This press release was just released by Fun Spot. If you haven't been on Arieforce One yet, I would recommend trying to go down there if possible. This park is located about 30 minutes from Six Flags Over Georgia.

It's sad to see any park close. It's also not tremendously surprising to see this park close. ArieForce One was an expensive and very sudden change in direction for a park that, by all counts, was an arcade with a few flat rides, a kiddie coaster, and a Miler adult coaster. The warning signs were there with the number of enthusiasts reporting that they received zen rides on AFO.

I personally also see this as an example of why "just give [small park] a chance with an addition, the crowds will show up if [chain] would admit it's their turn for a new coaster" is not sound business logic, and I wish many enthusiasts would digest this news as such. It doesn't matter how many years it's been since a park received a coaster, that expansion will become a loss and maybe take the park down with it if it doesn't sell tickets. Roller coaster additions do not work in real life the way they do in RollerCoaster Tycoon. Fun Spot Atlanta existed for 30 years before Fun Spot purchased it.

Surely Fun Spot will either move AFO (to Orlando, I presume, because the Kissimmee park seems pretty landlocked) or sell it. It's probably got decent enough capacity for a mid-size park. If Enchanted Parks has the money, it wouldn't be a bad purchase.

This park closure isn't very surprising. As mentioned above the park was not big enough for a coaster like AFO. I've been seeing a rumor going around that Arieforce One (and the rest of the rides in the park) will be demolished as part of a tax write-off scheme, though I don't know if I entirely believe that. If the rides do end up getting sold and relocated I think AFO will go to a park with plenty of flat land like happened with Siren's Curse.

Google Gemini is telling me AFO pretty much cannot be relocated due to the coaster's interaction with the park's terrain, making it too complex and costly to relocate. So tax write off or not, the RMC is almost certain to be scrapped.  So forget about ever seeing this in The Vortex plot, or anywhere else.

I think the coaster is on a flat plot of land, is it not? It wouldn't fit in Vortex's plot or over in Action Zone either due to both locations having ravines/steep hills. The steel structure also feels like it would be much easier to relocate than a wood structure as well depending on how much can be shipped intact.

Looking at this construction photo, the plot seems pretty flat from what I’m able to see. The only complication I could see is the area where it goes over the arcade building.

Here is a top down screenshot from Google Earth.  Of course, when I discuss this with Gemini, it claims that the natural topography actually drops and that the ride features a total elevation change of 180 feet over its course, while the lift hill is 154 feet tall.  It also says that some supports integrate with the structure and foundation of the arcade building, and that the complex structure makes any relocation a logistical nightmare.  The footers also had to be custom designed for soil density and load bearing requirements.

Since I used an AI as the source, the value of this data is limited.  But page 16 of this source demonstrates that AF1 had months of delays and additional costs to meet county zoning requirements.  

I wonder if relocating this would prove more expensive than it cost to build the coaster in the first place.  A tax write off demolition may be the only feasible option.

I assume it could be a donor...lift chain, motor, control/sensors, even some track pieces?  Not to mention the train (s).

 

It’s so crazy, if you go on reddit or even instagram you see a bunch of people begging for AFO to come to KI.