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Elysburg, Pennsylvania, USA
The Flying Turns is a wooden bobsled roller coaster at the Knoebels Amusement Resort in Elysburg, Pennsylvania. It is modeled after a similar ride designed by John Norman Bartlettand John Miller in the 1920s. The ride concept is similar to a modern steel bobsled roller coaster; however the Flying Turns is made of wood, like the original rides. The layout of the ride is most similar to the original one that was at Riverview Park in Chicago, Illinois.
History[]
style="line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">Construction began in January 2006. In July 2007 the maintenance crew ran the first test car test runs which were completed successfully. Then in October 2007 the same crew ran the first powered complete test runs of the same test cars, and gave the roller coaster enthusiasts a tour during the Phoenix Phall Phunfest 2007. Later that month they began to run test runs of a five-car test train which will be the full length of the train.
An initial delay was due to an issue with the roller coaster car's wheels. The wheels were shipped back to their manufacturer in California and the issue was corrected. However, the ride did not open by the end of the 2008 season due to the cars travelling too quickly for passenger comfort.
According to Knoebels' website, the ride was to be opened during the 2009 season. The ride was re-tracked and profiled to accommodate new trains.
In June 2011, Knoebels posted an update to their blog, stating "We've been testing the newest version of the Flying Turns ride vehicles and are VERY encouraged. There's still plenty of work to do but this is a very positive step in the right direction." They also posted to their Facebook page a video shot from a camera mounted on a prototype chassis.
The turnaround of Flying Turns.
As of 26 May 2012, a section of track at the brake platform, as well as the brake platform itself, had been removed.
As of 30 July 2012 the removed sections have been rebuilt to accommodate the newest trains that are being delivered.
As of 21 August 2012 Knoebels says that they are planning on beginning testing for the newest trains soon, and that they believe they finally have figured out how to get the trains to run smoothly.
As of June 2013, a completed-looking train was seen testing several times including with water dummies. The train is fully painted with padded seating and sports "Flying Turns" logos along the side.
In August 2013, finishing touches were being put on the ride, and official inspectors were spotted inspecting the ride. As well, the weight distribution procedure was revealed to be using a scale to determine if a rider can ride as a single, double, or at all.
As of October 4, 2013, all necessary signage (Entrance sign itself, price, precautions, etc) has been posted at the ride's entrance along with decorations around the ride itself making it likely ready to open for the park's 2013 "Phoenix Phall Phunfest" October 5. The price will be $3.
On October 5, 2013, the ride officially opened to the public, though the ride actually began operating the previous evening on 4 October 2013.