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What is the most surprising airtime moment you’ve experienced in your enthusiast career?

Nussimo

Roller Poster
The airtimehill after the second launch of F.L.Y. gives sustained expected floater, but the real suprise is the ecjectorish airtime u get after the second helix. If u sit on the right seat on the front u rly feel like flying violently against the back of the train and it is awesome.
 

bob_3_

Giga Poster
No idea what the name of the element is, but the banked..'thing' before the corner on to the last inversion of Taiga is ridiculous. You look at it, you watch POVs, and it doesn't look like it gives much air time. But damn, it properly flings you out of your seat, giving some crazy ejector that I can't explain.

To see what part I mean exactly, it happens between 55-59secs on this video:


Also, airtime blue balls...Bandit at Movie Park is the worst offender for me. So many hills that look like they could give airtime, but NOTHING

Haha I was thinking Taiga just has these random moments of intense air. Everytime I rode I had to give the restraint a little "congrats for doing your job" as it really feels like it has to work hard to keep you in. The first inversion is genius in the way is kicks you out then rotates the opposite way, if you're in the front your left hanging out your seat (in an airtime way not a hangtime way..) completely unable to see where the track is, looking down at the park below. It's such a bizzare sensation.

Then that mini pop of air before he immelman seems to come out of nowhere. And then the drop out of the s-bends especially in the back row is super aggressive. Then it's final surprise pop as it enters the turn into the final inversion as you mentioned. Honestly I was left so impressed how Intamin managed to squeeze unexpected force out of every inch of track.
 
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The airtimehill after the second launch of F.L.Y. gives sustained expected floater, but the real suprise is the ecjectorish airtime u get after the second helix. If u sit on the right seat on the front u rly feel like flying violently against the back of the train and it is awesome.
Thinking more about this topic, I knew it wouldn't be long before that F.L.Y airtime was mentioned! It is so weird isn't it! Can't say I enjoyed it as much in the flying position, but still very unique and interesting.

Touching again on airtime blue balls, Colossos at Heide Park I think is a massive offender. Only the first run of hills gives anything and the rest of it is just such a bloody tease. Admittedly, my rides were with half full trains and post-retracking, but given the reputation the other Intamin prefabs have and after being on Balder I expected so much more!
 

Fleetwood_Mack

Mega Poster
Icon was certainly a surprise. It looks so incredibly dull in POVs and I remember quite a few enthusiasts at the time slagging it off for lack of airtime so I went to it with very low expectations and was pleasantly alarmed when I floated out of my seat exiting the tophat/hill. All the way to the bottom. I've done front/back rows several times now which seem to both give off various pops of airtime and interesting forces at different points. Don't get me wrong it could have been a much better coaster but other enthusiasts made me think it was going to be an absolute turdburger when in reality it's really rather fun!

I've never experienced any kind of airtime on Colossus but with my thick rugby thighs coupled with those awful, awful restraints that could double as some sort of medieval torture device I don't suppose that's a surprise. Never heard of it though I have heard of the front row airtime on Stealth? I've only ever done back rows at the Merlin parks because apparently if you're disabled you're trash and must sit at the back. That's a rant for another day though.
 

Serena

Miss CoasterForce 2016
Staff member
Social Media Team
I would also like to add the last 3 bunny hops of All Gerstlauer Bobsleds Ever Made. For a family coaster, they deliver some pretty serious airtime in the final section!

Retracked Collosos is the airtime equivalent of the friend zone. You're always gonna look at it and wonder "what if...?" What if we could be so much more than a muted retracked pre-fab...those first few airtime hills, did they not mean anything to you? ??
 

Hyde

Matt SR
Staff member
Moderator
Social Media Team
- Goliath at SFOG... I was expecting it to be lacking the airtime like much of the SFOT Titan, but was surprised with much airtime throughout the ride!
That's a good mention, the dip headed into the turnaround helix specifically I remember had a quick pop of airtime that really caught me!

Maybe this one is hard to believe, but for me it might be River King Mine Train at sfstl. To activate this secret, you must be a small thirteen-year-old, sitting in the back seat with the lapbar barely closed. I remember getting whipped out of the final drop in the tunnel so fast I almost fell out of the train.

OK, maybe my childhood memories are not entirely accurate, but I still remember that moment very clearly. Highly recommend A+
I do recall that hill being good! A rare moment on a good ol' Arrow Mine Train. ?
 

Edward M

Strata Poster
I come back to these hills again and again, but I do believe that Florida's Space Mountain has some of the best moments of ejector on any coaster. I remember, back in 2015, when I revisited for the first time in years, those hills took me by such surprise. Even after dozens of rides in the years since, those hills still enthrall me thanks to design of the ride, being in the dark and intentionally disorienting.

For a more traditional choice, I'll say Lightning Rod's wave turn. I had been on Outlaw Run and knew that wave turns could provide a nice moment of sideways airtime, but LRod's wave turn was just so sustained!! Looking at something like a POV, it would be hard to try and predict the feeling that you get, especially in 2016 when an experience like this was so much harder to come by.
 

Pokemaniac

Mountain monkey
Staff member
Administrator
Moderator
Bit of an edge case, but I suppose it applies. I think I must have gotten three seconds of airtime by surprise during the end of It's Tough to be a Bug at Animal Kingdom, when that "exiting the theatre" bit happens. Light entomophobia, no sir. I subscribed early as a kid and got the full package. Airtime was good, though.
 
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Alessio

Roller Poster
Quite a few that came to my mind:

-Heiße Fahrt at Freizeitpark Klotten

It is by far the best Bobsled Coaster Gerstlauer has built in my opinion. The 2 Twisted Airtime Hills after the Helix provide solid ejector airtime and the bunny hops at the end have floater.

-Revenge of the Mummy at Universal Studios Florida

The upwards launch is followed by a hill that banks into a curve and provides solid floater airtime while you are being thrown into the curve out of nowhere. Didn’t expected that so it was very surprising.

-Coney Island Cyclone & Grizzly at KD

Even though both coasters are quite old, they provide way better airtime that expected. Cyclone throws you out of your seat with just a buzz bar. Haven’t even ridden it in the back so I can just imagine how it rides there. Grizzly also provided some strong airtime moments on the big dips that came unexpected.

-Devils Mine at Fort Fun

Even though it only is a Vekoma Junior Coaster, it has a custom layout and is the most insane kiddie coaster I have ridden. The first drop after the lift is quite steep. In the back row you are thrown out of your seat abruptly and have some weird string ejector for a short period of time.
The moment is quite famous under German enthusiasts but I guess Fort Fun isn’t a park on everyone’s radar.

Some others that came to my mind without in depth explanation:
Taiga: basically every Element has strong airtime, especially between the Immelmann & Heartline Roll
Junker: Big Hill After the Top Hat
 

TMCoasters

Mega Poster
Some notable ones for me:

The high five on Dauling Dragons. I figured they'd be a pop of air and lats but it delivered some insane ejector!

Skull Mountain's first drop, duh

Dinoconda's zero g roll. I honestly didn't know what to expect here, but it delivered some of strangest and craziest airtime and lats ever

Soaring Dragon & Dancing Phoenix's first drop has some actual stupid ejector air in the back row that took me totally by surprise. The ride as a whole is actually really great too.
 
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