Flight of Fear

[jwranson]

I think FOF’s demise would be the last straw for me. I already did’t renew our passes for the first time in years. I’d probably never go back if they took this one out too.

I grew up at KD. Almost every day when I was a kid I. The late 80’s and early 90’s. My wife and I went the day after our wedding. There are few people who have loved this park more than me- but I’ve about had it with the poor management since the Volcano debacle. They have taken the easy road too many times.

 

[CoasterAuditor]

 

[Mike541x]

I may not ride it every visit but I still always enjoyed FOF. The ride itself is great but I've also appreciated it's theme a lot more. The queue leading into the UFO, the station itself with the aliens in the tubes and the lights in the ride building along with the music really did give the ride a lot of charm. It's definitely gotten rougher over the years, especially this year but not enough for me to avoid it. I'd hate to see it go but I'd completely understand giving the downtime it's had. Joker's Jinx is up the road from me as well so it wouldn't be a huge loss. The building would make a great place for a dark ride.

 

[rollercoastercoaster]

I've always absolutely loved FoF and will be very sad if it goes. It's my 3rd favorite coaster at KD behind Pantherian and TT (haven't ridden Rapterra yet to know if it'll take its spot, but I doubt it will).

If it is up for replacement, I'd really like to see them potentially keep it around just another year or 2, then replace it with a more modern launch coaster in 2028. Do any manufacturers (besides Intamin's Accelerators) make that same sort of sudden launch anymore? I wonder if they can replace it with a similar coaster that will cost less.

Also makes me wonder, if both FoF's are on the chopping block, could Poltergeist and Jokers Jinx be too? SFA really can't afford to lose a coaster, especially if Batwing is soon to be removed too. Although to be honest I could see them just carelessly remove all the Premier LIM coasters.

 

[CoasterBroCam]

I've always absolutely loved FoF and will be very sad if it goes. It's my 3rd favorite coaster at KD behind Pantherian and TT (haven't ridden Rapterra yet to know if it'll take its spot, but I doubt it will).

If it is up for replacement, I'd really like to see them potentially keep it around just another year or 2, then replace it with a more modern launch coaster in 2028. Do any manufacturers (besides Intamin's Accelerators) make that same sort of sudden launch anymore? I wonder if they can replace it with a similar coaster that will cost less.

Also makes me wonder, if both FoF's are on the chopping block, could Poltergeist and Jokers Jinx be too? SFA really can't afford to lose a coaster, especially if Batwing is soon to be removed too. Although to be honest I could see them just carelessly remove all the Premier LIM coasters.

I will agree that losing that sudden launch will sting immensely. It’s such an incredible feeling and it’s one of my biggest “oh shit” moments on coasters

 

[rswashdc]

Couldn't they just get Premier to put in a new launch system and keep the existing layout. Certainly wouldn't be cheap, but far less costly than a new coaster.

 

[cschnizer]

Couldn't they just get Premier to put in a new launch system and keep the existing layout. Certainly wouldn't be cheap, but far less costly than a new coaster.

That's what I was thinking; new launch system to replace the old and unreliable one, potentially new trains to go with it, although I'm not sure if they'd do it.

 

[cackylack]

I can be as nostalgic as the next person, but I will say that FoF is the most uncomfortable coaster I've ever squeezed myself into. I'm around 6' tall, and I wasn't sure I was going to be able to fold myself up enough to get in the car. That's an unusual situation for me, and I don't know how anybody taller than me does it since my knees were touching the interior in front of me. Cool launch for sure, but then all that roughness and banging around. I do think coasters have a shelf life and this one is past it.

 

[MrBradferd]

I rode it a few weeks ago for the 1st time in 10ish years. Im 6'2 and had an absolute blast on it. I felt it was way smoother than say lochness/tempesto/invadr. Having just a lapbar really helps. I really hope they keep it

 

[Jonesta6]

That's what I was thinking; new launch system to replace the old and unreliable one, potentially new trains to go with it, although I'm not sure if they'd do it.

The problem is it's just not that marketable to make an expensive overhaul on an older existing ride that wouldn't necessarily change the ride experience enough to consider it a new adventure to guests.

Making numbers up:

$15+ million to replace launch hardware plus maybe another $2-3 million in programming and miscellaneous safety system updates, but few if any new admission/pass sales occur and the ridership numbers aren't significantly better.

That money could have instead gone to a brand new attraction, to or covered a lot of needed capex for other additions/enhancements (such as new bathrooms/bathroom upgrades, park utilities, etc).

 

[Mushroom]

The problem is it's just not that marketable to make an expensive overhaul on an older existing ride that wouldn't necessarily change the ride experience enough to consider it a new adventure to guests.

Making numbers up:

$15+ million to replace launch hardware plus maybe another $2-3 million in programming and miscellaneous safety system updates, but few if any new admission/pass sales occur and the ridership numbers aren't significantly better.

That money could have instead gone to a brand new attraction, to or covered a lot of needed capex for other additions/enhancements (such as new bathrooms/bathroom upgrades, park utilities, etc).

Counterpoint: an updated launch plus an extensive retheme (plus some new effects in the spaghetti bowl) could make for a marketable new “experience.”

 

[Jonesta6]

Ok - possibly, but when repeat guests generally know it's a roller coaster in a building, and whether they already know or not that it launches they'll find out regardless of if it's a new launch system or the old one, that experience doesn't really change. New guests won't really know there's a difference either way.

As for effects - realistically, based on speeds and the nature of the spaghetti bowl, how much effect could be put in there that'd be noticeable to riders enough that it creates a reliably marketable different experience and not just some cheap gimmick that won't sell?

I say all this as a fan of the ride, btw - no idea it's longevity in the park.

 

[jwranson]

I love the passive aggressive eye rolls from you guys (and it’s always the same people). You can keep pretending that this park isn’t heading the wrong direction and isn’t making detrimental decisions that spit in the face of life-long customers all you want, but at some point, when there is nothing left to ride, maybe you’ll come to your senses.

 

[Mushroom]

I love the passive aggressive eye rolls from you guys (and it’s always the same people). You can keep pretending that this park isn’t heading the wrong direction and isn’t making detrimental decisions that spit in the face of life-long customers all you want, but at some point, when there is nothing left to ride, maybe you’ll come to your senses.

I think it’s the overdramatic tone that’s irking some (including me). The four rides removed from the park (Anaconda, Berserker, Joe Cool Driving School, and Peanuts Road Rally) were far from popular, and I question home much time you really spent riding them when you visited the park. Two of them were literally kiddie rides. “Nothing left to ride” is a perfect example the over exaggeration I’m talking about. We lost four rides, all of which were either for small children or (in my opinion) sucked.

In the case of Flight of Fear, we’ve neither gotten any confirmation from the park about an upcoming removal nor given them the chance to say anything about replacement. Getting this upset about a hypothetical removal feels, at this stage, unfair.

And of course, no park can (or should) expand indefinitely. There’s a reason that even Disney and Universal remove and replace things instead of just adding new stuff. The assumption that a park must only add more and more is unrealistic and unsustainable, and the notion that a park is cursed to forever operate any ride it builds — however old, unpopular, or expensive to maintain — is silly.

I would also mention that the park is a nicer experience now than it ever has been in my 20+ years visiting the park — nicely themed, well landscaped, clean. But I think that argument may be lost on you.

 

[jwranson]

It’s not unfair. Recent precedent over the past decade tells us that rides will be removed without announcement, at a 4/1 removal/addition ratio. That isn’t sustainable. It’s not hyperbole anymore.

At the same time, dining options are on decline (probably be sis there is no one left to train new staff), permanent staff were fired, vital functions have been consolidated to headquarters, an entire season was removed from the calendar after the park already used it to sell season passes, and part time pay was cut.

 

[RollyCoaster]

For a ride like FOF, I find it very unlikely that they would reimagine the launch system without also having to replace the entirely of the spaghetti bowl track. We’re approaching 30 years on some track that wasn’t necessarily the best from day 1 to begin with.

I’m very partial to FOF. Anytime the line isn’t spilling into the outside queue I try and get a ride in. I’d hate to see it go, but the removal of FOF is probably the most realistic next coaster removal given its age and operating cost.

I’d be interested to know if KD/SIX would ponder into potential dark ride concepts using the existing building.

 

[Mushroom]

It’s not unfair. Recent precedent over the past decade tells us that rides will be removed without announcement, at a 4/1 removal/addition ratio. That isn’t sustainable. It’s not hyperbole anymore.

At the same time, dining options are on decline (probably be sis there is no one left to train new staff), permanent staff were fired, vital functions have been consolidated to headquarters, an entire season was removed from the calendar after the park already used it to sell season passes, and part time pay was cut.

This has me scratching my head a bit. What “precedent over the past decade”? Besides the four rides that were just removed those (I’m excluding those because you referenced the whole decade prior), what rides in the past decade has the park removed and not replaced?

“Dining options are on the decline” - are we going to the same park? Tell me with a straight face that you think the park’s dining is worse now than it was a decade ago. Grain & Grill, Outpost Cafe, Firehouse BBQ, the upgraded Victoria’s are all additions from just the past few years — not to mention the Biergarten and renovated Pizza Parlor we’re getting this year. The park’s dining options just a handful of years ago were all shitty amusement park food, and now I’d consider it some of the best food in any theme park I’ve been to.

I’m with you on Winterfest, I hate both that it was cut and how they announced it. But surely you’d agree that letting go of full time staff — who were solely hired because the park was operating four seasons a year — makes sense when the park isn’t open for all four seasons anymore? Again, you lament how the park is now compared to your past 20 years visiting, but for most of those 20 years the park didn’t have all that full time staff that they just let go.

It feels more like your argument is “KD was at its best from 2022 to 2024” — which is a fine argument, but it’s not the one you seem to be trying to articulate.

 

[MrBradferd]

Is KD still not worth the lousy $7 a month despite what happens to FOF? Thats all I keep looking at. Busch is 2X the cost a month typically. Is KD not atleast half as good as Busch? (Not saying it is or isint)

 

[CoasterBroCam]

Not sure if anyone saw it today, but they started painting the outside of the launch tunnel dark green.

Phew, glad they’re most likely keeping it

 

[horsesboy]

Phew, glad they’re most likely keeping it

I wouldn't take painting the outside of the building as a indicator that the ride is staying long term. I have no fixed timeline but several sources that all agree that it will be gone sometime soon an most likely in the next two years.