Coasters in the Lightning!

...are AWESOME.

one of my friends shot this:

Cool. I want to ride X2 or Boulder Dash in the lightning. And also, why the love would six flags be operating rides when there is lightning happening? All of the rides there contain metal lol

That was pretty cool. I don't think the quality of that video could have gotten much worse though. lol

[Mikey]

Until the weather monitor / designator on duty calls out phases to operations dispatch the order is to "run it till it trouble lights".

Phase 1 = Big Rides + Towers + Major Roller Coasters
Phase 2 = Medium Rides + Most Wooden Roller Coasters + Most Flats
Phase 3 = Everything not indoors.
Code C = Severe Weather Move to Designated Shelter - Secure All Rides
Code D2 = Tornado Warning Move to Designated Shelter - Secure All Rides

^sounds about right.... fiddler's fling is all I see running after Eagle closes.

[Coasterkidmwm]

Originally posted by Jcoasters

Cool. I want to ride X2 or Boulder Dash in the lightning. And also, why the love would six flags be operating rides when there is lightning happening? All of the rides there contain metal lol

Those of us who understand things are different than California in places outside of California would know the midwest has randomly appearing thunderstorms and appear, rain an assload, and then disappear in a matter of hours. It was dark out, they probably didn't notice it and the weather people didn't think it was enough of a problem to warrant ruining everyone's day at the time.

^Especially with an hour left till closing.

[Coasterkidmwm]

Storm still made the ride really boring anyways

Lol. That's cool. If there is even a visible strike of lightning around Valleyfair, everything gets closed. Not sure exactly what the protocol or procedures are on that stuff, but it sure tends to take a long-ass time for the rides to become operative again after lightning.

^Aww man, be easy on the kid haha. AE isn't really boring, just not top 5, top 10, or even top 20 material

But the video is cool.. It's kind of the perfect demeanor of weather to be facing while going 'out' on an out-and-back roller coaster haha.

you find it boring, I find it relaxing

It's nice to have a coaster with just speed and airtime.... It doesn't have to be whipping your ass the whole time to be good.

Relaxing? That thing was the rattlin'est piece of tree I've ever ridden!

And I never said it was bad. It's fun. But it's not a lot of it.

^Did you ride in the front?

Very back and very front. I preferred the back, as is typical for me..

I rode Cornball Express in the front seat at like 12am in rain/lightning...pretty awesome ride.

[Mikey]

It's all fun and games until you look over main operator panel at the horizon, see a funnel cloud approaching, and remind yourself that operations still hasn't called a single phase. I mean, in my experience its so much fun unloading your ride in 50 MPH winds, golf ball size hail, and blinding rain. Oh, and it's just a cake walk trying to stuff 150 guest into a tiny ass computer room under the ride. /sarcasm

Sounds like fun.

I have ridden I305 last day of Halloween haunt, they close at 12, i rode at like 11:30. It..Was...Awesome..

Originally posted by Coasterkidmwm

Originally posted by Jcoasters

Cool. I want to ride X2 or Boulder Dash in the lightning. And also, why the love would six flags be operating rides when there is lightning happening? All of the rides there contain metal lol

Those of us who understand things are different than California in places outside of California would know the midwest has randomly appearing thunderstorms and appear, rain an assload, and then disappear in a matter of hours. It was dark out, they probably didn't notice it and the weather people didn't think it was enough of a problem to warrant ruining everyone's day at the time.

Yeah, I have been through storms outside of califonia, what we call a severe thunderstorm out here, the midwest calls a mild rain. I think the worst storm I have ever experienced was just outside the Great Dismal swamp on the VA, NC border, it was a sunny morning then at about 2 pm it looked like the sun had already gone down. 60-70 MPH winds, lightning knocking huge oak trees onto houses, pounding baseball size hail and sheets of rain, I think it lasted about 2 hours then all of a sudden it was sunny blue skies, what a difference from the storms we get in CA. Anyway, I could not imagine wanting to ride any coaster in those conditions. The only thing close to that I have seen is lightning striking the lift of Viper at SFMM, that was pretty cool.

[GavG]

I would of thought coasters would be earthed like tall buildings are.

[Coasterkidmwm]

Originally posted by GerstlCrazy

Relaxing? That thing was the rattlin'est piece of tree I've ever ridden!

........Seriously?

Originally posted by GavG

I would of thought coasters would be earthed like tall buildings are.

Ealge has a lightning rod.... but that's cause it was built before Six Flags bought the park

I rode Bizarro in a storm with 20 MPH Winds! It was fun. All the guests left when the storm came, but I waited half an hour and then they re opened the rides because the storm was not damaging. No lines at all. And most importantly, so screaming little girls. Just the rain in your face, the faster speed over the air hills, the sound of the wind, and the thrill of the ride.