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Does Sitting At The Back Have More Airtime?

K

KarlDale

Roller Poster
Airtime is my faveroite aspect of a Roller Coaster and I always sit at the front, people said that Nitro at SFGA is better sitting at the back, is that true?
 
Depends entirely on the coaster.

Personally, I prefer B&M hypers, including Nitro, at the front. The first drops aren't quite as good, but the rest of the hills are a bit better in my opinion.
 
Front on Phoenix > Back on Phoenix.

From my experience with hypers and general air-time oriented rides the back is usually better but the front also can have its moments and even give better rides than the back of the ride, usually they end up balancing out imo.
 
It's really dependent on the ride.

Phoenix, Leviathan, and B&M Hypers I find better in the front while Jack Rabbit (KW) El Toro and others are in back.
 
Most rides I have ridden that have extreme airtime are basically the same throughout the train. GhostRider had some of the most insane air in the back after the MCBR before they stopped it, but a ride like Texas Giant has airtime so consistent throughout the train it really doesn't matter. First drop on TG in the back is much more intense than anywhere else on the ride, but the rest of the ride it is very similar.

But yeah it all depends on the ride.
 
Agreed UC, but some coasters it does make a real difference. If there is only a short drop before the next hill, or a corner, the back can be dead for airtime as the train starts to slow as it climbs/turns if the back isn't all the way over yet. Balder is a prime example of this. The airtime at the back is often killed completely by the short dip into a turn.

I found my best run on Balder was in the middle. Likewise, I found the best runs on Boulder Dash to be a few rows back where maybe you're maximising the amount of constant speed across the hill?

I do find mood makes a difference too. I love the feeling of being "pulled" or "whipped" over the top of a hill you get from the back, but sometimes I enjoy the feeling of being pushed over which gives that more sustained kind of floater.

I think the hill shape has a lot to do with it as well, which can vary a lot on wooden coasters, especially older ones where there was less "refined physics" involved in the engineering.
 
I find that front usually gives upwards ejector, whilst back will give the floating before being yanked down sensation. It varies massively between coasters, but I prefer most coasters in the front. It's a mix of the usually forces combined with the visuals, for me.

Phoenix is the poster child for "airtime is better in the front".
 
KarlDale said:
Airtime is my faveroite aspect of a Roller Coaster and I always sit at the front, people said that Nitro at SFGA is better sitting at the back, is that true?
Click to expand...
Usually I prefer the back since the first drop is better and since you get more sustained airtime over the hills. But on Nitro in particular I 100% agree with Gavin; front row is the place to be!
 
I actually prefer I305 in front, because while the back has better airtime over the first drop, front row provides a floating to ejector sensation. In the back you feel the "yanked" sensation. I like my butt floating out of my seat like in front :)
 
^What a kawinkydink that's how I prefer you! ;) But really, it is a great ride, some people just cant handle intense coasters, I get that.
 
I mean without that 300 foot drop, you wouldn't get like 4 seconds of airtime on the first drop AND that speed throughout the course, so no it isn't pointless.
 
I305 is amazing! If they just removed the **** restraints and replaced them with lapbars instead it would be #1 material!
 
There is no airtime on that first drop. There is no nothing on that first drop. If you close your eyes, it's like you aren't moving. Millenium Force is the same.

Why, I don't know. I can only assume the acceleration is pretty slow? And that the sense of speed comes mostly from comparisons to nearby objects. At such a height, there's no comparisons to be made.

Either way the first drop sucks.
 
Joey said:
There is no airtime on that first drop. There is no nothing on that first drop. If you close your eyes, it's like you aren't moving. Millenium Force is the same.

Why, I don't know. I can only assume the acceleration is pretty slow? And that the sense of speed comes mostly from comparisons to nearby objects. At such a height, there's no comparisons to be made.

Either way the first drop sucks.
Click to expand...
No idea what you're talking about here. The airtime is the most Ive felt on any drop Ive been on (comparable to" Apollo, Griffon), and my butt was shot out of my seat for a good 3 and a half seconds of pure ejector. That was in the front seat too. If you've ever seen Robb Alvey's POV you can see him flying out of his seat on the first drop. Thus that drop is wickedly insane full of airtime, intimidation, and speed.

EDIT: Take a look at my video and go to 0:27, you can visibly see that there is airtime there, if there isn't you've been glued to your seat.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o91CTcisvjc&feature=channel&list=UL[/youtube]
 
I didn't feel any airtime when I rode it, compared to Griffon and Apollo's Chariot which were blissful, i305 was just meh, was that it? Followed by greying out of death followed by it going too fast to begin to comprehend what it was doing and then the BEST part happens, it ends! Yay! +1, moving on.

Seriously, we had ERT on it and it loathed so much that after 3 rides (front back and middle) half of us went and mooched around the gift shop.
 
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