Ultimate Coaster Design Book Updated

Roller coaster wheel carrier

I've just released the new edition of my book, Coasters 101: An Engineer’s Guide to Roller Coaster Design. If you purchased the Kindle version previously you get free updates. If you purchased the paperback version, you can get the latest digital version for free now too! The latest edition (third) has pictures, diagrams, new content, a better layout, and other general improvements. My goal is to make this book simply the best, most complete, most detailed guide to designing roller coasters you can find. A few of the most recent reviews tend to agree:

“Very impressive! What a great resource to have..for anyone.” - John S.

“Thanks for writing a very good book. I could not put it down. Lot's of great information. I am a technology and engineering teacher and the information I found here is very helpful in trying to get students more excited about engineering.” Amazon reviewer

Rotation about the track spine

Some of the questions about roller coaster design you will have answered after reading include:

What software do roller coaster engineers use?

What college major is best to become a coaster designer?

How many engineers does it take to design a coaster?

How do roller coasters reach their highest point?

Why don’t coaster cars roll backwards down the lift hill?

Why do wheels on steel coasters come in pairs?

Why do we see so many clones of the exact same ride built at multiple parks?

How does a 4D coaster work?

How much does a roller coaster cost?

How much time does it take to design a roller coaster?

What is the difference between LIM and LSM propulsion?

What sort of background is necessary to get into the roller coaster engineering field?

How do you calculate the amount of power needed for the lift hill?

Currently, there are three options to purchase: 

Paperback - $11.99
Kindle - $9.99
Digital PDF - $5.99

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Observation Wheels Book Released

I've just released my latest book - Observation Wheels: Guide to the World's Largest Ferris Wheels. The race to build the largest observation wheel is on! Ferris wheels have been around for over one hundred years but have only just recently begun climbing to new heights. The classic Ferris wheel can be found towering over almost every amusement park and carnival midway. Today, these giant, high tech observation wheels are becoming status symbols for cities around the world. The race to build the biggest is heating up. Who invented the Ferris wheel? How do they work? Where are the most unique Ferris wheels found? Observation Wheels: Guide to the World’s Largest Ferris Wheels answers all of these questions and more, including details on more than 60 of the world's most unique giant wheels.

 

This is the "sort-of" sequel to Coasters 101: An Engineer's Guide to Roller Coaster Design (which will hopefully be getting updated this fall). I've compiled statistics on almost seventy of the world's biggest Ferris wheelsm including the most unique ones in the world. Did you know there are eccentric Ferris wheels that combine the classic Ferris wheel with a car that rolls on a track like a roller coaster? Learn about it and more in my new book.

 

You can learn more about observation wheels by visiting my latest website.

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Cedar Point 2013 GateKeeper Layout

The layout for Cedar Point's 2013 record breaking wing coaster has leaked online a day before the official announcement. GateKeeper will be large and in charge at the front of the park. This will be B&M's fifth wing coaster built in three years and will be the world's tallest, fastest, and longest. The official announcement is scheduled for 3:30pm EST tomorrow (Monday, August13). Pictured below is the Gatekeeper layout image released by the Sandusky Register and on Cedar Point's website.

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Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier

Looking for things to do in Galveston, Texas?

 

Galveston Pleasure Pier is one of the few spots in the world that has this many rides over the water! Known as “Coney Island of the South”, the pier juts 1130 feet into the Gulf of Mexico and is 120 feet-wide. The Galveston amusement pier now boasts one roller coaster and 15 other thrilling rides. The original Pleasure Pier stood from 1943 until 1961 when it was destroyed by a hurricane. A soft opening event was held on May 25^th, 2012. The total cost of the project is estimated at sixty  million dollars but will bring new jobs back to the Galveston area.  Three million guests are expected to visit the pier in its first year of operation. The park is located at Galveston Pier 21. There will also be a retail center called Shops at Pleasure Pier on the north side of Seawall Boulevard and a Bubba Gump Shrimp restaurant will be built to go along with the rides and games.

 

The main attraction is the brand new, 100 foot tall steel roller coaster dubbed “Iron Shark.” It’s a Gerstlauer Eurofighter style ride compacted into a tiny footprint.  The Pleasure Pier's Iron Shark roller coaster will attack when least expected with its 100‐foot vertical lift and beyond‐vertical drop. Tracking at 52 miles per hour, the vehicles will glide the 1,246‐foot coaster track.  Check out the video embedded below to see the ride in action:

The pier will feature a number of traditional rides, including a 36-foot double-decker carousel and a 100-foot tall Ferris Wheel. Another highlight of the Galveston boardwalk is the Texas Star Flyer, a 230 foot tall swing ride which swing your dangling feet out over the ocean. Please note, this ride is not yet open as it is still under construction. Rides closed are the Galaxy Wheel, Texas Star Flyer and Revolution.

The Pleasure Pier Galveston theme park is wholly owned by Landry's, Inc.

Additional tags:

pleasure pier galveston

galveston fishing piers

galveston things to do

pleasure pier galveston tx

paradise pier Galveston

paradise pier galveston tx

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Cedar Point 2013 Coaster

The Sandusky Register is reporting that Cedar Point will remove the Space Spiral observation ride and the Disaster Transport indoor roller coaster in order to make room for a B&M wing rider roller coaster to open in 2013. According to the newspaper, a memo dated February 15, 2012 from Cedar Fair CEO Matt Ouimet sent to Cedar Fair's board of directors claims the new 2013 roller coaster will be the tallest, fastest, and longest wing coaster in the world when it opens next year. Details at this point are thin but we do know the lift hill will rise 170 feet in the air and the ride will most likely be an out and back style design (think Wild Eagle as opposed to X-Flight). The front entrance to the park and parking lot will also be upgraded.

Cedar Point has not made an official announcement about the new ride but did confirm they will be investing $25 million into the park next year. Cedar Point's 2013 ride will keep their roller coaster count at 16 (was 17 then will drop to 15 after removing Wildcat and Disaster Transport and will return to 16 after new ride is built). After going years without removing a major coaster, Matt Ouimet has already signed the death warrants for two roller coasters not even a full year into his new job.

While this is great news for Cedar Point fanboys and roller coaster enthusiasts, families who like to visit the park and ride together have to be groaning. The park is once again removing family friendly attractions and not replacing them with something suitable. Though the Disaster Transport buiding has been an eyesore for years, the Space Spiral is an iconic structure at Cedar Point. While this makes me sad, I can't wait to see the Cedar Point 2013 roller coaster blueprints and layout.

Be sure to subscribe to our RSS feed and follow us on Twitter for the latest updates on Cedar Point's 2013 coaster.

And in other exciting Ohio news, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium are building a huge expansion for the 2014 season. Safari Africa will include giraffe feeding, camel rides, and a new zipline experience. Read more about Columbus Zoo 2014 Safari Africa at Zoo Tails blog.

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New Thrills Connect Ad in AAA Magazine

Cedar Point (and Cedar Fair for that matter) are rolling out a new marketing campaign this year called Thrills Connect (which I detailed in an earlier post). I saw one of these new "emotion over promotion" ads today in AAA's magazine, Home and Away. In case you can't read it the white text says "If kids are going to wake you early, rides should be involved."

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Disney World Vacation And Savings Travel Guide Review

What's better than looking up Disney ride layouts online? Going to Disney World and actually riding them! Disney World Vacation And Savings Travel Guide is a new book where an ex-Disney employee reveals insider secrets on how to have the best and most cost effective vacation to Walt Disney World resort. This book proves you don't have to be ultra-rich to have an excellent time at Disney World. Instead of spending $5,500 on the trip you could have just as much fun for only $2,700! The book is laid out very professionally and even includes worksheets to help keep your vacation organized. The Ultimate Disney World Savings Guide is updated on a monthly basis to keep up with the constant change around the resort.

Click Here to check it out!

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Brochure Spotlight: Ontario Place 1999

After hearing the news that the Ontario Place rides will not reopen for the 2012 season I finally got around to scanning in my brochure and park map from Ontario Place 1999. I posted a video earlier of one of my personal favorite log flumes which will be missed. It was a very unique park so hopefully whatever happens to the property is just as unique!

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Cedar Fair's new marketing strategy: Thrills Connect

I'm very impressed by Cedar Fair's new marketing strategy thus far. They have hired a new company using "emotion over promotion." The new slogan is "Thrills Connect" and encourages family to visit the parks together and no movie or video games can replace the physical thrill of amusement park rides. The new president has the company headed in the right direction. Here's a few sample posters which I totally love:

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How to design a roller coaster book

If you’re an avid fan of Roller Coaster Tycoon or No Limits coaster simulations then you may really enjoy this new book. Have you ever wondered what it takes to design and build a roller coaster? At last, there's a book that shows you. Coasters 101: An Engineering Guide to Roller Coaster Design examines the numerous diverse aspects of roller coaster engineering, including some of the mathematical formulas and engineering concepts used.

This technical guide is the most detailed roller coaster design book to date and will take you through the entire process, from concept to creation. A must read for every enthusiast and aspiring roller coaster engineer!

 I'll be talking about roller coasters on an upcoming episode of the Omgea Tau podcast (science and engineering in your headphones).

Purchase the paperback from Amazon or Create Space eStore.

Purchase the eBook Kindle edition from Amazon.

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Limited collector's edition of "Disneyland Paris, From Sketch to Reality"

This is your last chance to buy this very rare, limited collector's edition of "Disneyland Paris, From Sketch to Reality" which is said to be the best book ever done on a Disney theme park! It's a bit pricey at 115 euros (including shipping anywhere in the world) but that is a lot less than the $1200 it was going for on eBay! If you're a true Disney theme park fan then this book is a must have. There are over 700 high quality photographs from all areas and phases of the design of the Disneyland Paris theme park.

Click here to learn how to order.

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Most Popular Amusement Posts of 2011

Everyone is doing it so I might as well too. We're taking a minute to review some of the highlights in the amusement industry from 2011 by linking to our most popular posts from 2011:

1. S&S Worldwide's new thrill ride
2. Roller Coaster Tycoon 4 Under Development 
3. Fun Facts: Disney Hollywood Studios Tower of Terror 
4. What are the mechanics of Mission: Space at EPCOT? 
5. EPCOT's Spaceship Earth Layout Ride Diagram 

Now let's look at some of my amusement park related videos I put together, including my winning K'nex Demon Drop model (in no particular order):

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Check out our sister site: Zoo Tails!

Not only am I a fan of amusement parks, I also really enjoying visiting different zoos across the country. I have created another blog called Zoo Tails to post all of my zoo related news, stories, pictures, and trip reports. As an engineer, I am think I am drawn to zoos because I love to see how the exhibits are designed. I especially like exhibits with creative, innovative, or interactive features, such as the "Sniff Ports" in the Polar Bear exhibit at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium (my "home zoo").

Embedded below is a quick video I put together from my visit to the Cleveland Zoo in June. Check it out!

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I am one of 24

I've been selected as one of the 24 Jr. Researchers for the Ride Institute of Technology. What that actually means or entails I have no idea! Hopefully we will find out more tomorrow after HersheyyPark's 2012 announcement.

By the way, I love the terminology used in this sentence: 
The Ride Institute of Technology has reviewed your application using a proprietary admixture of random forests, naïve Bayesian estimators, RESTful services, gossip protocols, data sharding, Byzantine quorums, erasure coding, vector clocks, and of  course, combinatorial optimization.

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HersheyPark 2012 Viral Marketing Campaign Update

 HersheyPark has launched another massive online viral campaign for their new 2012 roller coaster. Everything is pretty much spelled out up to this point here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attraction_2012_%28Hersheypark%29

Here's the information on the actual ride that is all but confirmed at this point:

Height: 212
Angle of first drop: 85 degrees

Color codes:
"pastel blue" (supports)
"traffic yellow" (tracks)
"Night Blue" (train)Hershey trademarked the name "SkyRush" (although this is not the "confirmed" name quite yet). There is also a heavy military-type theme shaping up....like a "test pilot" type feel.

Possible layout?

Also, a fuzzy image the coaster was released, and it essentially looks like a mini I305. It seems there is still a rumor that it could be a wingrider-style ride, although my bet is on a standard sit-down coaster. 


A new clue was released today revealing the message: In the end only 4 will ride. Looks like this is a contest to be the first to ride the new coaster. Can't wait to see the final layout renderings (though I hope they hold off on those until a little while after vertical construction has begun. I love trying to figure out the layout just from the pictures of the footers). Figure out the next clue for yourself:

• Ride Institute of Technology website
• LaMarcus Brothers Mid-Air Excavation website

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