Project 2019: Finnegan's Flyer (S&S Screamin' Swing)

[Adam]

Exciting news today - a new height waiver has been submitted to James City County today labeled as "Ireland Expansion." The filing (screenshot from the JCC website below) is for "90' for new structure near the Ireland section of Busch Gardens."

Considering the park just opened Battle for Eire in Ireland and the other ongoing projects the park had filed permits for, this is a very surprising find. At 90' I cannot think of what the park would be building, as that seems high for a building and low for an attraction, in my opinion. Could this be a new small attraction, a "landscaping project," or maybe a 90' version of Addie... I guess we'll have to see what comes of this.

 

[tursiops]

I have no idea what they could put there, but from the 811 map it looks like it could cost lots of trees.

 

[CastleOSullivan]

That is very interesting. Just for reference, the tower on DarKastle is 80'. What in Ireland could be 10 feet taller than DK's tower? The buildings there are a maximum of around 60 feet above ground level, and the Abbey Stone Theatre is somewhere around the height of its facade from below ground level. I don't know what this could be.

 

[Thomas]

I went to investigate and found more questions than answers.

 

[VACoasterFan]

If you look at the VA 811 Ticket it plainly says for Roller Coaster in the description paragraph.

90' to me says blitz style coaster from Intamin or Mack.

 

[Adam]

If you look at the VA 811 Ticket it plainly says for Roller Coaster in the description paragraph.

90' to me says blitz style coaster from Intamin or Mack.

I believe the statement in the 811 ticket is saying the service road is for the existing roller coaster (i.e. the existing LNM service road), rather than the attraction being a roller coaster. They don't really need to know what the utility markings are for, other than soil samples.

 

[warfelg]

Rather interesting filing since it seems no indication of what it is, and just states “expansion” not referring to any specific rides.

Something my mind immediately went to was a RMC raptor track. They stand at 100 feet, but part of me wonders that if the height for the two being built is because of theming or if it needs that regardless.

But something in my gut says this isn’t a coaster. That area is tight back there and close to the Abbey Stone Theatre, meaning you don’t want anything too loud.

But exciting none the less!!

Intrigued on the impact to Project Madrid and SPW though.

 

[Celticdog]

This is a tight space. The pipeline easement to the south with the railroad beyond does not give a lot of space. Moving toward the west behind the stores provides more space, but then it starts to encroach Pet Shenanigans and the drainage from wolf valley. It could be some preliminary investigations into a replacement for Abby Stone. The valley is pretty deep, which means achieving 90' above current grades would be fairly easy.

 

[wombat96]

This is strange, very bizarre news. However, this does make sense due to the changes Ireland has been experiencing. For example in 2018 alone Ireland experienced a plethora of additions and changes. Battle for Eire a VR simulator opened returning an attraction to the area. Grogan's Grill was transformed into O'Tators featuring a new menu along with the stein club coming to Grogan's. On top of that Toys of the Leprechaun returned with new merchandise and now connects to Pot O'Gold for increased guest flow. Several other smaller changes like removing shrubbery and other minor cosmetic changes took place throughout the hamlet. None of this screams new attraction. In spite of this, smaller changes in hamlets throughout the park have lead to large projects consistently.

A prime example of this, the changes to Oktoberfest in 2011. Mach Tower opened that year, eventually. Beste Brezeln und Bier opened as a new eatery. The hamlet almost gained a "cartoonish" aesthetic with bright colors plastered in many spots throughout. Low and behold the next year in 2012 the park debuted a massive project Verbolten.

In more recent years, the changes to New France to prepare for InvadR. This may sound extremely minor in 2014 new bathrooms were installed mere feet from the entrance of InvadR. In 2016 the renovation to Le Scoot was nearly complete with new boats along with new thematic elements in the sawmill like axes and a new voice over. Acadia Traders opened the same year with new Canadian related merchandise. Then, in 2017 InvadR opened.

Now I may just be over-speculating the pattern the park has with more recent major additions, but I think there's a chance Ireland could be the home of a massive multi-million dollar project due to the changes that took place this year. Now is there a chance that this could be just a height waiver for something of little interest and the actual major project is happening in Festhaus Park or DarKastle? Without a doubt, it just seems a little strange that the struggling chain pumped in additional money around Battle for Eire.

Oh, Cobra's Curse snake icon is 80 feet tall, just saying.

 

[SLC Headache]

Something my mind immediately went to was a RMC raptor track. They stand at 100 feet, but part of me wonders that if the height for the two being built is because of theming or if it needs that regardless.

But something in my gut says this isn’t a coaster. That area is tight back there and close to the Abbey Stone Theatre, meaning you don’t want anything too loud.

But exciting none the less!!

Intrigued on the impact to Project Madrid and SPW though.

Not so keen on another low-capacity clone, but at least it'd be the first RMC Raptor on the East Coast. Much as RailBlazer has better landscaping than Wonder Woman San Antonio, we could get something that surpasses RailBlazer. Knowing BGW's track record of taking chances on different manufacturers, could we see a full-blown T-Rex?

A prime example of this, the changes to Oktoberfest in 2011. Mach Tower opened that year, eventually. Beste Brezeln und Bier opened as a new eatery. The hamlet almost gained a "cartoonish" aesthetic with bright colors plastered in many spots throughout. Low and behold the next year in 2012 the park debuted a massive project Verbolten.

Now the Pain Car Ride's campy show building makes sense...

 

[CoasterAuditor]

This is awesome! I've always thought a nice spinning coaster like Cobra's Curse would be great in the Ireland area. Or an S&S Screaming Swing.... Now we have three potential projects to be monitoring.

 

[VACoasterFan]

If you look at the VA 811 Ticket it plainly says for Roller Coaster in the description paragraph.

90' to me says blitz style coaster from Intamin or Mack.

I believe the statement in the 811 ticket is saying the service road is for the existing roller coaster (i.e. the existing LNM service road), rather than the attraction being a roller coaster. They don't really need to know what the utility markings are for, other than soil samples.

I stand corrected and thank you. I was skimming over the 811 at work real quick and missed the clarification.

 

[Pretzel Kaiser]

It would be really nice for the park to settle on one set of plans so we don't have to deal with this speculation again.

That being said, RMC Aquatrax.

 

[warfelg]

Not so keen on another low-capacity clone, but at least it'd be the first RMC Raptor on the East Coast. Much as RailBlazer has better landscaping than Wonder Woman San Antonio, we could get something that surpasses RailBlazer. Knowing BGW's track record of taking chances on different manufacturers, could we see a full-blown T-Rex?

I wouldn't call it a low-capacity clone yet. One of them has just barely opened, and despite only 8 riders at a time, it's a quick loop and has 2, possibly 3 blocks. I've heard some great things about the load/unload times too.

T-Rex is a ways off from actuality from what I've been reading. It sounds like it will be a few years away because they are having problems with how the train sits on the track and what it means for the forces in turns. They are also having some problems with smoothness of the track at the wider gaige. I'll try to find the video/article that I saw this in to link it.

 

[Unagi]

That is very interesting. Just for reference, the tower on DarKastle is 80'. What in Ireland could be 10 feet taller than DK's tower?

It'll be a miniature replica of Blarney Castle with a fake Blarney Stone that people will queue up 5 hours just to kiss!

 

[Adam]

That is very interesting. Just for reference, the tower on DarKastle is 80'. What in Ireland could be 10 feet taller than DK's tower?

It'll be a miniature replica of Blarney Castle with a fake Blarney Stone that people will queue up 5 hours just to kiss!

Oh goodness, let's not give the Daily Press any ideas again XD

 

[tursiops]

At least that would fit the theme, despite the castle being in a different county entirely. I hope it's not something big. Just adding new rides every year and removing all the trees makes me scared of heading toward a generic park. That said the park looks really good this year.

 

[horsesboy]

The location is interesting in that it's right against the pipeline clea ring that only masked me go what the heck more.

 

[CastleOSullivan]

[...] It could be some preliminary investigations into a replacement for Abby Stone. [...]

I keep thinking of this as a possibility. That theater is by far, their most popular theater, yet it is also outdated and rather small, given the demand.

I would love to see an expansion or complete remake of the AST. That said, would it be wise at this point for them to make such a significant investment in Entertainment so soon? I'm sure people will be skeptical of this addition, even if it would be for the better.

 

[Bring Back Questor 87]

Wild consideration - but seeing as Ireland is the only hamlet without anything coaster-like, I will suggest that something on the small- scale of Cobra's Curse, but folklore themed is not too crazy. The positioning would bring a nice enticing ride to the entrance, and draw more people to the area to spend time (money). Also Time Traveler and Cobra's Curse have been well-received, and Mack has done well with the reliability of these spinning models as of late. The land slopes nicely down there, and there is room for a ride to interact with that bridge into Ireland if meandered carefully.

Whatever the case, I just love seeing the words "expansion," "Ireland," and "Busch Gardens" in one sentence. It could very well be simple building additions, but I hope someone is considering how to make Ireland more than BFE and the theaters, and give it some more fun to bring greater foot traffic. It's a small spot that can be more relevant for sure.

PS Who wouldn't mind a Blarney Stone-themed spinner dubbed "Blarney Stormer" with a replica tower as the feature?

Fun Fact - The Blarney Castle is EXACTLY 90 feet tall. -_-