Some assembly required

Some assembly required
New roller coaster at Six Flags nearing completition
By Tony Burchyns/Times-Herald, Vallejo
Article Launched: 05/18/2008



Workers install sections of the new Six Flags Discovery Kingdom roller coaster, dubbed "Tony Hawk's Big Spin" in Vallejo recently. (Times-Herald photo Stacey J. Miller)

Click photo to enlarge«12»Six Flags Discovery Kingdom's Maintenance Director Pat Clancy has a simply way of explaining what it's like to build a roller coaster.
"It's like putting together a giant Erector Set," he said.

A totally computerized Erector Set with cars that spin in circles, that is.

At least, that's what it's been like assembling the park's latest coaster, Tony Hawk's Big Spin. The $6.5 million ride, which opens May 23, is the park's first major new attraction in five years, and eighth roller coaster. Clancy heads up the roughly 10-person crew that started building it in April.

The German-designed coaster is impressive to the naked eye. But many of its secrets are hidden.

"People probably don't realize how computerized they are," Clancy said of the modern-day thrill ride.

Next to the black cylindrical support beams and red steel tracks sits a shed containing a 20-foot-long computer cabinet. All the breaking systems are automatic. A monitor shows every car's position on the track.

"That's the brains of the ride," explainedd Clancy, a 10-year park employee who's had a hand in installing four roller coasters.

The new ride started arriving in military shipping containers at Bay Area ports in early April, said Tim Titus, Discovery Kingdom assistant construction manager. Eight custom-built "spinning" coaster cars were the last pieces to clear customs, Titus said.

"The hardest part is getting everything here on time," Titus said. "We had a total of 18 containers." No pieces were missing, he added.

Gerstlauer GmbH of Germany designed, assembled and tested the entire ride before shipping it, giving park officials a high level of confidence.

It's taken about a month to assemble most of the 1,351-foot track, including a five-story-high lift hill.

Carriages that spin wildly and dip and glide through hairpin turns make this ride stand out among its peers. While not the biggest, steepest or fastest in the coaster family, Tony Hawk's Big Spin is turning heads among coaster enthusiasts gearing up for this summer's amusement park season.

Six Flags executives, meanwhile, are excited about a ride they feel appeals to children, teenagers and adults all at once. Six Flags Discovery Kingdom President Martin Lanthrop calls it a "family-friendly" thrill ride.

"When it comes to roller coasters, we work with many individuals to determine the type of coaster we want for the park," Lanthrop said.

For Six Flags, Tony Hawk's Big Spin is also a proven winner. Six Flags St. Louis opened one last year, along with Six Flags Fiesta Texas.

"It's already on the public's radar," Lanthrop said. "And we anticipate that it will be extremely popular."

Coaster buffs gleefully agree.

"This kind of coaster happens when a Wild Mouse and a Tilt-A-Wheel have a kid," said Darren Besoyan of Sacramento, a Six Flags fan and Northern California representative of American Coaster Enthusiasts, which has 7,000 members throughout the world. Besoyan said he rode coasters in seven states last summer.

"These kind of coasters tour the fair circuit," Besoyan continued. "But to have one permanently here is a real thrill for us."

Eighteen-year-old Eric Holmes of Oakland, who operates a Web site devoted to amusement parks (themeparkvillage.com), signed up for a hard-hat to glimpse the ride under construction earlier this month.

"It's an exciting moment for Six Flags," Holmes said, wearing a camera around his neck as he explored the twisted metal coaster. He compared the coaster to the Sierra Sidewinder at Knotts Berry Farm in Southern California. "This one's more compact with tighter turns, so it will add a different experience," he concluded.

Top speed will be 31 miles per hour. Sensors know if the trains are moving faster than usual, Titus said.

Up to four riders will sit facing each other during the 111-second ride. The spinning motions are meant to simulate legendary skateboarder Tony Hawk's tricks and maneuvers.

"I know the concept of it," said John Gerard, a retired physician living in San Diego and national spokesman for American Coaster Enthusiasts. "If you look at old pictures of Coney Island, they had a ride called the Virginia Reel. It was like hot tubs going down an S-shaped path. It's been reborn."

A French company called Reverchon issued the first modern spinning coasters, Gerard said, where passengers would face outward. About six or seven years ago, "it caught on like crazy," he said.

Gerard, who said he's ridden more than 600 coasters in his lifetime, has a simple explanation for the craze. "They're just fun ... it's like the Mad Tea Party at Disneyland."

Sacramento resident Sean Menefee, whose hobby Web site on California theme parks is called sm2designs.com, believes Tony Hawk's Big Spin will definitely bring out thrill-seekers of all ages.

"For the park, it's probably one of the best investments they've made in years," said Menefee, an adrenaline junkie who started riding roller coasters to conquer his fear of heights. "It's not going to be V2 or Medusa or Roar, but it will be a good combo of thrills."

Discovery Kingdom's V2: Vertical Velocity packs a 130-foot drop and a top speed of 65 miles per hour. Medusa packs a G-force of 4.5 along with seven inversions. Roar, the park's wooden coaster, includes a 95-foot drop and travels 50 miles an hour. Next to these "scream machines," Tony Hawk's Big Spin may seem tame.

But those building the "Erector Set" know why it's special.

"Each time you go on it, it'll be a different ride," Clancy said. "There's a lot of competition in the roller coaster business. We're always looking for something different."

DISCOVERY KINGDOM
'Rad' Opening Weekend: Tony Hawk's Big Spin opens Friday. Local and professional skateboarders, graffiti art displays and break-dancing performances are planned as part of a three-day launch celebration through May 25. Family activities will include skateboard lessons, graffiti art, skateboard deck assembly and DJ lessons.

Park Hours: Six Flags Discovery Kingdom is open Friday, May 23 from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday, May 24 from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday, May 25 from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. The park is open daily starting Memorial Day through Labor Day, Sept. 1.

TONY HAWK'S BIG SPIN
By the numbers:
Length: 1,351 feet
Height: 53 feet
Drop: 27 feet
Speed: 31 mph
Duration: 111 seconds
Capacity: 1,400 riders per hour
Cost: $6.5 million
Why you should care: Six Flags Discovery Kingdom's new roller coaster will allow riders to freely spin in circles. The 'spinning' coaster, opening Friday, is the park's first new major attraction in five years and the eighth roller coaster.
Source: Six Flags Discovery Kingdom