From: grohol@novavax.UUCP (John Grohol)
Newsgroups: rec.roller-coaster
Subject: Drachen Fire at Busch Gardens, VA
Keywords: drachen fire
Date: 28 Aug 92 18:07:28 GMT
Distribution: rec
Organization: Nova University, Fort Lauderdale, FL

Well, after a few visits here and there, I finally got to ride
on some new and some not-so new roller coasters both at
Busch Gardens in VA and Six Flags Great Adventure in NJ.

Busch Gardens
-------------
Drachen Fire is their newest roller coaster, a steel behometh
that does corkscrews and has its first hill coming down in
a twirl. This was a *very* bad move on the part of the designers,
as it is the highest roller coaster in the park, yet all of
the gravity usually felt (or lack thereof!) is gone when you're
kind of upside down and turning... It was VERY anti-climatic.
The rest of the coaster was just a very bumpy, jagged ride around
all sorts of corkscrews and wild turns, with a loop or two thrown
in for good measure. It looked awesome from the ground, but I still
found the other two, older coasters at the park to be much more
enjoyable.

Loch Ness Monster was as great as ever, with the first hill
being the best an still one of the steepest in the nation for
a looping coaster.

The third coaster who's name escapes me at the second is a hanging
design, which is unique and always fun to ride. Throwing you out
to whichever way the centrifigul force is going is kind of wild,
and the hill near the end is usually unexpected and the turn at the
bottom adds a nice touch!

Six Flags Great Adventure
-------------------------
Their looping coaster, old as it is and recently tainted by a death
a few years back, is still one of the best implementations of a
loop-only coaster I've seen. "Lightening Loops" offers a very simple
premise: push you off one hill, go through the loop, and come to
a platform on the opposite side of the loop. Push you off *that*
platform *backwards* and you go through the loop backwards and end
up where you started. Quick. Easy. Thoroughly enjoyable! A backwards
loop is really quite an experience. We sat in the last car going
forward, the first going backward... and let me tell you, you never
forget that feeling of not knowing where that hill drops you off
into the loop until it's too late!!

Their implementation of the same corkscrew-screw-all-gravity-conventions
steel coaster (like Busch's "Drachen Fire") is MUCH better and
more exciting. It's name, "The Great American Scream Machine" is
apt, as it does more with this technology and design to make
you scream (or at least enjoy the damned thing!) than Busch Gardens did.
First, the initial drop-off is done better, with the turn-upside-down
coming closer to the end so you feel more of the hill. I believe
there are a total of 7 mini-loops in the damn thing (!) and a nice
barrel downward loop, as well as the conglomeration of corkscrews
and other devices. Nice coaster. Very much worth it.

---------------------
Both days I went to each park, it was either drizzling or slightly
raining -- NO CROWDS! And best of all, all the rides were still open.
Yes, it was wet but I waited no longer than 15 mins. for any ride
in the park. I know it's wierd to plan around for drizzle, but it
really is a wonderful time to visit and ride coasters numerous,
stomach-bending times! 


-- 
  John M. Grohol, M.S.    grohol@novavax.nova.edu     Nova University
--::--::--::--::--::--::--  the indigo girls:  --::--::--::--::--::--::--
   "Dark and dangerous like a secret that gets whispered in a hush,
    When I wake the things I dreamt about you last night make me blush." 	
Newsgroups: rec.roller-coaster