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Falcon's Fury

^I'm also glad to see Timbuktu getting some attention. Supposely the entrance plaza will be open-aired to give Timbuktu more of a grand entrance, with the drop tower being the first thing guests see as they enter through the plaza. Essentially the drop tower will be the iconic structure of Timbuktu.

Curious about the drop tower's layout. 8 sets of 4 seats? So it's going to be octagon-shaped? A little odd. Why not just make it a circle? My only guess is that it will make guest seat-assigning a little easier. As long as the tower is tall, I don't care I guess.
 
From Screamscape:

2013 - Drop Tower - Rumor - (3/13/12) Some very interesting news has come in from a reader who visited Busch Gardens over the weekend. While waiting in line to ride Sandstorm they spied a series of small holes (“each about the size of a small dessert plate”) that had been drilled in the ground all around the Sandstorm ride as well as a few holes outside of the ride’s retaining wall between it and the arcade. Digging a little deeper, I’m told they were taking core samples to test the stability of the ground under this area, and the initial results were not quite what they had hoped for. This could cause the proposed Drop Tower ride to be relocated to a new site in the park, or could delay the project by several months (late 2013, early 2014?) are extra site work would be required to stabilize the site to hold the drop tower ride.

EDIT: Nevermind:

2013 - Drop Tower - Planning - (3/14/12) Screamscape sources tell us that the drop tower project will proceed at the Sandstorm location after all. Dealing with ground issues like this in Florida is something BGT is well used to dealing with, as I’m told there were similar problems that had to be dealt with during the construction of Cheetah Hunt as well.
 
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A drop tower is defiantly A great replacement from Sandstorm but Lets see how many people it's actually going to drag into the Park

Did you realize that Sandstorm is just be moved? Technically not being replaced just relocated to accommodate the drop tower.
 
DESERT DIVE may be the name of the new drop tower.

Though they mention that while it isn't yet official and can be changed down the line, ParkRumors has learned that "SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment filed a new trademark application for the name Desert Dive."
 
I rode the one in Williamsburg, and while it was fun, it is just a single drop and pretty simple. Yeah another ride... I wish they would put those resources somewhere else like
Rhino Rally that needs some TLC.
 
From a very reliable source:
Word is, we are getting Pit Fall (Intamin Giant Drop Tower) from Kennywood which closed last season. So looks like we'll be getting a recycled ride; which I have no problem with of course.

Also more about the ride:

From Wikipedia:
Pitt Fall was a drop tower ride located at Kennywood amusement park in West Mifflin, PA. When it opened in 1997, it was the tallest drop tower in the world. The ride was manufactured by Intamin and is known in the industry as "Giant Drop".

In June 2011, it was put for sale and was bought in early September to an undisclosed buyer. It will be replaced by Black Widow in 2012

Rider experience

Riders take a seat and pull down their safety harnesses. After the "all-clear" is given, the seats lift off the ground and begin to ascend to the top of the tower.

After clearing the brakes, the seats pick up speed, reaching 12 mph. The riders are held 229 feet in the air for several seconds, after which the ride vehicle is released from the couplings. This causes it to free fall nearly 150 feet at 65 mph.

The ride vehicle is stopped by magnetic brakes. Afterward, the riders release their safety harnesses and exit the ride.

Kennywood_41.JPG
 
Intamin Giant Drops are my favorite drop towers. Out of the different types I've been on (S&S, Intamin, ToT) nothing compares to the drop sensation I get on those. Scare the heck out of me actually.

I would be more than happy with that. I was kind of hoping they'd go even taller though :p
 
Okay at park today. Talked to an employee about Drop Tower and they said that they had put on hiatus and there is a chance it may not happen. But he said it probably will be put off hiatus
 
Personally I'm ehh at best with this whole thing unless it brings major love to Timbuktu. I would much rather have the following,

-Intamin Prefab Wooden Coaster
-B&M Giga or Intamin Mega
-Darkride coaster or flume hybrid-JTA or Verbolten come to mind.
 
Personally I'm ehh at best with this whole thing unless it brings major love to Timbuktu. I would much rather have the following,

-Intamin Prefab Wooden Coaster
-B&M Giga or Intamin Mega
-Darkride coaster or flume hybrid-JTA or Verbolten come to mind.
This would be great at BGT, their water rides are basic and that would be a awesome replacement for the Tidal Wave
 
I heard they were renaming Stanley falls to hippos of the nile
I wouldn't mind losing Stanley Falls and Tidal Wave...I know they have history behind them, but they need to be updated...would love to see a ride like JTA only with an Indian Jones/African Temple feel to it..
 
Stanley Falls looks horrible, ugly brown stains, and I would love to see it redone with a little more thrill.
Tidal wave is pretty boring and also needs some adventure.
 
Think this will impact BGTs plans?
Seems like nothing but haeadaches...

One of Busch Gardens newest signature rides — the Mach Tower — has been closed indefinitely for reasons a park official said were not safety-related.

Park spokesman Kevin Crossett said Mach Tower was removed from service July 12 while park officials "review manufacturer-recommended changes to the ride's parameters." Crossett said the current closure is unrelated to a previous closure in late June he characterized as maintenance-related.

"It's as good a time as any," Crossett said, of the closure's timing. He characterized the move as following "best practices," and added: "It's not a safety-related issue."

In an email, Crossett explained: "The review is an attempt to alleviate future ride down-time issues. Removing Mach Tower from service benefits guests by reducing the amount of time Mach Tower is down for maintenance and related issues. Mach Tower will return to service soon, but no official date has been set."






Mach Tower — a 240-feet-tall ride that incorporates features like vibrating seats, a spiraling carriage and onboard audio for effect as riders are lifted past the tree tops and suddenly dropped back to ground level — opened to riders in late August 2011 after weeks of delays related to unspecified "technical issues."



"Both Mach Tower and Verbolten are new attractions and will be shutdown periodically to perform maintenance and to tweak various aspects of the ride to ensure it provides the highest quality experience for our guests," Crossett stated. "We would rather shut down a ride briefly to perform these procedures than provide an inferior experience for our guests. We think our guests understand and appreciate our willingness to go well beyond the minimum necessary to operate a ride."
 
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