Holiday World Adds a Launched WingRider - Pics and Video!

Looks fun but the keyhole only works for the left wing! that Immelmann has some interesting shaping on the pull out though.

I gotta say, this looks pretty good, but $22m doesn't go as far as it used to.

[Paradox]

I agree. For 22 Million they could have done a bit more. I love the launch concept, but the rest of the layout is nothing great.

I actually like the first half quite a bit, at least in so much as modern forceless B&Ms go - those two big overbanks world well. The ending seems pretty meh.

Thunderbird is the nation??????s first launched wing coaster. It is Holiday World??????s first major steel roller coaster, with a 0-60mph launch in 3.5 seconds, followed by multiple inversions ?????? including a 14-story Immelmann loop, Zero-g roll, barrel roll, and loop. Continuing Holiday World's tradition of sending roller coasters through thickly wooded and hilly terrain, Thunderbird at first soars and loops high in the air and then hugs the ground, surprising riders with rapid-fire ??????near misses?????? such as keyholes, themed elements, other rides, trees, and even the ground.

TRACK LENGTH: 3,035 feet

RIDE HEIGHT: 140 feet at Immelmann loop??????s peak

RIDE ELEMENTS:

From start to finish:
Launch, using LSM technology
Immelmann loop
Loop
Horseshoe
Elevated Spiral
Zero-G roll
S curve
2 ??????headchopper?????? keyholes
Carousel
360 in-line twist (barrel roll)
2 Crossovers with The Voyage

SPEED: Thunderbird??????s top speed is 60 miles per hour

RIDE TIME: 1 minute, 18 seconds (station to station)

TRAINS: Two trains, each with five four-person coaches

CAPACITY: 1,140 Guests per hour

HEIGHT LIMIT: Riders must be at least 52 inches tall

INVESTMENT: $22 million

RIDE DESIGNER: Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M), Switzerland

LEGEND: In 1620, as the Mayflower neared the end of its 66 days at sea, a mighty storm nearly capsized the ship, taking it hundreds of miles off course. As passengers and crew feared all was lost, an immense bird appeared in the sky. The thunderbird, whose wings created the thunder and eyes flashed the lightning of the powerful storm, rescued the ship by launching it through the sky to the New World.

Thunderbird at Holiday World will be a $22 million wing rider roller coaster made by B&M. It will be the first of its kind in the way that it will be launched. It will go from 0 to 60mph in just 3.5 seconds.

Thunderbird will go over The Voyage roller coaster into 2 overbanked turns. It will feature the worlds tallest loop on a wing rider. It will feature a lot of close calls as well as a keyhole feature.

Left Seat POV

Right Seat POV

Fly Around View

Thunderbird Compilation

Here's some pictures from the announcement.

"B&M did a launch, coaster logic is forever f*****" (1blueshe on NLE)

5 in technical for ignoring the manufacturer......oh wait.

I honestly didn't think Holiday World would ever install an inverting ride.

WOW, words cannot describe the joy I feel. I sat front row of the announcement, I'll admit, I teared up and got the largest amounts of goosebumps.

NightWindElf... how about that launch?

Rickrollercoaster wrote:

See the following post for detailed information about the ride:

Thunderbird Wing Rider at Holiday World

There's a separate thread for this now as well, including the actual announcement video:
holiday-world-announces-a-launched-wingrider-thunderbird-t34186.html

[Turbo]

Rickrollercoaster wrote:

WOW, words cannot describe the joy I feel. I sat front row of the announcement, I'll admit, I teared up and got the largest amounts of goosebumps.

NightWindElf... how about that launch?

Before this B&M refused to design launches. I wonder if they even designed this one or if the park who bought the coaster had to do it again.

NightwindElf wrote:

Rickrollercoaster wrote:

I was trying to hint that Mammoth has LIM's built in it..

Just give up the LIM launch idea. It's not happening.

Sorry, I have to gloat.

I think it looks really interesting. B&M has obviously been sticking to well-built coasters in the past few years; focusing on the experience even if it's not the most thrilling, and I understand wanting to be "cautious" with this being their first launch coaster, but with putting that onto the table this would have been a great opportunity for B&M to introduce a faster pace from what they've been doing. Still, this ride looks promising and I'm interested to see how it will turn out.

dint think it was possible lol, I was wrong, but I'm glad i'm wrong. This looks awesome!
This opens up a whole new world where B&M make launches!

[mkingy]

Tyler wrote:

I gotta say, this looks pretty good, but $22m doesn't go as far as it used to.

A huge portion of that probably went on convincing B&M to design a launch (or another company to design the launch and getting them to work together).

It'll be a good ride no doubt, but it really doesn't seem to fit the Holiday World atmosphere.

Cause you're not used to it!

[Turbo]

Hey guys look at me! I can predict the future! Most NL2 rides released from now until next two or three months will be B&M and with launches.

^
and when they release wingriders, B&M wingriders with launches!

I'm glad that B&M (even if they had to be encouraged) are advancing their technology. They don't seem to have been doing much in the way of new coasters apart from installing a few 'normal' wingriders lately.

Rickrollercoaster wrote:

NightwindElf wrote:

Rickrollercoaster wrote:

I was trying to hint that Mammoth has LIM's built in it..

Just give up the LIM launch idea. It's not happening.

Sorry, I have to gloat.

Same here

[Paradox]

I was reading the topic for this on TPR and I found this quote by Gnome which is amazing:
"There's war in the middle east, planes are getting shot down, and now B&M has done what everyone said they wouldn't ever do: build another launched coaster. I'm going to church, the apocalypse is pending"

It's funny! I was thinking about how B&M needs to make a launched coaster literally the day before the announcement!

Paradox wrote:

I was reading the topic for this on TPR and I found this quote by Gnome which is amazing:
"There's war in the middle east, planes are getting shot down, and now B&M has done what everyone said they wouldn't ever do: build another launched coaster. I'm going to church, the apocalypse is pending"

The end is near...

looking at this again after sleeping, the only part of the layout that doesn't mesh well with everything else is the loop, its just going to be there out in the open just a little off from voyage, It would have been cool to see the loop go around the voyage or above it, but with it just to the side and perpendicular like that its going to stand out and look weird. Also judging by the animations it looks like the 22 million is for the whole project not just the coaster, it looks to be quite a bit of themeing and a large plaza area with shops and probably games

Interesting that they put their first launch on a wingrider. It works very well but you would think that they would play it safe at try it out with a inverted, or model that they are more ''familiar'' with.

I'm still in shock, the energy I felt last night was unbelievable.