Those support fixes are gnarly. Good god. I wonder what happened... Hopefully the rest of the layout is doing a little better...?
Flight of Fear
- Thread starter Ludwig II
- Start date
I like how the colored floor lights are still on.
Otherwise it might be too scary for the mechanics, and they would sue.
Honestly, if they left the lights on like this it would make it way scarier now. Seeing all these half-assed welds whizzing by... that's real fear.
Yeah I agree like WTF is this shit :
They needed a place to put all those volcano pieces they had lying around. Never hurts to reinforce the other rides.
Moving this to the right thread...
I did some thinking and this is the "cheapest" way I can imagine the exist possibly being redone - although possibly not the most realistic. I used this aerial photo of Poltergeist at SF Fiesta Texas for reference because I believe its layout is identical to FOF. The track section on the right-hand size that turns out slightly to the right is where FOF's current unload platform is, and the station building is where FOF's current load platform. So, I see it working something like this:
1. The current operator side of the boarding platform becomes the new unload platform. Guests follow toward the back of the train and exit through an existing backstage hallway.
2. This hallway leads to an existing set of stairs. Guests follow down the stairs to be below track level.
3. Guests walk along the ground-level of the ride. Fences would need to be installed to create a hallway that prevents guests from entering restricted areas.
4. Guests cross under the final breakrun.
5. Guests walk back up another set of existing steps which leads them to the current unload platform.
6. Guests walk along the current unload platform. A fence provides a barrier between the train and the exiting guests.
7. Guests follow the current unload hallway.
A couple of notes:
- ADA guests would simply exit on the boarding side of the station, near the back of the train, as they do currently.
- The downstairs portion of the walk could be populated with very simple props (borrowed from the queue or from old Haunt props) behind the fences to make the industrial appearance look like part of the theme.
- Fences would have to be carefully installed to restrict guest access while also allowing maintenance to move as needed - i.e. gates with locks would be needed in the fences.
This is far from an ideal concept because it would require a lot of additional walking for the guests, but... it shows that reworking the exit may be possible. Plus, sans the cost of the fencing, it would require very little modification of the building layout.
I did some thinking and this is the "cheapest" way I can imagine the exist possibly being redone - although possibly not the most realistic. I used this aerial photo of Poltergeist at SF Fiesta Texas for reference because I believe its layout is identical to FOF. The track section on the right-hand size that turns out slightly to the right is where FOF's current unload platform is, and the station building is where FOF's current load platform. So, I see it working something like this:
1. The current operator side of the boarding platform becomes the new unload platform. Guests follow toward the back of the train and exit through an existing backstage hallway.
2. This hallway leads to an existing set of stairs. Guests follow down the stairs to be below track level.
3. Guests walk along the ground-level of the ride. Fences would need to be installed to create a hallway that prevents guests from entering restricted areas.
4. Guests cross under the final breakrun.
5. Guests walk back up another set of existing steps which leads them to the current unload platform.
6. Guests walk along the current unload platform. A fence provides a barrier between the train and the exiting guests.
7. Guests follow the current unload hallway.
A couple of notes:
- ADA guests would simply exit on the boarding side of the station, near the back of the train, as they do currently.
- The downstairs portion of the walk could be populated with very simple props (borrowed from the queue or from old Haunt props) behind the fences to make the industrial appearance look like part of the theme.
- Fences would have to be carefully installed to restrict guest access while also allowing maintenance to move as needed - i.e. gates with locks would be needed in the fences.
This is far from an ideal concept because it would require a lot of additional walking for the guests, but... it shows that reworking the exit may be possible. Plus, sans the cost of the fencing, it would require very little modification of the building layout.
Last edited:
Why do you want them to change the loading and unloading? I don't understand. The way it works now is cool and seems plenty efficient? What am i missing?
So reusing the ADA access as an exit with minor modifications to the hallway - I think it comes back through the inside of the spaceship? - is out? Seems to require the least amount of build-out or interruption to guest flow.
Also thinking they could then turn out the lights on the current unload station and maybe insert some sort of props or something.
If you go to the original discussion, they are discussing why the ride closes due to staffing and it's because it requires 6 people to operate due to the separate load/unload platforms. Combining them together would require fewer people to operate the ride.
Ah, makes sense, though it's a shame if they have to change it. I think the riders disappearing effect is kind of cool and fits the theme well.
It's a great effect, but if it stands in the way of the ride operating more often, I'd rather reduce the number of operators required. Plus, there's often a significant amount of time where there's no train in the station because the train is still parked at unload. If they combined load and unload, I would bet the ride's capacity would increase, possibly significantly.
I might be able to shine some light on Flight of Fear's current Operational Issues.
(PDF Below)
(PDF Below)
I’m talking specifically about the time the train spends parked at unload, while load sits empty. That’s extra time that could be eliminated.
Also, keep in mind an additional operator is needed on top of what’s in the file @belsaas posted because of the addition of a greeter at the entrance when lockers were added in 2018. This ride takes a lot of people to run.
This is a spot that I’m ok with a Disney comparison because they got load and unload with rockin roller coaster right.
How many staff members does it take to operate unload? If it's only 1 it doesn't seem beneficial to remodel the station
A remodel that requires minimal capital could be worth it in the long run. Let’s say (and this is just an estimate) that operator gets paid $10 an hour. If FOF is run 10am to 10pm for a 150 day season, that’s $18,000 in labor per season right there. It’s an investment that would pay off in just a few seasons from labor costs alone, staffing issues and capacity not even considered.
