Flying Turns (Knoebels)

Flying Turns is a wooden bobsled roller coaster 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 Flying Turns is 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.

Flying Turns
Flying Turns as of Summer 2009.
Knoebels Amusement Resort
LocationKnoebels Amusement Resort
Coordinates40.878387°N 76.505095°W / 40.878387; -76.505095
StatusOperating
Soft opening dateOctober 4, 2013
Opening dateOctober 5, 2013
General statistics
TypeWood – Bobsled
ManufacturerKnoebels Amusement Resort
DesignerJohn Fetterman
Height50 ft (15 m)
Length1,300 ft (400 m)
Speed24 mph (39 km/h)
Inversions0
Height restriction42 in (107 cm)
TrainsLarson International[1] trains with 3 cars. Riders are arranged 1 across in 2 rows for a total of 6 riders per train.
Flying Turns at RCDB
Pictures of Flying Turns at RCDB

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.[2]

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."[3] They also posted to their Facebook page a video shot from a camera mounted on a prototype chassis.[4]

As of May 26, 2012, a section of track at the brake platform, as well as the brake platform itself, had been removed.

As of July 30, 2012 the removed sections have been rebuilt to accommodate the newest trains that are being delivered.

As of August 2012 Knoebels said that they planned on beginning testing for the newest trains soon, and that they believed they finally figured out how to get the trains to run smoothly.

On October 5, 2013, the ride officially opened to the public,[5] though the ride actually began operating the previous evening on October 4, 2013. It operates three trains with three cars apiece, and each car accommodates one large rider or two small riders, with a weight limit of 400 pounds (180 kg) per car. One train is painted green, one is painted yellow and the third is painted mauve. A fourth train is planned.

Awards
Golden Ticket Awards: Top wood Roller Coasters
Year201420152016201720182019
Ranking 25[6]21[7]41[8]44[9]34[10]33[11]

Flying Turns also won Best New Ride (Amusement Park) 2014.

See also

References
  1. "Want one too? Knoebels can help!". Park World Magazine: 43. November 2013.
  2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-07-07. Retrieved 2009-06-23.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. "Knoebels Blog". Knoebels Official Website. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
  4. "Flying Turns POV". Facebook. Retrieved 8 June 2011.
  5. Knoebels Facebook page with notice of opening Retrieved 2013-10-05
  6. "2014 Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 18 (6.2): 38–39. September 2014. Retrieved October 4, 2015.
  7. "2015 Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 19 (6.2): 45–46. September 2015. Retrieved October 4, 2015.
  8. "2016 top 50 wooden roller coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2016. Retrieved October 4, 2015.
  9. "2017 Top 50 Wooden Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2017. Retrieved October 4, 2015.
  10. "2018 Top 50 Wooden Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2018. Retrieved October 4, 2015.
  11. "2019 Top Wood". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2019. Retrieved October 4, 2015.
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