Res Ipsa Loquitur

Well, it looks like I've just added another "to do" for our 6Flags list next summer. I love roller coasters, so thanks for the heads up!

Do NOT plan a trip to that park until you verify that it's running reasonably well.

Cedar Point has had Top Thrill Dragster for two seasons, and has yet to get it to perform reliably. It's a temperamental beast, and goes down several times a day. If Cedar Point (the king of reliable rides) can't get it to run consistently, Six Flags (the king of "xxx is closed today") hasn't a prayer.

There's a fair amount of skepticism in the enthusiast world about this ride. Too many prototype coasters that don't perform very well. We seem to be taking a wait-and-see attitude on this one.

It appears to my admittedly uneducated eye that they're starting to really push design limits. And I've read way too many tort/product liability cases about what happens when you do that to get on one of the new coasters.

Ain't gonna happen.

Ok, now you're scaring me. :) I always think about those things as I'm being strapped into the machine and we're climbing our way up.

Let me assuage your fears. I do NOT regard any of these coasters as deathtraps. If anything, I think most manufacturers are overly cautious.

My concerns are simply that the damn things won't run at all. The Six Flags Deja Vu coasters are notorious for being down all the time. Even the, ahem, "credit whore" enthusiasts have had a difficult time getting rides on them. Same with Top Thrill Dragster. If things aren't exactly right, the computer throws a hissy and shuts the ride down completely.

Can't get hurt if the thing won't run.