SANDUSKY Roller coasters thrill some, frustrate others

High-tech coasters deliver thrills but also frustration when they're not working.
SANDUSKY, Ohio (AP) -- With a rumble and a blast from the hydraulic motors, riders on the world's fastest roller coaster are pinned to their seats and rocket to 120 mph in four seconds.
For those brave enough to get on Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point, it's intimidating and thrilling. For the park operators, the high-tech $25 million coaster has been frustrating because of frequent breakdowns that closed it for nearly a month.
"We kept walking by looking at it. I just want to see them test-drive it," said Beth Pierce, a coaster fan who recently made a two-day trip to the park with four friends from Erie, Pa., and found the ride idled.
She and her friends were disappointed but not surprised that the first-year ride wasn't operating.
Coasters powered by cutting-edge technology -- so sophisticated that they have drawn interest from military engineers -- are increasingly becoming the top attraction at amusement parks nationwide. In some cases, these prototype rides that rely on hydraulics, linear induction motors and compressed air instead of gravity are proving to be a maintenance headache and a costly gamble.
Fixing flaws
"Parks that can afford the large, expensive rides are the ones looking for that competitive edge," said Tim O'Brien, Amusement Business' senior editor for parks and attractions. "Somebody has to take that first initial plunge."
Six Flags Magic Mountain near Los Angeles spent much of 2002 fixing design flaws that plagued its X roller coaster, which has one-of-a-kind spinning seats. It is still closed every Wednesday for weekly maintenance.
The California park and two other Six Flags parks near Chicago and Atlanta also spent months ironing out flaws on Deja Vu, an inverted coaster that travels backward and forward.
Park workers referred all questions to Six Flags Inc. Messages seeking comment were left at the corporate office in Oklahoma City.
All of the problems with high-tech coasters have been mechanical and not safety-related, park operators say.
Cedar Point's triumph
Cedar Point trumpeted the opening of its 420-foot coaster this spring, but within a month it was grounded by a blown valve in the hydraulic propulsion system.
"This is the most frustrating ride I've ever been through," said Richard Kinzel, who has been with the park since 1972 and is now president of Cedar Fair LP, the parent company of Cedar Point. "We'll think we have it solved, and then six hours later it's down."
Engineers brought in from Switzerland and Germany by the ride's maker, Intamin AG, spent a month overhauling the coaster. More trouble followed as it blew motors and pumps, Kinzel said.
"Everyone asks what the problem is, but we just don't know," he said. "I don't think the manufacturers know."
Intamin President Sandor Kernacs did not return messages seeking comment.
The coaster reopened in early July. It is opening late on some days and, sometimes, not at all.
But when it is operating, it's a ride like none other, coaster fans say.
Technology revolution
Technology has revolutionized the theme park industry.
Coasters that launch riders from the station into twists and turns have become standard at bigger parks. The first full-circuit coaster to top 100 mph -- Japan's Dodonpa -- uses an air-launch system.
Walt Disney World's Epcot in August is to officially launch Mission: Space, a $150 million ride that uses hydraulic lifts to simulate the forces of a rocket flight.
The demand for more exciting rides grows each year, said Jim Seay, president of Premier Rides. The company, based in Millersville, Md., is known for its coasters that employ linear induction motors to launch trains out of the station and into multiple inversions.
Developed in the mid-1990s, the motors create an electromagnetic wave that catapults riders to speeds of 60 mph in a little over three seconds.
He said theme park guests would rather have "a new innovative, exciting attraction that might have some challenges as opposed to going down the street and seeing the same thing."