Ride Profile
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KNOEBELS’ FLYING TURNS A
Worth the wait! This is a story of
perseverance. Of stick-to- itiveness. Dick Knoebel is a Marine, and Marines never give up. Paul Ruben
celebrates the Pennsylvania park owner’s achievement in finally opening the Flying Turns
Dick Knoebel
wooden bobsled coaster, the Flying Turns was built at Knoebels Amusement Resort in Elysburg in 2007. Since then, the million dollar question around Knoebels was, “When is the Flying Turns going to open?” The answer from Dick Knoebel, park president and co-manager, was always the same, “When it is done.” Now the long wait for thrill-seekers in central Pennsylvania is finally over. Knoebels’ Flying Turns had a soft opening in October after seven long years of construction and testing, and will open full time next year. “This is the only one in the world like it,” highlights Knoebel. “Nobody else has one; we’re so proud of it. We invite everyone to come and experience the thrill of the Flying Turns.” The ride is thrilling, fast, very smooth, and beautiful, like a piece of fine wood furniture. Guests are seated in a train consisting of three two-person cars that travel through a 1,300ft-long (396m) polished wooden trough. There are three lift hills to keep the vehicles safely spaced. The chains are lubricated with water to protect the wood from oil spills. Once the riders are seated and belted in, the train is pulled up a 48ft-high (14.6m) hill. Passengers then shoot through a double helix to build up speed. After a few more twists and another lift, the real thrill comes when it leaves its tracks to manoeuvre through two 270º turns at speeds reaching 24mph (39km/h), travelling through of a narrow trough guided by centrifugal force, much like a bobsled. From start to finish, the ride takes just over two minutes. The cost of the ride? Knoebel smiles and will only admit, “it was plenty.”
Distinctly different coaster The concept of the Flying Turns is more than 80 years old. The first of its kind was built in 1929 at Lakeside Park in Dayton, Ohio. The last one closed in the early 1970s. Both Mack and Intamin have since introduced steel-trough bobsleds, but the ride experience is not the same. The challenge to re-create the original wooden ride for the 21st Century was to meet today’s more stringent safety standards. Knoebels has succeeded, but it wasn’t easy. “We were casting about for a new and different attraction,” recalls Knoebel, and John Fetterman [designer of the park’s Twister coaster] suggested a re- creation of the famous Flying Turns. “After some presentations and discussions, we decided to proceed. It would definitely be different as all of the original Flying Turns were gone by 1975. It is distinctly different, a rollercoaster without a track, similar to a bobsled ride.”
Normally a major new ride would open at the beginning of the season, not the end. But Knoebels is not your normal park. “We were anxious to get it completed,” explains Knoebel, “and having it open for our annual Phoenix Phall Phunfest in October would be a stellar achievement. We can still bill it as a ‘new’ ride for 2014. The remaining weekends in October would be perfect for further training and development.” Reception to the Flying Turns has been effusive.
“People of all ages, above 42 inches [1.1m] and able to safely sit in the confined space will most definitely enjoy the ride. Even those who remember the Euclid Beach and Riverview rides say it is better.”
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NOVEMBER 2013
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