 1.8 m to have ~6 m/s at the top + total distance from launch end to top ~ 180 * 0.04 = 7.2 m = total 131 m. Velocity need to achieve this theoretical rise = squareroot(height/(g/2))*g = sqrt(131/9.807*2)*9.807 = 50.69 m/s = 182.48 km/h = 113.41 mph VERDICT for TTD: 113.4 mph instead of 120 mph advertised is realistic.
118 mph makes even more sense given that the rise is only 418 feet (127.4 m) for Kingda Ka and 400 feet (121.9 m) for Dragster. Thus, why the speed is higher in ratio for TTD than KA as Ka only has 18 more feet of rise.
@@alfihalma4320 As far as I know it is. However, Ryan has more direct knowledge as I am pulling this information from his Problematic Coaster video on Kingda Ka and my limited visual memory of the ride.
I’m curious about the morning launches, because in my experience (and I filmed some videos just to record what I’d noticed), the first 30-45 mins or so of the day flew over the tophat way faster. It wasn’t just the first train of the day. After that, the speeds were consistent and much slower. Observed this basically every time I went to the park first thing in the morning and Ka was open. The difference onride was noticeable too. Thoughts?
Rosa has brakes before exiting the launch section. It makes no sense to hit the record speed, but then since it hits the brakes there is not a reason not to do it as you wont be giving massive negative G on a top hat
From what I remember TTD USUALLY launched around 115-117. This is based on the radar gun that used to be displayed in front of the top hat behind the queue
I've been on the first loaded train of the day several times. One of them was in September 2021, which is my most memorable ride on Kingda Ka. My dad and I got the front row on the first train. We had both ridden before, but hadn't been to the park in 5 years. The launch was way more powerful than I remembered it being, and then our train absolutely flew over the top, with El Toro style ejector airtime. The ride immediately broke down after we got back to the station, so I'm guessing it triggered an overspeed. Was boost mode used with every launch during morning test runs, or was it only used when one empty train needs to be launched after a bunch of full trains?
The same can be said for Zumanjaro, it didn’t do 90 mph. Based of its timing between the catwalks on the structure from what I remember for a college project we determined it was 83 mph. But I’ll dig through my closets, nonetheless…. It’s a fantastic ride in its own right too… and I’ll miss it.
I worked at SFGA back in 2007-2008 and was the most, enthusiastic Operator, for Kingda Ka. I was older than most of the staff at the time, but we had a dedicated crew, and had 4 train operation during weekend's. This was before Six Flags lit the tower for Kingda Ka, and we had a crew ride one night. We had 4 people in the front and 4 people in the back of the train. And didn't push the Boost Button! That was Very Memorable Kingda Ka, Roll Back, IN THE DARK. I had a season pass last year, and didn't dedicate time to go. I am just Sad. During Operation (spoken over the Mic in the station at Kingda Ka) "This Ride Goes From 0 to 128 Miles Per Hour in 3.5 Seconds" " It Goes Up 456 Feet, which is 45 and Half Stories." "This Ride is the Tallest! Fastest! Ride on The Planet!" "Here at Six Flags Great Adventure!" "IT'S GREAT!" sad...
If you ever played no limits, and made something like ka, or played with one of the re-creations, you'd see the same speed too. 118 was the most optimal. 128 over that top hat in NL2 made it pull like -4.5 or something.
Yeah, I just checked my Ka recreation and launching at 128mph would pull nearly -5G's over the top, cresting at over 50mph. Kinda insane to imagine that in real life lmao. 118mph was definitely the sweet spot
0:47 anyone know what the misting system at the end of the launch track was about? Pulley/cable cooling? Have been spritzed by that thing in the front row many times and was always curious.
From what Ryan says about riding Ka in boost mode enabled by himself with an empty train feels very similar to TT2 from my 9 rides I got on opening weekend. I could be wrong but they say TT2 hits 120 mph every cycle because of the LSMs and if that is the case, its much faster than the original launch and that explains why the ride has ridiculous ejector airtime on the top hat now compared to before and why the spiral going down the top hat is so forceful now. A several mph boost makes a big difference going over that top hat. I know trains are different from Zamperla and Intamin especially heartlinging but its the best comparison I can have to ryans experience.
one of the worst corporate decisions in history. You don't just close the world's tallest roller coaster without announcing it prior or giving it a final send off.
This is neat but mostly I'm just glad to see such varied crisp shots of the trains launching and cresting. The no phones policy meant I never got to take my own video from the queue and exit
I had the pleasure of going into the launch room and if I remember correctly I was told it was about 109 or so from a very credible person. Everyone I knew at GADV knew, but I suppose a lot still didn't. Dragster was even slower, these rides never went to what they advertised. Perhaps that was on the lower side, but I was shocked it could make it over going that slow.
I went on it for the first (and last, I guess...) time this August, and yeah, the speed was essentially completely undiscernible from Dragster's launch, and hearing that the actual speeds of both were closer to ~118 and ~113 makes that make a lot more sense. Now I'm wondering how insane that top hat would've felt with a back row 128 mph launch!
Still remember in the Problematic Coasters video when you said it didn't go as fast as advertised and Six Flags would be mad if you said the true speed. 😂
From what I understand, most launch coasters are designed with target speeds and after construction, they test how much speed is actually needed. Some reasons a coaster might be programmed differently than designed: Trains don't make it through an element G-Forces are too high Wear on trains/track is too high Same with trims and midcourse brake runs.
Ryan - when you talk about the danger of the negative G’s over the top hat at the higher speed it made me think about how on my first ride of top thrill 2 on media day in April the negative g’s were so strong on the top hat that I truly felt like I was almost slipping out of my restraint. For the first time in my life on a coaster I was genuinely fearful that something was off / that I might slip out. Is it possible that this has something to do with what’s wrong with the trains on the ride?? I know the discussion was around other aspects of the trains but… just wanted to throw this out there
Also this makes me think that the media day launch speed of top thrill 2 was actually 120 as advertised. It would explain why the trains went over the top hat so quickly and the increased intensity reported by riders. Having ridden original dragster, ka, and top thrill 2 all in the front row I can attest that my front row ride on top thrill 2 was hands down the most intense of the lot. But again there might be selection bias going on in how I am remembering the experiences and the difference in experiencing the sustained higher speed on launch 3 of top thrill 2 is a different animal entirely
I just knew they didn’t run it as advertised. I don’t think anyone was missing any thrills either. Slowly cresting over the top hat and possibly rolling back is the best part
Now that all makes sense Ryan. I was on TTD after a empty train and flew over the top hat, total air time. Also another time had a roll back (absolutely GREAT BTW) also flew over the top hat, never touched the seat. I miss these 2 rides so much🤧
@ginog5037, TTD/2Ron@4695 here (23 on Ka over a wk. time), TTD at various times did go over slowly to very fast various times. You said ''never touched the seat''-- yes when going over *fast*-- but hardly anyone knows that you got/had 8-ish SECONDS OF 'AIR TIME' [actually 'negative' G's] from when TTD hit the 'white' area on way up till same spot on way down!! {actually I never seen this ever mentioned anywhere!!!!}! (4-5 sec. (or less) typical coasters)
I knew Ka launched slower than advertised but holy crap! That’s actually a huge difference. It makes me wonder what Top Thrill 2’s speed is because when it operated, it was consistently flying over the top hat. It MIGHT truly hit 120 mph but I can definitely say that it’s not 112 mph like Top Thrill Dragster.
@@Celatra yes agree. Actual you come off spike and reach 'Y' speed around stands area -- then hit the pull up to 120 speed almost as forceful as TTD's launch!! TTD/2 RonA4695 (46 of that on TT2)
This is making me very curious about the speed that TT2 is launching at (at least while it is operating lol). LSMs are by nature much more consistent and controllable than hyraulics and from the videos I've seen TT2 flies over the top hat every single time. So that must be slightly faster than the speed Dragster used to launch at but I still doubt that it is 120mph, at least not with a fully loaded train.
On my one ride on Ka in 2023, I got on after the ride had been breaking down often. It broke down right before we got in line, and we got on the ride like 10 minutes (and another breakdown) later. And I remember going quickly-ish over the hill. So I reckon that there was a chance that we got a 119mph launch. Also I knew that something was up with the speed, because in Planet Coaster, a 120-mph launch can easily reach 450 feet rather than TTD's 420 feet.
I'm thankful I got to ride it once on the first train of the day. I was a single rider on the line after the gates closed, no one ahead of me, pointed out the single empty seat, staff was chill to let me on.
TTD had a set of trim brakes engage just before going up the hill. Happened every time I was ever on it. So it launched at its set speed, but got slowed down about 5 or 10 mph to prevent inertia issues at the top hat. (Depending on how many people were on the train) This info is from a maintenance tech back in 2015.
4:29 interesting how your panel picture contains a button for track switch 1 or the rear switch track. Not sure when they changed it, but it’s now a key.
My rides on Top Thrill 2 had noticeably more ejector airtime over the top hat than I ever got on the original Dragster. I always thought it was driven by the higher heartline of the Zamperla trains compared to the original Intamin trains. That's probably still part of it, but I wonder if the new LSM launch is also launching faster than the old hydraulic launch. Maybe not the full 120 mph, but at least closer to that mark than the original did.
Not sure what was going on but a few years ago when I was riding Kingda Ka it was running noticeably faster for some reason. Normally the speed hill at the end of the ride barely gives any airtime but on that ride, the hill had extremely strong ejector airtime. It was like El Toro level ejector but even more sustained. I still remember that ride to this day and it hadn't happened before. Odd because it seems like that should be impossible from you are describing. I don't remember if we were the first train of the day. I would say probably not, but it may have been after it had gone down and came back up.
I have ridden Ka 3 times. Two of the times we rolled over the top gracefully. One time we flew over the top so fast everyone lifted up into their shoulders hardness the entire crest of the hill. Train was full all 3 times.
So basically, Intamin gave us the top “potential” speed the ride could go. Not actually how fast the ride actually launched. Well, 118 was still very fast.
This is very interesting. For those that have ridden Top Thrill 2, the airtime over the top hat is way better than the original or Ka. I wonder if it’s actually going 120
This makes me curious what speed TT2 was hitting the short time it was open? I rode it twice during passholder preview days and it hauled over the tophat providing some crazy ejector airtime. I rode the original Top Thrill Dragster in 2004 and it hauled over the tophat back then as well. I didn't get to ride it again until 2012 and I noticed it was significantly slower, plus the "Your Speed" sign was removed. Based on my experience and knowing what the "Your Speed" sign on the original dragster said, 117-118MPH when I saw it. I wouldn't be surprised if TT2 is running somewhere around 118MPH in my opinion. Will it remain that fast, I doubt it.
I work with hydraulics for my job. I already believed that these launch coaster didn’t really hit their advertised speed and it probably was more a rating on the maximum speed the system could supply. A question I can’t seem to find an answer to is how it regulates the speed of the launch Is it by reducing the charge pressure in the accumulator’s or by measuring the rpm of the cable drum and at a set rpm (determined by computer) shuts the hydraulics solenoid valves to allow the assembly to free will until the catch car hits the brakes? Basically using less of the launch straight and free wheeling longer?
Having ridden Formula Rossa, it's definitely faster than Ka and Dragster. You can tell this just from the wind intensity in the front seat. But yeah hard to say if it gets to the advertised 149 or not.
This isn’t all that shocking. A prominent figure in the coaster community once worked at SFMM as a ride op on Superman in the mid-2000s, and told me that the coaster usually only launched around 85 mph, and that it only launched its full 100 mph in 1997 and 2011 (after the refurb). So Ka not launching to it’s top speed doesn’t surprise me at all.
This is a very well crafted video. I wish they keep making hydraulic launch coasters even if you have to buy like a $10 fast pass plus plus just for the one hydraulic launch coaster in the park I genuinely would. Rip hydro launches:/
One thing I just thought about and I don’t know if you or anyone else has mentioned it, but I wonder if the former Cedar Fair executives also wanted to get rid of Ka as it’s effectively a clone of Dragster and was the ride that took Dragster’s records away… I know that wasn’t the main reason but I imagine that could have been a factor too
I get it now. Sending a full train at max speed would cause more wear and tear. Speed on launch coasters has always been a gimmick because of all those factors you explained.
This happens a lot on launched coasters. I’m sure this comes as no surprise to anyone but Superman Escape From Krypton doesn’t launch at 100mph. I took a watch with a timer on it one year every time i rode it and always rode the same side of it in an attempt to figure out how long it took on average from launch until it left the track and went up the spike. After 12 rides I calculated that the average speed of those 10 launches was 91mph. One was really slow, 86mph if I remember correctly and the fastest was 93. This was 8 years ago when the ride still routinely hit the red on the tower, since it doesn’t anymore I’d love to retry this experiment but the thing is rarely ever open and probably is next to get the axe. If it reopens though i’ll try it again. It was a fun experiment to calculate. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if other launches like Xcelerator or Full Throttle aren’t running at advertised speed at all. It’s a practical thing to do, advertise the speed it’s calculated to hit on full power and then tweak it to get the maximum efficiency out of it while not harming the guest experience. I don’t have a problem with it. 10 mph isn’t going to make or break a launched coaster as long as it can complete the ride. Thanks for this video, brought back a lot of memories of that experiment that my dad always told me was useless until i showed him the results. Hard to find something that makes me enjoy math like that did.
Do you know if the trains require a faster launch speed after services? Like, I'd imagine if all the wheels are replaced (so all of the bearings and grease likely gets replaced too) which results in greater drag, it would require a higher launch speed to crest the top at a "normal" speed. I'm not sure if 128 would be the magic number there but it would make sense that "fresh" trains require a faster launch because they will naturally slow themselves down faster at first.
As a big car guy, I’m surprised me and no one else had ever brought a “Draggy” device on the ride to get all the stats of the launch! Highly reccemnd this device for roller coaster enthusiast looking for true data. 0-30, 0-60, 60ft launch time, 1/8th mile time etc
What's interesting is a ML model could so easily predict the required launch speed. Features such as temperature, humidity, wind, previous launch + result, etc could all be used to accurately determine the next train launch. The old system sounds like a very basic PID controller.
I feel like this is Ryan’s “screw you” to corporate for removing ka
Why not lol!
Don't put that on the guy dude lol
Corporate don't care though; it was never their ride
@@alexhage4935 I mean it in a good way lol
Indeed.
You are turning into KingdaKaRyan with all these videos
Gotta cash in on the algorithm
He probably would have to make his videos like twenty seconds long like the ride in order to be called that lol.
Funny enough, one of the most accurate NL2 recreations of Ka that I've found is set at a launch of 118mph too. Playing with the launch speed with +/-1 or 2mph also reflects notable differences in the speed that the train crests the top as you mentioned here.
With that simulator's high focus on realism and physics, it's cool to see that parallel real life when someone recreates a ride with the same height, launch track length & end height, ride style, etc..
Gonna miss every bit of that 118mph.
I’ve already tried making one coaster with 206 km/p and that was beyond kinda ka lol
Yup, can confirm. I made my Ka recreation in NL2 following the Google Maps 3D data 1:1, so the height is as accurate as it can get aside from getting the CAD file straight from Intamin.
I set my launch speed to 119 mph, and had the acceleration stop a bit before the end of the launch track to mimic the catchcar detatching early. At the moment the train was beginning the pullup at the base of the top hat, it was going 116 mph, which had the train cresting the tower at around 15mph.
The math checks out!
Was that launch speed with a full train? 🤪
That's probably mine, which is indeed set to launch at 118 MPH. It actually launched a bit slower before I updated it to NL2's latest physics model, which has a bit more friction/drag than the older ones.
Well now its average speed is 0mph
😂😂😭😭😭😭
😂😂😂
😢😢😢😢
@@g00zman I know I am actually sad, I’d rather laugh than cry, I’ve already cried 5 times about this
It now holds the record for the world's slowest coaster
Six flags great adventure should have sent the last train at 128mph just for fun
The legitimately couldn’t have. The maximum the speed system would allow was 127.
They'd never
@@joshuacoldwaterin 2005 KK was marketed as 126 mph not 128. So they added two mph just because
Why? So people get hurt?
@@JJJJ-he8bz people wouldn't get hurt they would have just experienced higher than normal force and considered most of that train was enthusiast they would have been okay with it
I just graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Physics because of my love for kinematics stemming from my childhood obsession with this ride. Every ride I had on Ka is a cherished memory for me and it genuinely hurt my soul to hear it was closing
STEMming?
@ exactly
I had a feeling this video was coming 💀
Kingda Ka being built was an engineering marvel in and of itself. I just hope the TT2 situation resolves, and that tower stays standing. Ka and Dragster were both iconic. I’ve never feared a coaster after them.
So true! I rode TT2 during rider preview and whoooa man, it’s fast. Not sure about 120mph, but launching backwards on an empty stomach, I was near blackout for a split second. Hoping they get the issues resolved and open the ride to be safe and operations for ‘25 season.
Long live the STRATA coaster
The way you talked about it in the problematic video made it sound like it was launching at 100 or smth lol. 118 still felt insane, will miss it dearly. I'll forever be in your debt for getting to ride it a week before closing :')
It is amazing all the physics that go into roller coaster design.
Hi Ducy!
That and the control systems. I can't even imagine how big of a project the programming and electrical design was for a ride like Kingda Ka.
Getting a 12 twelve ton car up 139m in 3 seconds, that is some power regardless of speed
Believe it or not, it's not really THAT crazy. (I'm an electrical engineer with a specialization in this specific field) Lol@@smooth_concrete
@@gunsmoke132 oh yeah I work in industrial controls so I'm familiar with the technology. But the projects I've worked on are so small compared to the scale of a roller coaster. I guess having a large team of engineers makes it manageable.
They could’ve and should’ve let Kingda Ka operate one more year before closing it for good. It deserved a 20th anniversary. Absolutely outrageous decision.
Kingda Ka did operate 20 seasons though.
Yeah well, now my local concert venue is charging for parking and banning outside chairs for the lawn area.
Turns out, corporate greed trumps everything.
But hey, at least we showed them.
@@Hyperbolic_G How exactly is it greed? Whether people like it or not, Ka was a money drain. It was incredibly unreliable and was down more often than it was operating, and required increasing amounts of expensive maintainance just to keep running at all. No matter how much thoosies froth at the mouth about it, closing it was absolutely the right decision.
@@KHCoasterKid so you agree that closing it without warning or ceremony was the right thing to do yes
@@visionist7 I mean it's literally up to them, it's just a ride after all. There were many before it, there'll be many after it 🤷♂
0:04 DAMN! those trees are build different
Totally believable. I remember when Dragster first opened, there was a speedometer at the end of the launch track. In the early days, Dragster regularly hit 118-120. I even saw as high as 124. It used to absolutely fly over the top hat similarly to how TT2 does now. Later on, the ride started hitting 114-116, and as low as 110 (would barely crest the top hat). I think for this reason, they removed/disabled the speedometer.
No wonder the ejector on TT2 was so intense while it operated. Supposedly always hitting 120mph with the more precise LSM launch?
Thats really crazy, it's also crazy how the park didn't know. That speed difference is actually big too.
Pretty sure he stated that the park and the marketing team did not know about the speed to avoid any repercussions. He was not meant to talk about this so he painted it as though it wasnt calculated deceiving marketing
@duderRechthat @duderRechthat Wouldn't it be more of a repercussion if that park did know and said the actual speed? I don't get what they wouldn't want to know it. Unless they are trying to have an excuse for false advertising or however that works. He was not meant to talk about it but now he can, but I don't see how it was a marketing thing because what he really did was explain why it is more complicated abd cannot go at a constant speed all the time. So that wouldn't be a marketing problem.
I got to ride after a maintenance reset. This video explains why I had ejector airtime over the top hat that day and every other time it was just a crawl. I thought maybe they left he key in the empty launch position but then you explained how the system will adjust to loaded trains. This was super interesting!
Thanks Ryan!!!
Was this in the front or back row
@ front row
Former Maxx Force Op here - Maxx force is very similar although ran faster than advertised speed, often running around 36.4 M/S to 35.7 M/S the fastest I had seen it launch would have been about 86 MPH, around 38.4 M/S
That combined with what was said in the video kinda proves that stealth is not the fastest accelerating coaster
RIP Dododonpa
I would imagine Stealth having similar variables@@aidancarwash
dang 86 mph in 1.8 second dang it's feels like being shot out of a cannon
@@CelatraId imagine so, I work on Rita (obviously Stealths older yet smaller sister) and it does the exact same thing.
I bet if you were to stand in Th13teens queue line and time how long it takes a Rita train to travel the same bit of track above you over and over, I highly doubt you'd get the same answer twice.
And slightly off topic but not really, a Rita boosted launch absolutely flies! I'm not 100% on the exact speed it goes, as we hardly have any rollbacks, but the acceleration is vastly different! Expecially with that short launch straight 🤯
I’m loving all the Kingda Kantent lately Ryan
I really appreciate you putting this video out because ever since your king da ka problematic roller coasters episode you hinted that it wasn’t going at the advertise speed, but I was always curious to what it actually was so thank you. gonna miss this beast so much.
Love these frequent Ka facts vids
You gotta make the kingda ka playlist soon Ryan!
Another great video, Ryan. Ka will be dearly missed! I remember always seeing Kingda Ka on those top 10 roller coaster shows on tv as a kid and have always wanted to ride it. Sadly I’ll never get the chance :(
Been watching coaster content for pretty much all my life, and this is by far one of the most interesting videos I've seen yet. What an amazing insight ❤️
118 is right on the money. It's what my NoLimits 2 recreation of Ka is set to launch at, and results in perfect speed over the tophat.
Storm Runner generally launches in between 64 and 66 mph although it's advertised as 72.
YESSSS. I was really hoping that you would eventually tell us because in a previous video years ago you alluded that you knew what the true speed was. TYSM. I finally have closure 😭.
ElToroRyan dropping bombs! I love it. Thanks for the detailed explanation, as always.
Interesting video. This makes me wonder if Zamperla didn't know about these speed reductions when building TT2, because that thing flew over the top hat every time so it might've been going close to 120.
Shame they didn't have someone who was familiar with the Kingda Ka programming to let them know.
The new trains are much lighter so the higher speed(real 120) is more likely.
@@matthewsmith1827 TTD and KK probably have different operating systems
No matter what, that launch always felt like 128mph, lol! I can only imagine how that boost mode must of felt, which reminded me that I had the privilege to ride Chiller back in the day on boost mode! Cheers ElToroRyan!
I vaguely remember you doing a video kinda about this a while back
But we all loved this don't matter and now will be a shot to the heart that its now gone will always love this and the operators that ran this last two days were like the first days run run run best ride ever
Very informative as always. The speed reduction was programmed in 07 or later. Prior to that it operated more like Dragster just reading the prior train launch speed to get the next one over. The speed reduction would bring the launch down as low as possible to reduce maintenance. Fully loaded boosted trains would happen with water dummies after cable replacements to quickly tension the cable. Fully loaded boosted trains with actual riders was rare but did happen. No faults, everyone enjoyed.
this was my first thought as soon as the closure was officially announced
It’s like a copyright expiring. Except much sadder
Maybe if your a massive corporation profiting off the copyright?
how is copyright expiring sad?
Appreciate the break down and the operator insight, really cool stuff! I'm not shocked as I work a thrill ride of sorts and this happens quite frequently. I wouldn't say it's entirely a lie, as there is a different between "top speed" potential and operating speed. You could say it's misleading, but doesn't change the fact it was a hell of a ride and an awesome experience! Thanks again Ryan, look forward to more ride op insights!!
KEEP THE VIDEOS OF KINGDA KA GOING!!! THEY AMAZING!!! the king must live on forever!
Great vid as always. Looking forward to the next debunk video: “Xcelerator Never Made Test Runs at 110mph” 😆
I rode this on opening day. Me, my dad, and so on were apart of the first 100 riders on the coaster. Was cool. Our goal for that day was get on this ride and be first 100 on the ride. We got to the amusement park early rhat day and so on. Was 200% worth it. I remember that day well. Also got a special shirt that says i rode it on opening day and pictures from the ride....insane to think how much time has passed since that
Let's apply physics: 206 km/h = 57.2 m/s. To achieve this velocity by gravity, this means (velocity / g)^2*(g/2) = height -> 57.2 / 9.807 = 5.833 s. Squared and * (9.807/2) = 166.81 m drop!
The rise though is ~130 m. With 166.81 m rise, we need to assume, obviously no friction losses and no velocity at the top. In normal operations, roughly estimated from video, the train passes the top at ~6 m/s. To achieve 6 m/s, you gotta drop (6 / 9.807)^2*(9.807/2) = 1.83 m. So without friction losses, the train needs a velocity of whatever is needed to rise ~132 m.
So the velocity then would be: squareroot(height/(g/2))*g = 50.88 m/s = 183.18 km/h = 113.82 mph. So losing about 4 - 5 mph to friction (both track and air) seems reasonable.
Why? Coasters like this, need ~ 0.03 - 0.04 m drop to maintain velocity over a distance of 1 m. The 130 m rise includes ~ 50 m for the inlet curvature and ~10 m for the top curvature, so ~ 190 m. to maintain speed, this needs conservatively, a 190 * 0.04 = 7.6 m drop. 118 mph = 189.86 km/h = 52.74 m/s. This in turn needs a (52.74/9.807)^2*(9.807/2)= 141.81 m drop. That's much closer to the 131.8 + 7.6 = 139.4 m theoretical rise needed to effectively rise 130 including friction losses (7.6 m) and maintain speed at the top of ~6 m/s (1.8 m).
VERDICT: ~118 mph does make sense.
Let's apply this knowledge to Top Thrill 2/Top Thrill Dragster: Rise here ~ 122 m. + 1.8 m to have ~6 m/s at the top + total distance from launch end to top ~ 180 * 0.04 = 7.2 m = total 131 m. Velocity need to achieve this theoretical rise = squareroot(height/(g/2))*g = sqrt(131/9.807*2)*9.807 = 50.69 m/s = 182.48 km/h = 113.41 mph
VERDICT for TTD: 113.4 mph instead of 120 mph advertised is realistic.
118 mph makes even more sense given that the rise is only 418 feet (127.4 m) for Kingda Ka and 400 feet (121.9 m) for Dragster. Thus, why the speed is higher in ratio for TTD than KA as Ka only has 18 more feet of rise.
@Alan_Smith, is the rise at Kingda Ka the same size as the drop?
@@alfihalma4320 As far as I know it is. However, Ryan has more direct knowledge as I am pulling this information from his Problematic Coaster video on Kingda Ka and my limited visual memory of the ride.
I’m curious about the morning launches, because in my experience (and I filmed some videos just to record what I’d noticed), the first 30-45 mins or so of the day flew over the tophat way faster. It wasn’t just the first train of the day.
After that, the speeds were consistent and much slower. Observed this basically every time I went to the park first thing in the morning and Ka was open. The difference onride was noticeable too.
Thoughts?
Rosa has brakes before exiting the launch section. It makes no sense to hit the record speed, but then since it hits the brakes there is not a reason not to do it as you wont be giving massive negative G on a top hat
From what I remember TTD USUALLY launched around 115-117. This is based on the radar gun that used to be displayed in front of the top hat behind the queue
Was the Gun calibrated everyday???
Stealth still faster than maxx force😂
I think ETR now owes us an explanation of the sign used by TTD. I seem to remember a variety of speeds posted on that sign, from like 118-124 mph.
When I rode, it was almost always hitting 123. I missed that sign dearly when they took it down.
I don’t know how any one can tell the difference. They both hit 100 plus mph in under 4 seconds your body barely has time to react.
I've been on the first loaded train of the day several times. One of them was in September 2021, which is my most memorable ride on Kingda Ka. My dad and I got the front row on the first train. We had both ridden before, but hadn't been to the park in 5 years. The launch was way more powerful than I remembered it being, and then our train absolutely flew over the top, with El Toro style ejector airtime. The ride immediately broke down after we got back to the station, so I'm guessing it triggered an overspeed.
Was boost mode used with every launch during morning test runs, or was it only used when one empty train needs to be launched after a bunch of full trains?
Goodbye KDK I loved you no matter what.
One of my first strata.👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽Thank you ✌🏼
This is the most you've ever pushed up your metaphorical glasses for a pedantic-ass "uhm actually" correction, and I'm here for it
The same can be said for Zumanjaro, it didn’t do 90 mph.
Based of its timing between the catwalks on the structure from what I remember for a college project we determined it was 83 mph.
But I’ll dig through my closets, nonetheless…. It’s a fantastic ride in its own right too… and I’ll miss it.
Remember we could be wrong from our math 🤓✌🏼🤷♀️
Some get it wrong, some know more. But I certainly won’t speak for everyone.
He should do a video to piss off all the British people: stealth dosent go it’s advertised speed🤣
I worked at SFGA back in 2007-2008 and was the most, enthusiastic Operator, for Kingda Ka. I was older than most of the staff at the time, but we had a dedicated crew, and had 4 train operation during weekend's. This was before Six Flags lit the tower for Kingda Ka, and we had a crew ride one night. We had 4 people in the front and 4 people in the back of the train. And didn't push the Boost Button! That was Very Memorable Kingda Ka, Roll Back, IN THE DARK. I had a season pass last year, and didn't dedicate time to go. I am just Sad.
During Operation (spoken over the Mic in the station at Kingda Ka) "This Ride Goes From 0 to 128 Miles Per Hour in 3.5 Seconds" " It Goes Up 456 Feet, which is 45 and Half Stories."
"This Ride is the Tallest! Fastest! Ride on The Planet!" "Here at Six Flags Great Adventure!" "IT'S GREAT!" sad...
0:19 I remember call it the caterpillar climb 😂
If you ever played no limits, and made something like ka, or played with one of the re-creations, you'd see the same speed too. 118 was the most optimal. 128 over that top hat in NL2 made it pull like -4.5 or something.
That would be awesome!
Yeah, I just checked my Ka recreation and launching at 128mph would pull nearly -5G's over the top, cresting at over 50mph. Kinda insane to imagine that in real life lmao. 118mph was definitely the sweet spot
0:47 anyone know what the misting system at the end of the launch track was about? Pulley/cable cooling? Have been spritzed by that thing in the front row many times and was always curious.
I’ve always been curious about that too
I believe it was for cooling since a cable spinning that fast generates a lot of heat
From what Ryan says about riding Ka in boost mode enabled by himself with an empty train feels very similar to TT2 from my 9 rides I got on opening weekend. I could be wrong but they say TT2 hits 120 mph every cycle because of the LSMs and if that is the case, its much faster than the original launch and that explains why the ride has ridiculous ejector airtime on the top hat now compared to before and why the spiral going down the top hat is so forceful now. A several mph boost makes a big difference going over that top hat. I know trains are different from Zamperla and Intamin especially heartlinging but its the best comparison I can have to ryans experience.
Doesn't surprise me given things you've said previously but I love this unique insight into coasters and would love more videos like it.
one of the worst corporate decisions in history. You don't just close the world's tallest roller coaster without announcing it prior or giving it a final send off.
That outro with Ka should be your default video closer, outta respect for the king 👑
This is neat but mostly I'm just glad to see such varied crisp shots of the trains launching and cresting. The no phones policy meant I never got to take my own video from the queue and exit
This was the exact basis for why i thought people underestimated the height achieved on the TT2 spike
I had the pleasure of going into the launch room and if I remember correctly I was told it was about 109 or so from a very credible person. Everyone I knew at GADV knew, but I suppose a lot still didn't. Dragster was even slower, these rides never went to what they advertised. Perhaps that was on the lower side, but I was shocked it could make it over going that slow.
I went on it for the first (and last, I guess...) time this August, and yeah, the speed was essentially completely undiscernible from Dragster's launch, and hearing that the actual speeds of both were closer to ~118 and ~113 makes that make a lot more sense. Now I'm wondering how insane that top hat would've felt with a back row 128 mph launch!
a full 128 mph launch would have been painful, like neckbreakiningly painful.
Still remember in the Problematic Coasters video when you said it didn't go as fast as advertised and Six Flags would be mad if you said the true speed. 😂
From what I understand, most launch coasters are designed with target speeds and after construction, they test how much speed is actually needed.
Some reasons a coaster might be programmed differently than designed:
Trains don't make it through an element
G-Forces are too high
Wear on trains/track is too high
Same with trims and midcourse brake runs.
The technology on these rides was insane. It’s what got me fascinated about roller coasters and it’s why I love Intamin.
Read the title and thought this was cap... Watched the video and it's not. This dude really knows his shit 😎
This is great, this is the kind of nerdy content I love
Ryan - when you talk about the danger of the negative G’s over the top hat at the higher speed it made me think about how on my first ride of top thrill 2 on media day in April the negative g’s were so strong on the top hat that I truly felt like I was almost slipping out of my restraint. For the first time in my life on a coaster I was genuinely fearful that something was off / that I might slip out. Is it possible that this has something to do with what’s wrong with the trains on the ride?? I know the discussion was around other aspects of the trains but… just wanted to throw this out there
Also this makes me think that the media day launch speed of top thrill 2 was actually 120 as advertised. It would explain why the trains went over the top hat so quickly and the increased intensity reported by riders. Having ridden original dragster, ka, and top thrill 2 all in the front row I can attest that my front row ride on top thrill 2 was hands down the most intense of the lot. But again there might be selection bias going on in how I am remembering the experiences and the difference in experiencing the sustained higher speed on launch 3 of top thrill 2 is a different animal entirely
@@zachzelman418 you are correct, TT2 really did hit 120 mph, while TT1 in its later years maxed out at 115, tho did reach 120 in its first few years
I still wonder about that flying water dummy. Is Zamperla so bad they can't even fasten a restraint, or was CP covering something up?
I just knew they didn’t run it as advertised. I don’t think anyone was missing any thrills either. Slowly cresting over the top hat and possibly rolling back is the best part
I would have loved a roll-back!
Yk what, this explains why in planet coaster, putting your launch at 128 flys over the top of the top hat on a height similar to kinda ka
Now that all makes sense Ryan. I was on TTD after a empty train and flew over the top hat, total air time. Also another time had a roll back (absolutely GREAT BTW) also flew over the top hat, never touched the seat. I miss these 2 rides so much🤧
@ginog5037, TTD/2Ron@4695 here (23 on Ka over a wk. time), TTD at various times did go over slowly to very fast various times. You said ''never touched the seat''-- yes when going over *fast*-- but hardly anyone knows that you got/had 8-ish SECONDS OF 'AIR TIME' [actually 'negative' G's] from when TTD hit the 'white' area on way up till same spot on way down!! {actually I never seen this ever mentioned anywhere!!!!}! (4-5 sec. (or less) typical coasters)
I knew Ka launched slower than advertised but holy crap! That’s actually a huge difference. It makes me wonder what Top Thrill 2’s speed is because when it operated, it was consistently flying over the top hat. It MIGHT truly hit 120 mph but I can definitely say that it’s not 112 mph like Top Thrill Dragster.
TT2 truly did reach 120 due to the consistency of the swing launch
tt1 was anything between 110 to 120
@@Celatra yes agree. Actual you come off spike and reach 'Y' speed around stands area -- then hit the pull up to 120 speed almost as forceful as TTD's launch!! TTD/2 RonA4695 (46 of that on TT2)
surprisingly interesting - I always felt like I was only going 118mph rather than 128mph.
This is making me very curious about the speed that TT2 is launching at (at least while it is operating lol). LSMs are by nature much more consistent and controllable than hyraulics and from the videos I've seen TT2 flies over the top hat every single time. So that must be slightly faster than the speed Dragster used to launch at but I still doubt that it is 120mph, at least not with a fully loaded train.
On my one ride on Ka in 2023, I got on after the ride had been breaking down often. It broke down right before we got in line, and we got on the ride like 10 minutes (and another breakdown) later. And I remember going quickly-ish over the hill. So I reckon that there was a chance that we got a 119mph launch.
Also I knew that something was up with the speed, because in Planet Coaster, a 120-mph launch can easily reach 450 feet rather than TTD's 420 feet.
I was actually lucky enough to work on King da Macthis season before it closed And surprisingly, this is true
I'm thankful I got to ride it once on the first train of the day. I was a single rider on the line after the gates closed, no one ahead of me, pointed out the single empty seat, staff was chill to let me on.
TTD had a set of trim brakes engage just before going up the hill. Happened every time I was ever on it.
So it launched at its set speed, but got slowed down about 5 or 10 mph to prevent inertia issues at the top hat. (Depending on how many people were on the train)
This info is from a maintenance tech back in 2015.
4:29 interesting how your panel picture contains a button for track switch 1 or the rear switch track. Not sure when they changed it, but it’s now a key.
My rides on Top Thrill 2 had noticeably more ejector airtime over the top hat than I ever got on the original Dragster. I always thought it was driven by the higher heartline of the Zamperla trains compared to the original Intamin trains. That's probably still part of it, but I wonder if the new LSM launch is also launching faster than the old hydraulic launch. Maybe not the full 120 mph, but at least closer to that mark than the original did.
Not sure what was going on but a few years ago when I was riding Kingda Ka it was running noticeably faster for some reason. Normally the speed hill at the end of the ride barely gives any airtime but on that ride, the hill had extremely strong ejector airtime. It was like El Toro level ejector but even more sustained. I still remember that ride to this day and it hadn't happened before. Odd because it seems like that should be impossible from you are describing. I don't remember if we were the first train of the day. I would say probably not, but it may have been after it had gone down and came back up.
Now everytime I see a Kingda Ka video it makes me sad an I shed a tear it was always my go to roller coaster at my home park it will be missed
Loving the new videos KingdaKaRyan
So you're telling me the only way Kingda Ka went 128mph was when the state police pulled it over?
Ryan securely ensuring his NO-REHIRE status in his permanent employee file.
I have ridden Ka 3 times. Two of the times we rolled over the top gracefully. One time we flew over the top so fast everyone lifted up into their shoulders hardness the entire crest of the hill. Train was full all 3 times.
So basically, Intamin gave us the top “potential” speed the ride could go. Not actually how fast the ride actually launched. Well, 118 was still very fast.
Just enjoy the ride!
This is very interesting. For those that have ridden Top Thrill 2, the airtime over the top hat is way better than the original or Ka. I wonder if it’s actually going 120
This makes me curious what speed TT2 was hitting the short time it was open? I rode it twice during passholder preview days and it hauled over the tophat providing some crazy ejector airtime. I rode the original Top Thrill Dragster in 2004 and it hauled over the tophat back then as well. I didn't get to ride it again until 2012 and I noticed it was significantly slower, plus the "Your Speed" sign was removed. Based on my experience and knowing what the "Your Speed" sign on the original dragster said, 117-118MPH when I saw it. I wouldn't be surprised if TT2 is running somewhere around 118MPH in my opinion. Will it remain that fast, I doubt it.
I work with hydraulics for my job. I already believed that these launch coaster didn’t really hit their advertised speed and it probably was more a rating on the maximum speed the system could supply. A question I can’t seem to find an answer to is how it regulates the speed of the launch
Is it by reducing the charge pressure in the accumulator’s or by measuring the rpm of the cable drum and at a set rpm (determined by computer) shuts the hydraulics solenoid valves to allow the assembly to free will until the catch car hits the brakes? Basically using less of the launch straight and free wheeling longer?
Having ridden Formula Rossa, it's definitely faster than Ka and Dragster. You can tell this just from the wind intensity in the front seat. But yeah hard to say if it gets to the advertised 149 or not.
Super true about Top Thrill. TT2 absolutely hauls over the top at 120
This isn’t all that shocking. A prominent figure in the coaster community once worked at SFMM as a ride op on Superman in the mid-2000s, and told me that the coaster usually only launched around 85 mph, and that it only launched its full 100 mph in 1997 and 2011 (after the refurb).
So Ka not launching to it’s top speed doesn’t surprise me at all.
This is a very well crafted video. I wish they keep making hydraulic launch coasters even if you have to buy like a $10 fast pass plus plus just for the one hydraulic launch coaster in the park I genuinely would. Rip hydro launches:/
One thing I just thought about and I don’t know if you or anyone else has mentioned it, but I wonder if the former Cedar Fair executives also wanted to get rid of Ka as it’s effectively a clone of Dragster and was the ride that took Dragster’s records away…
I know that wasn’t the main reason but I imagine that could have been a factor too
I get it now. Sending a full train at max speed would cause more wear and tear. Speed on launch coasters has always been a gimmick because of all those factors you explained.
This like when people realized Dwight Howard was only 6'9 and Kevin Love was 6'7
This happens a lot on launched coasters. I’m sure this comes as no surprise to anyone but Superman Escape From Krypton doesn’t launch at 100mph. I took a watch with a timer on it one year every time i rode it and always rode the same side of it in an attempt to figure out how long it took on average from launch until it left the track and went up the spike. After 12 rides I calculated that the average speed of those 10 launches was 91mph. One was really slow, 86mph if I remember correctly and the fastest was 93. This was 8 years ago when the ride still routinely hit the red on the tower, since it doesn’t anymore I’d love to retry this experiment but the thing is rarely ever open and probably is next to get the axe. If it reopens though i’ll try it again. It was a fun experiment to calculate. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if other launches like Xcelerator or Full Throttle aren’t running at advertised speed at all. It’s a practical thing to do, advertise the speed it’s calculated to hit on full power and then tweak it to get the maximum efficiency out of it while not harming the guest experience. I don’t have a problem with it. 10 mph isn’t going to make or break a launched coaster as long as it can complete the ride. Thanks for this video, brought back a lot of memories of that experiment that my dad always told me was useless until i showed him the results. Hard to find something that makes me enjoy math like that did.
YOU FINALLY SAID IT
How fast do you think TT2 was going its short time operating this season? I was getting sustained ejector air on it 4 of the 5 times I rode it.
Wish i couldve ridden it. But never been to sixflags. Great video ryan.
Force one at Portadventura (Spain) is just as good, slightly smaller & with magnetic acceleration.
Do you know if the trains require a faster launch speed after services? Like, I'd imagine if all the wheels are replaced (so all of the bearings and grease likely gets replaced too) which results in greater drag, it would require a higher launch speed to crest the top at a "normal" speed. I'm not sure if 128 would be the magic number there but it would make sense that "fresh" trains require a faster launch because they will naturally slow themselves down faster at first.
As a big car guy, I’m surprised me and no one else had ever brought a “Draggy” device on the ride to get all the stats of the launch! Highly reccemnd this device for roller coaster enthusiast looking for true data. 0-30, 0-60, 60ft launch time, 1/8th mile time etc
Also top speed of course. I’ll take it next time to cedar point next season
Dragtimes did this@@simonespeed
Absolutely wild you got to ride with that maintenance mode on, Disney would never lol.
What's interesting is a ML model could so easily predict the required launch speed. Features such as temperature, humidity, wind, previous launch + result, etc could all be used to accurately determine the next train launch. The old system sounds like a very basic PID controller.