Ride Profile
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S&S takes Dinosaur Land into the 4th Dimension Dinoconda
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stablished in 2000, the owners of China Dinosaur Land in
Changzhou were keen to stay one step ahead of some of the newer parks that have opened recently within reach of Shanghai. The solution? One of the most
extreme, intense ride experiences on the market. The first S&S 4D Coaster in China and one of only three in the world, Dinoconda has left many guests breathless since it opened this spring. Park World talks to (Mr) Li Hua, the park’s R&D/creative director, and Kevin Rohwer, vice- president of sales and marketing for S&S Worldwide, to discover why Dinosaur Land chose to enter the fourth dimension.
What is S&S’s definition of the fourth dimension in relation to rollercoasters? Kevin Rohwer (KR) – All coasters are built with track in an X, Y and Z point/position. With the added forwards and backwards movement of the 4D Coaster seating, we have simply added a fourth dimension!
Why did you choose S&S? Li Hua (LH) – In China there are a lot of rollercoasters already, but many are low price, so we thought we needed to offer something different and high end. That is why we chose S&S.
And why the 4D Coaster? LH – So many people ask us this! We wanted to offer something different, but we didn’t want to have the first one in the world; that is kind of risky. The 4D Coaster has already been installed in California [Six Flags Magic Mountain] and Japan [Fuji-Q Highland], so I think this is OK, we are proud to be the first in China.
4D Thrills
Like Eejanaika at Fuji-Q Highland in Japan, Dinoconda’s layout is roughly a mirror image of X2, S&S’ original 4th Dimension Coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain in
California. The 1km-long (1,020-metre) attraction is finished in red with dark green track supports and occupies a footprint of 240 x 70-metres, surrounded by Jurassic-era landscaping. Located on the southwest edge of the park facing the main road, it is floodlit after dark and make for an arresting sight to passers-by.
The approximately two-and-a-half-minute 40
adrenaline-filled experience starts in a themed station area, as a giant prehistoric snake peers down over the intrepid guests waiting to ride. After climbing into twin seat cars on either side of the track (six each side, 24 passengers in total), passengers are secured in place by a double set of pneumatically controlled, monitored restraints. Two trains are in use, dispatched every 120 seconds at peak periods. The floor then drops away and riders are sent – facing backwards – up the 62-metre- tall lift hill. As the train enters the first drop, the cars are tilted upwards so passengers dive straight down, before somersaulting at the bottom. Riders then race at up to 120kmh (75mph) through a succession of barrel rolls, bat-wings, loops, dives and other elements – experiencing a maximum G-force of 4.5. Throughout the ride, the seats perform a series of rapid, unpredictable forward and backward turns, guided by a second set of rails at the side of the main track. To see the ride in action during the commisioning processs, visit
bit.ly/KOIIyO.
Dinoconda provides a very different feeling to other coasters. Normal coasters are very high and crazy, but on this at one point you feel like you are flying in the sky, at another point you feel like maybe you could hit the ground, this coaster has many different feelings combined. Wherever you sit, the feeling is good.
What makes this ride so special? KR – What makes the 4D Coaster such a great product is that it is unique in the market. In addition to the standard coaster elements, you get a suspended coaster experience, plus forward and backwards seat rotation as you somersault through the various ride elements.
Al Schilke, our designer, positions the body in such a way that the G-forces are kept in the backside, making for a very safe and comfortable – but totally disorientating – ride experience. This disorientation provides a “whole-body-laugh.”
Those that have ridden the 4D Coaster can’t wait to get back into the queue because they love it. There is one coaster enthusiast in the United States that has ridden the 4D Coaster at Six Flags over 1,000 times. It’s addictive!
JULY 2012
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