Thunderbird fever

Thunderbird's Immelmann Loop

Thunderbird's Immelmann loopThunderbird fever? Seriously.

A few of our invited guests for Thursday’s Thunderbird Media Preview have mentioned calling work this week, sick with the Thunderbird Flu.

My version of this mysterious illness? Sleeplessness (note the time of this post) and an inability to type the word Thursday at the first try.

Somehow, it always comes out spelled Thunderbird the first time.

As we close in on opening our season on Saturday, we find our senses are heightened and grins are uncontrollable.

We finally did it.

A big steel coaster.

And a B&M coaster, at that.

Wow.

This was a nice cherry on the sundae yesterday:

Thanks to all for the endless cheers of encouragement this past year. We’re just days away now and can hardly contain our excitement.

And we think it’s contagious.

The long-awaited Thunderbird POV

For the uninitiated, let us explain:

POV = Point of View

POV footage at a theme park customarily shows the viewer what the rider sees while riding.

A birds-eye view, if you will.

But in this day and age of selfies, we just had to take a Reverse POV of our adventuresome test dummies riding Thunderbird just as the sun set one evening this week.

They could hardly contain themselves!

Oh, you thought we were ready to release a standard POV of Thunderbird? Soon. Very soon.

Confessions of a screaming grandma

Staff rides Thunderbird roller coaster

Ever since we announced Thunderbird last July, I’ve been asked over and over:

So. Are you gonna ride?

And my answer has not wavered: “I honestly don’t know.”

As excited as I’ve been about Thunderbird ever since I was invited into the “cone of silence” 18 months ago, the thought of riding it was, frankly, incomprehensible to me.

You see, I have a long history of complicated relationships with rides.

It started when I was just three years old. My family lived in Connecticut at the time and we visited Quassy Amusement Park (then called Lake Quassapaug) for the day.

There was this incredible attraction – a helicopter ride – that I was determined to ride. Looking back now, I realize it was a kiddie ride, but back then it was the hugest, most daunting ride out there.

“Are you sure?” My parents knew me well enough to ask this and I stubbornly insisted it was the only ride that mattered to me.

And so they tucked me into my own little helicopter and started up the ride.

Only thing is, no one mentioned that clutching the bar and pulling it down toward me would make my helicopter soar into the upper stratosphere.

And stay there.

And so I screamed.

And screamed.

So much that they stopped the ride mid-cycle and let me off, still screaming.

Flash forward to my teenage years. We’d moved to Indiana and there was this park a few hours away called Kings Island. The Brady Bunch went there, and so did we. (Although, truth be told, I was more of a Partridge Family kind of gal.)

A bunch of us from Carmel High School convinced our parents to let us take a day trip. First stop at the big Cincinnati park: The Racer.

Once again, I was overcome with an uncontrollable need to scream. Something in my psyche trips a switch, telling me the only way to endure the terror is by wailing from the lift hill to the brake run. The only way.

The Racer has two trains. Upon exiting our train, I continued screaming like a banshee, calling to the riders in the second train to reconsider their decision to ride. “It’s terrifying!” My embarrassed friends dragged me away before Security was called.

And so, as I’ve told my boss repeatedly, I have no business working at a theme park.

The thing is, I’m a very bad rider. I don’t relax and let the train carry me away. I clench and grip. And scream. Twenty years ago, I rode the brand-new Raven with a reporter and grabbed her lap bar as well as my own.

Irrational, I know.

It’s not a safety thing – I know the people who build and maintain our rides. They ride them, too – and bring their families.

Is it a height thing? Sure. An “I’m not in control” thing? Oh, probably.

It’s definitely a scream thing.

But, being in the position I hold here, it wouldn’t feel right for me not to ride Thunderbird. How could I describe it here on the HoliBlog, on our website, in conversations with reporters, with only hearsay to guide me?

And so, during our staff breakfast yesterday morning (thank you, Lori!), when Matt announced we could ride at 3pm, my heart skipped a beat. Joy filled the room and nearly everyone cheered. Angie in Guest Services beamed like never before and our Attractions management team grinned from ear to ear.

By three o’clock, I still hadn’t decided.

I told Matt, “You know, I was working on the ride-announcement scripts today and now that I’ve read through them, I think I may have developed all the warning signs – a crick in my neck, a touch of high blood pressure – and you know, I just might be pregnant!” He laughed a little too hard at that last part. I’m a grandma, after all.

After working the crowd and watching Dee Ann and Vanessa overcome their fears and ride, it was time.

“Hey, Eric – wanna ride?”

His face broke into what I can only describe as a look of glee.

“Sure!”

We clambered on board and the train slide into the launch room.

The special effects are incredible. A simulated storm, complete with fog and rolling, then crackling thunder.

And screaming.

Who has time to scream when you go from zero to 60 in just over three seconds? It was incredible.

I continued my terrible riding habits by not only screaming throughout, but also riding with my eyes closed. Tightly.

Whoa! Upside down – and again! I’ve studied Thunderbird’s layout and construction process well enough to know what was happening and what was ahead.

Four inversions.

The fly-through barn. That’s still ahead. And we go through it twice.

Staff rides Thunderbird roller coasterI must say, it’s incredibly smooth. And non-stop thrilling. And comfortable. Really comfortable. Even when you’re upside down. Which happens four times, have I mentioned?

That last inversion – the barrel roll – felt surreal. As we pulled into the brake run, several riders from seats behind us shouted, “Paula, was that you?!”

“No way! That was Eric!” I hollered back. My cracking voice betrayed me, though. I’d blown my pipes.

As Thunderbird slid back into the station, Eric hopped off his seat, with a grin the size of our Immelmann loop.

“That was the BEST coaster ride I’ve ever taken!”

Still in my seat, still clutching the restraints, I had to admit: It was.

 

 

Going, going … almost gone!

Thunderbird First Flight Auction

Thunderbird First Flight AuctionYou’ve been meaning to check out our Thunderbird’s First Flight Auction for Give Kids The World, haven’t you?

But you’ve been busy. We understand. Boy, do we understand!

The deadline to place your bids for the First Flight on Thunderbird is just a few days away. We’ve got an incredible day planned for April 23 – plus the auction benefits the incredible Give Kids The World Village.

So here’s your video reminder (with some awesome Thunderbird footage) – and here’s the auction link – as time is running out.

A family tradition

Lori and Leah Koch on Thunderbird

Paula’s note: It was pure delight watching the Kochs ride Thunderbird for the very first time. Our owners – Lori, Lauren, Leah and William – were beside themselves as they scrambled to switch seats and ride again. Later that evening, I texted them to ask for a volunteer to continue Will’s tradition of blogging after riding a new coaster for the very first time. His middle child, Leah, grabbed her journal and captured her memories before they faded even by a few hours:

When Paula first asked us to write down our thoughts about riding Thunderbird our first time, at first I thought it wouldn’t be very interesting. I figured it would read something like, “WHOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAA!!”

Then I actually thought about it and started actually remembering the first ride.

First of all, before we ever got on, I looked like I had ants in my pants. Seriously. I was so excited I was dancing around.

I called dibs on Front Outside Left months before, so I claimed my rightful seat there, and Mom sat next to me.

Lori and Leah Koch on Thunderbird

Once in the seat with restraints ready to go, my mind started racing.

Suddenly, I remembered all of the concerns I read from fans on ThemeParkReview.com, and started worrying:

“What if the launch is boring? Or it doesn’t deliver as promised? What if the launch is good but the rest is lame? What if we’ve spent all this money, and I don’t like it? What if we’ve spent all this money, and our Guests don’t like it?”

As we rolled from the station and into the launch room, I cleared my mind for a moment, and allowed myself to enjoy what was about to happen. I was about to ride a steel coaster that my family and I chose to build. All of the agonizing over the name, our announcement video, and every little thing led to this moment.

First Thunderbird rides

Mom and I exchanged an excited, but nervous glance, grabbed hands, then placed them back on the restraint, knowing the launch was coming soon.

In the split-second before the launch, one thought came to the front of my mind: “Please let this be good.”

Then the LSMs catapulted us forward, and I knew I had nothing to worry about.

It is such a good launch.

I kept waiting for the intensity to stop, but it didn’t. Before I knew it, I was staring at the Indiana skyline upside-down for the first time ever (of course, I didn’t actually realize this until the second time around).

That’s when more thoughts started creeping in.

“Whoa that loop went quickly!”

“The supports themselves feel like a near-miss!”

“That tree in the horseshoe is awesome!”

“What a perfect day!”

“This is so smooth!”

I finally realized I would have all the rides I could possibly want to analyze this coaster, but only one chance to enjoy my first ride. So I shut the analytical part of my brain down for a second, took a breath of the spring air, and enjoyed it.

I enjoyed that the ride was beautiful.

That this is going to be a hit.

That all of our hard work is about to pay off when our first Guests get to ride.

That my family and I have worked so hard and endured so much, and finally our greatest tribute to my father is reality.

I snapped out of these deep thoughts in time to analyze the fly-through barn (it did not disappoint), and roll into the brakes.

My final thoughts as we rolled into the station? “Holy cow! That was awesome! Let’s do that again! Is Stephen taking pictures of us? What does my hair look like?! Meh. Whatever. Dad would be so proud.”

Thunderbird: All it takes is Will Power

Leah, Lauren and the Will Power sign

When we announced Thunderbird nearly nine months ago (I’ll refrain from any “giving birth” jokes, for now anyway), it was the start of an incredible journey.

At the same time, it was the last high-banked turn in a much longer journey – the realization of a decade-long dream to add a remarkable steel roller coaster to Holiday World’s line-up.

Will’s dream.

At our announcement in July, the crowd of a thousand or more made their approval known quite enthusiastically when Will’s daughters, Lauren and Leah, announced we would name Thunderbird’s “flywheel building” the Will Power building in honor of their dad, who passed away unexpectedly in 2010.

The time has come to put up the sign

Leah, Lauren and the Will Power sign

That’s Leah on the left and Lauren on the right in the photo above. They want to share a bit more of their dad’s legacy, including a look at the designs he’d worked on for a steel roller coaster back in 2008. We’ll also travel back a decade for Will’s unscripted response when asked during a CoasterBuzz podcast what he would want his legacy to be.

Will always got a big kick out of replacing our test dummies for the first live test rides of any new roller coaster, water coaster – or, really, any ride at all.

It’s tradition!” he’d proclaim.

And so, when son and namesake William was available to dash home from his university studies on a recent day, the family took their first ride on Thunderbird.

Koch Family's First Thunderbird Ride

It was a glorious day, as the sun was setting and Thunderbird launched into the sky over and over. In the picture above, we see William, Lauren, mom Lori, and Leah as they complete their first flight together.

Will’s true legacy.

I know. I want to see pictures, too.

Thunderbird's Wingtips

Jordan is one of our Security officers. He makes the rounds in the evening, so we often take time for a brief chat.

It makes me happy to see Jordan. My maternal grandfather was a policeman in New Haven, Connecticut. He was a “cop on the beat” until he retired. He was offered other positions on the force, but he liked the long walks, getting to know the people in his neighborhoods, and the break-time food trucks at the factories, where he could pick up a pastry or a sandwich.

When I told Jordan I’m really looking forward to the start of after-dark Thunderbird testing, he surprised me:

Thunderbird's Wingtips

Jordan’s eyes glowed nearly as brightly as I imagine those LED lights do on Thunderbird’s wingtips.

Opening Day is just 26 days away.

The first night rides? Our Season Passholders Thunderbird Preview Night is 25 days away and will last until 10pm CDT.

Just in case you’d like to take any pictures …

Thunderbird’s other sound

Thunderbird Logo Installation

We posted this video snip a week ago, to share we had both trains on Thunderbird’s track (an important step in the testing process) and to point out the haunting cry of the Thunderbird.

What we didn’t explain was the “chch” sound as each train processes through the loading station.

Here’s the answer, from VP James: There are five sets of electrical contacts in the station (one per car). This allows the ride computer to talk to the train while in the station (for example, to check that the harnesses are all locked before dispatch). These are spring-loaded contacts, causing the ‘chch’ noise as the train passes over them.

It’s March 28. And Thunderbird opens in 28 days.

Would you like to ride two days before Opening Day – and help the wonderful Give Kids The World Village? Place a bid on our Thunderbird’s First Flight Auction.