Flashback at SFMM

[Drewboy]

What is the go with the operation of Flashback at SFMM? On rcdb.com it says that the ride is not operating at present so I checked the six flags website and it doesn't say anything about whether the ride is operating or not? Rcdb.com also mentions that... "The Flashback is generally closed from May to September when the adjacent water park is open. Even outside of these times the Flashback's operation is very sparse. During the waterpark's 2003/2004 off-season, the Flashback never operated."

[Slick]

It's because its a crap ride. The ride has been passed over from like three or four different parks, and virtually no one in the community likes it, so uhh... there's your reason why Flashback is generally never open. It just sits there now as an excuse to say "SFMM now has 16 coasters!"

[Drewboy]

Yes I'm aware that its been to other parks before its current location at SFMM, but what is it that makes Flashback 'crap' and closed for a huge chunk of the year?

Edited October 22, 2005 by Drewboy

[Richard]

The reason it doesn't operate in Summer (when the water park is open) is because of its close proximity to the water park, it is seen as a distraction or nuissance to life guards. When the ride operated at previous parks it had been in cooler climates. When it moved to Southern California they had to use a harder compound to cope with the warmer operating temperatures. This resulted in a significantly louder ride than would have ever been anticipated. One theory that's a bit out there suggests that this was the first ride that ever featured "heartline design", which Werner Stengel and Messrs Bolliger and Mabillard had recently developed. Basically the idea is that the ride is designed around riders theoretical heartline instead of the track, resulting in a smoother and more flowing coaster. Six Flags, upon receiving the ride were convinced that it had been misengineered, seeing the way the track actually banked against the direction of the turn initially (this creates a more flowing turn). Despite being insisted that it was correct, Six Flages allegedly proceded to (under the guidance of their own in-house engineers) "correct" these banking issues. This is said to be the cause for the rough tracking on the ride, coupled with restrictive restraints (as a result of the very close clearances with supports).

[Nebuchanezzar]

Banked against the direction of the turn? Can you supply a photo or summat like that to further describe that, seeing as I'm guessing that all the photos on rcdb would be of the track after SF correction. I also though that the main reason why it didn't operate is because it was far too rough, and that no-one wanted to ride it.

[DisneyDoll]

I also though that the main reason why it didn't operate is because it was far too rough, and that no-one wanted to ride it.

[LunaParkFanatic]

It looks like a great ride, But sounds really bad. Why don't they just demolish it? It'd be better than having it in the park just rotting away! Or better yet, Fix it up & sell it off or keep it.

[goliath]

It looks like a great ride, But sounds really bad. Why don't they just demolish it? It'd be better than having it in the park just rotting away! Or better yet, Fix it up & sell it off or keep it.

Because then Cedar Point has one more coaster than them and that is a potential loss of business.

[mattcrombie]

I seen Flashback when I was recently at SFMM, it looked rundown from what i could see, like the area around it was all trashy and was a area to dump stuff like benches and I seen some trash cans. I really wanted to go on flashback when I was there, oh well.

Edited January 30, 2006 by mattcrombie