That was my exact thought process. Why would they spend money on those and then spend some more to demolish it?
Attraction The Flying Machine
- Thread starter Zachary
- Start date
Some concern is justified. I'll try to make time to say more soon.
Here's a great video on the history of the Tivoli Orbiter. And yes, Flying Machine gets a little mention towards the end.
Direct Link to Embedded Media Source
Direct Link to Embedded Media Source
The lower portion of the arms have been removed as of today…
Can someone a bit more "in the know" comment on this before false rumors start getting spread one direction or the other?
Well, I didn't have time to finish my article before my trip so cliffnotes version...
First off, all this is rumored. I haven't seen proof, but I trust the bundle of sources involved here and what I've been hearing matches what I've seen on the ground.
From what I've heard, it would take a miracle to save The Flying Machine and sadly, BGW may be fresh out of miracles after already delivering one to the ride this off-season.
BGW has maintained the ride diligently for years and then, in 2024, invested in a significant renovation project with the expectation that it would keep Flying Machine running for many years to come. The reno included new electrical, new controls, new ride carriages, and more. Towards the end of that referb (read: after significant cash, man-hours, etc had already been invested), a likely-ride-dooming issue was discovered. It's not impossible that BGW will decide to invest a ton more to get her running, but I suspect it may be more likely that they'll ship their new parts to Sesame Place Philadelphia and call it quits on The Flying Machine.
Hard to blame BGW for anything here in my opinion. They really did try to save The Flying Machine and invested a ton of time, effort, and money not just to keep her running, but to substantively improve the attraction. If the choice is between spending a ton more cash trying to get Flying Machine back up or just opting to put a new flat in there, I think tons more cash poured into Flying Machine is going to be a hard sell at this point.
It's not totally over until BGW formally calls it quits publicly, but I'll be surprised if The Flying Machine survives this based on what I've been hearing.
First off, all this is rumored. I haven't seen proof, but I trust the bundle of sources involved here and what I've been hearing matches what I've seen on the ground.
From what I've heard, it would take a miracle to save The Flying Machine and sadly, BGW may be fresh out of miracles after already delivering one to the ride this off-season.
BGW has maintained the ride diligently for years and then, in 2024, invested in a significant renovation project with the expectation that it would keep Flying Machine running for many years to come. The reno included new electrical, new controls, new ride carriages, and more. Towards the end of that referb (read: after significant cash, man-hours, etc had already been invested), a likely-ride-dooming issue was discovered. It's not impossible that BGW will decide to invest a ton more to get her running, but I suspect it may be more likely that they'll ship their new parts to Sesame Place Philadelphia and call it quits on The Flying Machine.
Hard to blame BGW for anything here in my opinion. They really did try to save The Flying Machine and invested a ton of time, effort, and money not just to keep her running, but to substantively improve the attraction. If the choice is between spending a ton more cash trying to get Flying Machine back up or just opting to put a new flat in there, I think tons more cash poured into Flying Machine is going to be a hard sell at this point.
It's not totally over until BGW formally calls it quits publicly, but I'll be surprised if The Flying Machine survives this based on what I've been hearing.
Last edited:
If this rumor turns out to be true, then Da Vinci's Garden of Inventions will only have one flat ride in that area. The park will now need not just one, but two new flat rides to replace them to make that area feel alive again.
if the Flying Machine does leave, maybe it will be a blessing in disguise. The park would have two flat plots to work with and could design two more and theme them together or a single larger one that takes up both spots
TheCoasterNerd
HAPPY PRIDE! Have I told y'all I'm nonbinary?
That really sucks - unironically one of my favorite rides in the park.Well, I didn't have time to finish my article before my trip so cliffnotes version...
First off, all this is rumored. I haven't seen proof, but I trust the bundle of sources involved here and what I've been hearing matches what I've seen on the ground.
From what I've heard, it would take a miracle to save The Flying Machine and sadly, BGW may be fresh out of miracles after already delivering one to the ride this off-season.
BGW has maintained the ride diligently for years and then, in 2024, invested in a significant renovation project with the expectation that it would keep Flying Machine running for many years to come. The reno included new electrical, new controls, new ride carriages, and more. Towards the end of that referb (read: after significant cash, man-hours, etc had already been invested), a likely-ride-dooming issue was discovered. It's not impossible that BGW will decide to invest a ton more to get her running, but I suspect it may be more likely that they'll ship their new parts to Sesame Place Philadelphia and call it quits on The Flying Machine.
Hard to blame BGW for anything here in my opinion. They really did try to save The Flying Machine and invested a ton of time, effort, and money not just to keep her running, but to substantively improve the attraction. If the choice is between spending a ton more cash trying to get Flying Machine back up or just opting to put a new flat in there, I think tons more cash poured into Flying Machine is going to be a hard sell at this point.
It's not totally over until BGW formally calls it quits publicly, but I'll be surprised if The Flying Machine survives this based on what I've been hearing.
Part of the issue, and I’m saying this as someone who actually operated this ride, is that they waited so damn long. That new panel? They’ve had it since 2023 (if not earlier, that is just when I was there). They just now put it in. The ride itself? Even after its previous refurb you could still tell it needed much more work, yet here we are. They waited too long, and now they’re paying the price. Also, operators would consistently notice unusual noises from that ride because they wouldn’t do a full scale refurb.
It wasn’t uncommon for us to hear loud clicking noises from the gears being out of alignment. When accelerating you didn’t notice it because it took 80% of the ride just to get up to speed. But when it was decelerating you could hear it. I’m not saying maintenance wasn’t doing their job—after all, we all know that BGWs maintenance team is thin as it is because of how stingy United Parks is with their budgets. The maintenance team did fantastic responding to issues and would correct those clicking noises. The problem is because they waited so long to do a full tear down rebuild refurb that kind of issue occurred daily.
Basically the bottom line is they waited too long to do this and now they’re paying the price. If this indeed does become a removal, I personally wouldn’t mind seeing them upgrade to a permanent Tivoli Remix. They’re faster, more aggressive versions of the orbiters, and they’re Floorless. I’ve been able to experience a Remix and they’re insane. And the one I rode was only operating at 50% of its operational capabilities. Example of one operating at its full capabilities:
Direct Link to Embedded Media Source
Would BGW run it like this? No, but we would have a new flying machine essentially.
It wasn’t uncommon for us to hear loud clicking noises from the gears being out of alignment. When accelerating you didn’t notice it because it took 80% of the ride just to get up to speed. But when it was decelerating you could hear it. I’m not saying maintenance wasn’t doing their job—after all, we all know that BGWs maintenance team is thin as it is because of how stingy United Parks is with their budgets. The maintenance team did fantastic responding to issues and would correct those clicking noises. The problem is because they waited so long to do a full tear down rebuild refurb that kind of issue occurred daily.
Basically the bottom line is they waited too long to do this and now they’re paying the price. If this indeed does become a removal, I personally wouldn’t mind seeing them upgrade to a permanent Tivoli Remix. They’re faster, more aggressive versions of the orbiters, and they’re Floorless. I’ve been able to experience a Remix and they’re insane. And the one I rode was only operating at 50% of its operational capabilities. Example of one operating at its full capabilities:
Direct Link to Embedded Media Source
Would BGW run it like this? No, but we would have a new flying machine essentially.
Reminds me of something I saw at a carnival in West Virginia. As soon as I saw it I was like “if only that was Flying Machine.”
This is the exact model of flying machine–just transportable
Whens the last time Flying Machine ran? Christmas Town? I didn't go to the park much this year and honestly can't remember the last time I've seen it running
As far as the other flats in Da Vinci's Garden and around the park, I think that Flying Machine is the only one on the chopping block, IMO.
They didn't willingly remove Cradle and they didn't/don't want to remove Flying Machine. Our flat collection is aging so another domino could realistically fall at any moment, but I don't believe there are any plans to intentionally cull anything.
The aging of the collection is a big reason BGW needs to get replacements for their recent losses though. If the attrition continues at the pace it has been, we will need others in place ASAP before our flat selection really starts to dwindle a la the other United Parks properties.
They have two of the same ride and if one is at the end of it's life it can serve as parts for the other. Honestly I was surprised they installed Tampa's at Sesame instead of just sending it to Williamsburg for parts.