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Park Hoppin’
A big deal in Indiana
Thunderbird, the new Linear Synchronous Motor (LSM) launched Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M) Wing Coaster at Indiana's Holiday World & Splashin' Safari, is a big deal. It's a big deal for me, a big deal for Holiday World, a big deal for B&M, and a big deal for the theme park industry. Here's why. This summer I visited Holiday World to ride and report on Thunderbird. I'm
still counting coasters, and Thunderbird was to be the 854th different one I've ridden. I was met there by Lauren of their public relations staff who escorted me to the ride site. I thought we hit it off, and subsequently heard that she described me as a bit of babe magnet. On second thought, maybe that's mainly because magnets also repel. Nevertheless, I am attracted to magnets, especially magnetically launched rides. They're fast, and I like to go fast. Not like in the photo below aboard Thunderbolt, where I'm waiting to depart. I'm suddenly launched from zero to 60 miles per hour (97km/h) in 3.5 seconds, like a rocket sled ride. Nice. Then it sent me through multiple loops, rolls, twists and turns including a 14-
story Immelmann loop, Zero-g roll, barrel roll and the tallest vertical loop on any wing coaster. Continuing Holiday World’s tradition of sending rollercoasters through wooded and hilly terrain, Thunderbird at first soars and loops high in the air and then flies “near misses” such as themed elements including keyholes, other rides and even the ground. With attendance steadily growing, Holiday World built its appeal by
introducing three major wooden rollercoasters in recent years. It opened Raven in 1995, Legend in 2000, both from Custom Coasters, and Voyage from The Gravity Group in 2006. The park needed more capacity, and finally made the decision to add a steel coaster. Oh, there was a steel coaster in the park, but it was a kiddie coaster, the Howler from Zamperla. What Holiday World really needed was a people-gobbler, a high-capacity ride, and it turned to B&M for a Wing Coaster. Thunderbird is capable of transporting up to 1,140 guests per hour. That's
gobbling a lot of people. Major theme parks add B&M coasters when they need to create new buzz. It's always a big deal, and especially big for Holiday World, which has never been in a position to work with the Swiss manufacturer until now. But the family-owned park didn't ask B&M to build any Wing Coaster. They asked for a launched Wing Coaster. Problem is, B&M had not yet built an LSM-launched coaster. Sure, the
company had built The Incredible Hulk at Islands of Adventure (Universal Orlando), but that was launched by rotating tyres. Not surprisingly, Walter Bolliger and his staff was ready for the challenge. Using the same Intrasys LSM motors used by other European coaster suppliers, B&M entered the launched coaster business. I'm sure it will add LSM motors to its other designs, not just Wing Coasters. I understand it already has orders for more. Furius Baco by Intamin was the world's first
launched wing coaster when opened in 2007 at PortAventura in Spain. Thunderbird is America’s first, by any manufacturer. Furius Baco is hydraulically launched, while Thunderbird is LSM launched. For the theme/amusement park industry, another high-quality supplier of launched coasters is welcome. Expect the appearance of new launched coasters to accelerate, both figuratively and literally.
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SEPTEMBER 2015
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