But if you’re not afraid - check, check, check, check it out.
This is a computer simulation of a “winged” rollercoaster that was just built at Thorpe Park in London (yes, sorry, it's not near Richmond - but it's cool and I wanted to write about it!!). It’s called The Swarm and its debut is coming up soon! …That is if they can fix the whole passengers-arms-coming-off thing.
The coaster seats up to 28 riders at a time and propels them on a (self-described) "flight through apocalyptic devastation on Europe's tallest winged rollercoaster" with their arms and legs dangling freely. Get this, it (only) gets up to 62 miles per hour, but includes an inverted 127-foot drop and close encounters with several walled structures to make passengers feel like they are about to crash (so a mix between Alpengeist and a more extreme Big Bad Wolf). Ok, cool: go on.
Apparently when they tested the coaster with crash test dummies, a lot came back without arms AND/OR legs. Say whaaaaaat? Is this a typical problem to run into post-construction? Shouldn’t they get all the physics worked out during the design phase? At least physics that say at some point during the ride passengers are exposed to forces capable of ripping off limbs?
So the crash test dummies must’ve just been big ol’ p****s, because the ride’s designers decided to go ahead do some test runs with human beings – specifically former British fighter pilots. REALLY? How many waivers and disclaimers did those pilots have to sign before getting on that thing? Would you agree to be a guinea pig? …I might.
Anyway, the pilots all came back with arms and legs still attached. Hooraaaay. However, they called the ride “gut-wrenching” when it came to “the near-crash”. The team leader of The Blades (a stunt pilot organization) told The Metro (a London newspaper) that even as a pilot accustomed to G-force, the ride was a bit much and the near-crash was “eye-watering” because passengers really felt like they were about to crash.
So I’ve been watching these videos over and over (fighting motion sickness along the way) trying to figure out how this ride is capable of dismembering test dummies. Compared to a lot of other modern-day coasters, it seems pretty run-of-the-mill IMO. Thoughts?
Oo! PS - According to a Yahoo.com article about The Swarm, someone in California is trying to build the world’s first “zero-gravity” coaster! It gon’ imitate simulators NASA uses to train astronauts ya'll!
Read an article about it here!
