Flying Turns (Knoebels)
| Flying Turns | |
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| The Flying Turns as of Summer 2009. | |
| Location | Knoebels |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°52′42″N 76°30′18″W / 40.878387°N 76.505095°WCoordinates: 40°52′42″N 76°30′18″W / 40.878387°N 76.505095°W |
| Status | Testing |
| Type | Wood - Bobsled |
| Manufacturer | Knoebels Amusement Resort |
| Designer | John Fetterman, from a 1920s design by John Miller and John Norman Bartlett |
| Height | 50 ft (15 m) |
| Length | 1,300 ft (400 m) |
| Max speed | 24 mph (39 km/h) |
| Inversions | 0 |
| Height restriction | 4 ft 0 in (122 cm) |
| Flying Turns at RCDB | |
| Pictures of Flying Turns at RCDB | |
 Amusement Parks Portal |
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The Flying Turns is a wooden bobsled roller coaster under construction at the Knoebels Amusement Resort in Elysburg, Pennsylvania. It is modeled after a similar ride designed by John Norman Bartlett and John Miller in the 1920s. The ride concept is similar to a modern steel bobsled roller coaster, however the Flying Turns will be made of wood, like the original rides. The layout of the ride is most similar to the original one that was at Riverview Park in Chicago, Illinois.
[edit] History
Construction began in January 2006. In July 2007 the maintenance crew ran the first test car test runs which were completed successfully. Then in October 2007 the same crew ran the first powered complete test runs of the same test cars, and gave the roller coaster enthusiasts a tour during the Phoenix Phall Phunfest 2007. Later that month they began to run test runs of a five car test train which will be the full length of the train.
An initial delay was due to an issue with the roller coaster car's wheels. The wheels were shipped back to their manufacturer in California and the issue was corrected. However, the ride did not open by the end of the 2008 season due to the cars travelling too quickly for passenger comfort.
According to Knoebels' website, the ride was to be opened during the 2009 season. The ride was re-tracked and profiled to accommodate new trains.[1]
In June 2011, Knoebels posted an update to their blog, stating "We've been testing the newest version of the Flying Turns ride vehicles and are VERY encouraged. There's still plenty of work to do but this is a very positive step in the right direction."[2] They also posted to their Facebook page a video shot from a camera mounted on a prototype chassis.[3]
[edit] References
- ^ http://knoebels.com/news-blog.asp
- ^ "Knoebels Blog". Knoebels Official Website. http://www.knoebels.com/news-blog.asp. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
- ^ "Flying Turns POV". Facebook. http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=2169128266939&oid=207828210550&comments. Retrieved 8 June 2011.
[edit] External links
- Flying Turns project website
- Construction Photos
- Walking Tour of the Flying Turns (10.07.2006)
- Flying Turns - Resurrecting a Legend. 2007 documentary by Storytellers Media Group about Flying Turns construction at Knoebels Amusement Resort
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