I wanted to bring this up because of the concern ive had about flight deck AKA TOP GUN Last Night I was at the park and i had a blast the only problem i saw was on Flight Deck ive noticed that the shock absorbers that control the swing of the boat seem to have a lot of give in them. I was riding and i would have to say we were only 12 inches from hitting the posts that support the track about 2 times. while coming into the storage track area we even hit went 90 degrees to the deck. Anyone have this experience?? Ive worked this ride in 03 part time and we never came that close to hitting anything in 03. I might not know what im talking about I dont know i just know that it freaked me out.

The ride has ridden that way since day one...

I see no difference in its operation now than then.

I think your memory is playing tricks on you.

You mention that the ride appears to come "within 12 inches" of the supports today. I guess my question would be, how close did it "used" to come to the supports? In order to be "noticeable," such a change would have to be in the alley of like, a foot... No change in shock absorbers would change the distance that much.

I don't think the train would be able to hit a post even if the shock absorbers didden't work at all.

Yes, the cars can swing a full 180 degrees without hitting the supports. The clearance is too great.

Yes that may be true, but how would it do against a car too close to the track?

If memory serves me right there was a 2-2 1/2 foot clearance in 03'

I said it once and I will say it again. I have ridden Top Gun every year since it opened and Flight Deck since it was named such. I see NO difference in its swinging. None whatsoever.

I said it once and I will say it again. I have ridden Top Gun every year since it opened and Flight Deck since it was named such. I see NO difference in its swinging. None whatsoever.

Then I stand corrected... darn me and my memory maybe i am developing a phobia... I hope not lol I love coasters to much

I don't know how anything besides relocating the track could change a clearance by a foot and a half... Like... How would that even be possible based on any mechanical aspect of the trains changing or aging? Weakening shock absorbers somehow swinging the train out a further foot and a half? That would be a big deal. I have to agree that it hasn't changed since the first time I rode it.

This must have something to do with the fading paint job.

^Or the lack of theming on the ride.

Shock absorbers cost money. That's what the Gillette sponsorship was for. It was sponsored in 2003....right?

The shock absorbers will wear down throughout the year, so yes the swings do get more violent throughout the year. However this is to be expected. If you see a change, that is the reason. No reason for alarm however.

And the Gillette sponsorship was just to get more money into the park in another sponsorship. There was no set rule that the money from that sponsorship had to go to the ride.

Geeze - I thought that maybe Gillette sponsored the ride's under carraige BLADES for braking!

I remember in 2003 that we were told to wear special uniform peices when i worked White Water Canyon sponsored by Huntington Bank. They were these visors with the banks logo on them. I remember i lost mine within 2 weeks lol.

I like the last swing on the coaster. Great ending to a great ride.

Yes, I love this ride! The forceful swings make iit the best!

The shock absorbers will wear down throughout the year...

No they won't.

I thought that it was swinging farther too. But I guess not....

I haven't ridden it before the 11' season, and it didn't seem to overly "swingy" to me. I rode it in May then again in September, and the only thing that made me feel un safe was all 5 times I've rode it one of my friends restraints came un-done.

If you hang around here enough, you'll come to understand the "inner workings" of roller coasters and other rides, and recognize how mistaken your friend must be. Complex mechanical systems and redundant safety features are in place on all roller coasters. The restraints on Flight Deck are (to my knowledge) unlocked from underneath the train or by pressing a pedal along the side of each individual car. If one restraint is unlocked, all of the restraints in that car (four seats) would be, as well. Therefore, it's not possible to manually release the restraints during the ride.

Sometimes rides can definitely give the feeling of weightlessness, and the rigorous swaying of Flight Deck may make it seem like your over the shoulder restraint is fitting loosely. However, the idea that one restraint might come undone is not only extraordinarily improbable and mechanically unlikely, but that it would happen five times to one person on five separate instances makes it about as close to statistically impossible as it can be.

I don't doubt your friend truly felt like her restraint came undone at least the first time, but as a community that tries to get people to enjoy Kings Island and understand it, I feel like it's necessary to let you know how near impossible it is that it happened at all, much less five times to one person. But others with far more knowledge about that particular ride's safety features can say more if they choose.

Also, welcome! Hope you stick around and we don't scare you off.

Im really small. So when i ride rides i sometimes feel like my restraint is coming undone. lol but i know its not. Its just because im so small that the overhead restraints sometimes feel loose on me. But i know when i was young like 10 years old. i rode Vortex once and was scared to death because my restraint was so loose. I thought i was done for. lol. But I wouldnt worry about your restraint coming undone.

OTSR will often tighten during a ride giving the rider a feeling of the restraint moving.

Don't worry, it didn't loosen.

I have heard Vortex is notorious for coming loose, not significantly but noticeably during the ride. Never truly experienced this myself, just a rumor I have heard.

In My Opinion the restraints on Vortex get tighter during the ride. This has happened to me once when i pushed my restraint down to tight and it tightened at the top of the hill, squishing me!

Ive had moments on DB where my restraint was stapled down and on the first drop poped up a click and my initial reaction is "YAY IM NOT STAPLED...and WEEEEEE AIR TIME!"

Ive had moments on DB where my restraint was stapled down and on the first drop poped up a click and my initial reaction is "YAY IM NOT STAPLED...and WEEEEEE AIR TIME!"

I've had the opposite happen on Diamondback where at the bottom of the hill the G's push the restraint down a click, making me feel stapled in.

Your restraint did not "popped up a click." The Diamondback restraints, as with all coaster restraints, have a little bit of room, where they can move up slightly before catching the locked position. This movement is what you probably thought as your restraing popping up a click, but in actuality, it never popped up.

^Sometimes my restraint does the same when they first put it down, which honestly I hate, so I keep pushing it down all the way until it locks.