Falcon's Fury

[bobwadd]

It's great that BGT are so willing to accommodate fan questions and your photography requests Bob. Very refreshing!

Yes it is! I applaud them for their openness and the way they deal with the media. Travis and Kelly, thank you for all your help. :thumbs:


Now on to a small update sent to us by Kelly . . .

Starting today, hundreds of lead blocks are being loaded plate by plate, 150 pounds at a time to create this counterweight. Once fully constructed, the counterweight will total 68 tons and be loaded inside Falcon’s Fury. This unit will counterbalance the ride vehicle, similar to how an elevator operates, to create the force to pull riders nearly 300 feet up Falcon’s Fury. And then, you know what will happen next.

 

[Felipe]

Thanks Bob! And Kelly! And Travis!

I can't wait to go on Falcon's Fury! Meanwhile, it's too cool to see these updates! The BGT approach is so refreshing! :thumbs:

 

[bobwadd]

Once again I will have the opportunity to ask questions. This time in person. So if you have any questions about Falcon's Fury or Pantopia post them here. You can also PM or email me.

 

[anihilnation]

Cool! I'll be going to BGT on Friday, haven't been since November when they had only just put in the first part of the tower.

Does anybody have any links that show how exactly a drop tower such as this is engineered and how the counterweight works?
Do I have it correct that at the start of the ride the weight is on the top, and then the motors allow for a controlled descent of it, thus pulling up the ride vehicle?

 

[bobwadd]

^ Mostly correct. The motors actually assist in lifting the RV and riders. The counter weight offsets some of the weight of the RV/ride. You still need the RV/ride to weigh more than the counterweight as it relies on gravity to descend.

 

[fryoj]

^ Mostly correct. The motors actually assist in lifting the RV and riders. The counter weight offsets some of the weight of the RV/ride. You still need the RV/ride to weigh more than the counterweight as it relies on gravity to descend.

If this is built similar to other drop towers I have seen, the counterweight will be connected to a carrier by cables. The carrier moves down to the RV and latches on. It and the counterweight pull the RV up the tower then release it to fall. Once the RV is released, it is no longer controlled by the motors or counterweight and just gravity and the magnetic brakes control its descent. I'd think that the RV Carrier combo would be fairly balanced but heavier than the counterweight, but the RV itself should be lighter than the CW.

 

[Jwhee]

Is anyone here going to the hard hat tour on 2/5?

 

[klstorey]

Yeah, I'll be on the 10am one. I'm pretty excited about it! Might even wear my slap bracelets from the announcement press conference. (No, no I probably won't.) I'll make sure to get some pics on here afterwards.

 

[bobwadd]

Be there for the 10:00a tour.

 

[anihilnation]

If this is built similar to other drop towers I have seen, the counterweight will be connected to a carrier by cables. The carrier moves down to the RV and latches on. It and the counterweight pull the RV up the tower then release it to fall. Once the RV is released, it is no longer controlled by the motors or counterweight and just gravity and the magnetic brakes control its descent. I'd think that the RV Carrier combo would be fairly balanced but heavier than the counterweight, but the RV itself should be lighter than the CW.

Thanks Bob and Fryoj!

 

[anihilnation]

Just listening to an interview with the project manager and chief engineer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuZZL_BxstU&list=UU6lYzRxTvg1JHfcOTLTqawg;
The seats will move back to normal once the ride vehicle enters the magnetic brake run, will this be accomplished using magnetism, by having a magnet in the seat that repels the ones on the tower thus moving the chairs normal again?

 

[JayTourism]

Just listening to an interview with the project manager and chief engineer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuZZL_BxstU&list=UU6lYzRxTvg1JHfcOTLTqawg;
The seats will move back to normal once the ride vehicle enters the magnetic brake run, will this be accomplished using magnetism, by having a magnet in the seat that repels the ones on the tower thus moving the chairs normal again?

Hope this helps...Im pretty sure this is how it will be.

Also jwhee and I will also be attending..

 

[Octobers Fade]

I thought they were more like the Manta postion

 

[anihilnation]

Hope this helps...Im pretty sure this is how it will be.

Don't really think so, interview mentioned the seats would be pulled from the bottom, so I think as October's Fade mentioned, it will be more like in Manta.

 

[Felipe]

I thought they were more like the Manta postion

Yeah, I thought you were gonna be face-down :shrug: Either way, this is gonna be a pretty cool ride :thumbs:

 

[sierrak5]

Those diagrams look to be from Acrophobia with the slight tilt and "standing" seats.

 

[bobwadd]

Yes, definitely face down. We will have more info soon. :thumbs:

 

[JayTourism]

Yes, definitely face down. We will have more info soon. :thumbs:

Hopefully when we go to the Hard Hat tour they will tell us more
I must know lol.

 

[bobwadd]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Well, that escalated quickly. <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23falconsfury&amp;src=hash">[HASHTAG]#falconsfury[/HASHTAG]</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23top&amp;src=hash">[HASHTAG]#top[/HASHTAG]</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23droptower&amp;src=hash">[HASHTAG]#droptower[/HASHTAG]</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23tampa&amp;src=hash">[HASHTAG]#tampa[/HASHTAG]</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23awesome&amp;src=hash">[HASHTAG]#awesome[/HASHTAG]</a> @ Falcon's Fury <a href="http://t.co/jzzRg5h4tu">http://t.co/jzzRg5h4tu</a></p>&mdash; Kate Patton (@CheetahKatie) <a href="https://twitter.com/CheetahKatie/statuses/429764195316686848">February 1, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[anihilnation]

Cool picture Bob! I was there Friday and saw the 'crown' standing there behind Phoenix.