The Giant Drop Australia

[olivia]

Does anyone know what time it takes for the carriage/gondola on the Giant Drop to deccelerate?

 

Edited March 18, 2017 by olivia

[Gold Coast Amusement Force]

Please explain in more detail.

Also, povs of the giant drop are on YouTube which can give you data.

Edited March 18, 2017 by Gold Coast Amusement Force

[MaxxTheMonster]

Good old wiki...  "Upon opening, the eastern side of The Giant Drop featured a momentary pause shortly after the release from the top. This was caused by a set of magnetic brakes, which have since been removed baby."

Meanwhile using a stop watch and three seperate youtube videos I am getting between 0.75 and 0.86 seconds...  So less than a second from when it hits the brakes and is at the slow steady lowering speed back into the load / unload area...

[themagician]

Just curious, did anyone on here ever get to experience the GD east side when it had the mid drop brake? I had heard about it before, but have never heard anyone's opinion of it, who got to ride it.

I feel like it would loose the impact of what the complete drop has.

Edited March 18, 2017 by themagician

[Inverted]

Yes,  It was a different sensation from what i can remember,  cause it would give you the initial drop then catch you very soon after and then move slowly and gradually get faster tip it drops you again and free fall the majority of the tower.   wish it would return for a change.

see attached video.

 

 

[Cactus_Matt]

I only got a chance to ride the 'pre drop' version once, personally I thought it was preferable if only because the way it is and has been since (i.e. straight drop) does a number on my nerves, I suppose that's the point but The Giant Drop is the only ride that instills the same fear I had the very first time I rode it every subsequent time, I'll never get used to it.

[themagician]

^Agreed, I will do the majority of the rides on the coast over and over again. But GD is on that I've done dozens of times, but only can do it once, maybe twice in a day. It still makes my body seize up on the drop, and you seriously can never get used to that feeling it gives.

[Whombex]

Back in the day, I preferred the drop-catch-drop east side over the straight drop. You could tell the person controlling the queue (back when they had someone doing that!) that you preferred a side, and they'd adjust the numbers in the queue to suit your preference. This was back when everyone queued in the archway, and only the next ride's group were sent into the wait room, when it had actual theming of a mining control room.

For the east side, you had the same moment of 'terror' twice. The catch was still right at the top of the tower, so the freefall was almost the same durtion as the straight drop.

Edited March 18, 2017 by Glubbo

[Twilight Zone]

I asked a ride operator (Senior ride operator) and said that people were whining and complaining that they wanted to go on the normal drop side or the hold drop side leading to management removing this feature. But I have also heard from management that some changes are coming to the Giant Drop in the future.

[Gazza]

Its not as if they could have split the queue hey?

[Twilight Zone]

33 minutes ago, Gazza said:

Its not as if they could have split the queue hey?

I know right...but they're working on it.

[Cactus_Matt]

I'd love one side of the Giant Drop to feature stand up variants of the gondolas, and by love I mean would be even more petrified to ride than it currently is.

[Santa07]

5 minutes ago, Cactus_Matt said:

I'd love one side of the Giant Drop to feature stand up variants of the gondolas, and by love I mean would be even more petrified to ride than it currently is.

If we're talking about this kind of stand-up gondolas

My balls disagree

And by the looks of things, so does the guy second from the right

[Twilight Zone]

12 minutes ago, Cactus_Matt said:

I'd love one side of the Giant Drop to feature stand up variants of the gondolas, and by love I mean would be even more petrified to ride than it currently is.

That's a hint.

[rappa]

See I just don't think the ride needs any of that. Just stupid gimmicks which pale in comparison to the mentalness that is the ride is its current form. 

You only have to look at two six flags parks adding just that as a major thrill recently. 

I'd say the issue with the fake out drop is that DW love to only run one side for extended periods so that's gonna upset someone one way or another. 

[Santa07]

10 minutes ago, Twilight Zone said:

That's a hint.

I hope you're just trolling us. If they were going to add new gondolas to the GD you'd have to think they'd be smart enough to go with the latest drop tower technology

[Gazza]

^Ive  thought about that, but im not sure how well GD would be able to take the skyjump cars without fairly extensive modification. They'd be much heavier for starters, so new winches. The cars hang out a lot further from the tower, so a new station building. Because the cars hang out so much more I imagine they exert a bit more moment on the track than the current cars (Especially when braking) so you'd probably have to replace the tracks too.

It would pretty much be a full rebuild of the ride system.

But I think doing stand up or floorless cars would be similar enough in weight and profile to be an easier refit.

It's a strong ride, as DjRappa says, but Im a fan of the floorless cars, and would love to see em on GD.

[Twilight Zone]

Its very much a possibility @Santa07 but also in general the ride will be receiving some extensive TLC. For a fact you will and already can see some works very slowly being completed. Watch this space...

[Santa07]

1 hour ago, Twilight Zone said:

Its very much a possibility @Santa07 but also in general the ride will be receiving some extensive TLC. For a fact you will and already can see some works very slowly being completed. Watch this space...

Did the Dippin Dots guy tell you there were plans for an RMC too?

[Twilight Zone]

What?

[Brad2912]

If they need to basically re-do the entire ride system then there is no excuse not to go all out and go through with the long rumoured & oft-spoken idea for the Worlds Largest Churro. 

The new gondolas can be themed as globs of caramel falling/dripping down the side, in fact That would almost be the most coherent ride theming in the park.... 

[themagician]

Well there was that time that DW gave us hope

[Slick]

21 hours ago, Gazza said:

^Ive  thought about that, but im not sure how well GD would be able to take the skyjump cars without fairly extensive modification. They'd be much heavier for starters, so new winches. The cars hang out a lot further from the tower, so a new station building. Because the cars hang out so much more I imagine they exert a bit more moment on the track than the current cars (Especially when braking) so you'd probably have to replace the tracks too.

It would pretty much be a full rebuild of the ride system.

But I think doing stand up or floorless cars would be similar enough in weight and profile to be an easier refit.

It's a strong ride, as DjRappa says, but Im a fan of the floorless cars, and would love to see em on GD.

I've had the same though process a few times over too. I think for all the hassle of essentially throwing everything out and starting again, Dreamworld would still get a huge ROI given its one of their signature rides despite being nearly two decades old now. 4-6 seating across each side plus a northern side might keep the weight relative to the current 8-across seating, and honestly, I just think it'd be an insane experience.

[Twilight Zone]

And yes an insanely awesome experience it might be.

Edited March 20, 2017 by Twilight Zone
fixup

[Santa07]

I'd take the GD over a few of MW's coasters any day (not Superman of course - but I'd take it over Scooby or GL or possibly Arkham), making the experience even more insane and even more awesome would really excite me.