Willards Whizzer Layout

PGA ROCKS · Post by **PGA ROCKS** » Thu Oct 20, 2005 8:14 pm

What elements occur during a ride on Whizzer?

twixmix0303 · Post by **twixmix0303** » Thu Oct 20, 2005 8:49 pm

First, you go up a spiral lift. The first drop is not steep, at the bottom you make a sharp turn to the right about four feet off the ground. After that you come up and make a long, slow turn to the left and dive back towards the ground. At the bottom of this drop, you can actually reach out and touch the grass. After coming up from this, you make a sweep around the outside of the lift to the right, and a curve down and around to the left. A right turn brings you into the final helix, which leads to the brake run.

Post by **steven** » Thu Oct 20, 2005 8:50 pm

Whizzer had a variety of drops and steeply-banked curves. It did not have inversions and, yes, that was a good thing.

Steven

m11stephen2 · Post by **m11stephen2** » Fri Oct 21, 2005 2:04 pm

twixmix0303 wrote:First, you go up a spiral lift. The first drop is not steep, at the bottom you make a sharp turn to the right about four feet off the ground. After that you come up and make a long, slow turn to the left and dive back towards the ground. At the bottom of this drop, you can actually reach out and touch the grass. After coming up from this, you make a sweep around the outside of the lift to the right, and a curve down and around to the left. A right turn brings you into the final helix, which leads to the brake run.

Dont touch the grass because youre going 45 mph and something bad can happen! The sharp turn is my favorite part of the ride.

BrianPlencner · Post by **BrianPlencner** » Fri Oct 21, 2005 5:47 pm

m11stephen2 wrote: Dont touch the grass because youre going 45 mph and something bad can happen! The sharp turn is my favorite part of the ride.

I agree! DO NOT try to touch the grass or the ground at that part of the ride. You are moving at 45 MPH, and the ground is not.

that_guy · Post by **that_guy** » Fri Oct 21, 2005 10:24 pm

"don't reach for the grass" totally reminds me of this picture:
http://www.coasterquest.com/armoffa.jpg
Thats like what totally convinced me to keep my hands inside of the car at ALL times

jonrev · Post by **jonrev** » Sat Oct 22, 2005 9:22 am

Where did that happen? Ouch!

twixmix0303 · Post by **twixmix0303** » Sun Oct 23, 2005 9:57 pm

Of course. Keep your hands inside at all times. Maybe some landscaping to set the ground back further is necessary?

redfishpaw · Post by **redfishpaw** » Mon Oct 24, 2005 9:05 am

This page shows some photos of the Whizzer including on of it racing along the ground

http://translate.google.com/translate?h ... D%26sa%3DN

m11stephen2 · Post by **m11stephen2** » Mon Oct 24, 2005 5:31 pm

That use to be the only part of the ride that made me nervous.

corkscrewfoley · Post by **corkscrewfoley** » Mon Oct 31, 2005 10:50 am

That pic of that doofus putting his fingers in the fence sort of reminds me of where they sealed off the wholes in the fence at Kennywood on Jack Rabbit. Apparently you could used to be able to slap five with those in the queue, but seeing as people are just getting dumber by the day, you can no do that no more.

Tim.

that_guy · Post by **that_guy** » Wed Mar 08, 2006 6:27 pm

There was no water under the SC Whizzer's lift right...because it seems contradictory with that picture of the 2 Whizzer footers still left at the SC park (please post the pciture again, I can't find it). There isn't water under the Gurnee lift, so I was thinking how could one of those footers in the water at the SC park be from the track curve around the lift if the lift wasn't in water? (sorry confusing yes, especially without the picture...)

Heres the Gurnee pic (no water under the track curve) :

http://www.greatamericaparks.com/sg/rid ... zer007.jpg

Glorfindel7 · Post by **Glorfindel7** » Wed Mar 08, 2006 9:30 pm

that_guy wrote:There was no water under the SC Whizzer's lift right...because it seems contradictory with that picture of the 2 Whizzer footers still left at the SC park (please post the pciture again, I can't find it). There isn't water under the Gurnee lift, so I was thinking how could one of those footers in the water at the SC park be from the track curve around the lift if the lift wasn't in water? (sorry confusing yes, especially without the picture...)

Heres the Gurnee pic (no water under the track curve) :

http://www.greatamericaparks.com/sg/rid ... zer007.jpg

Actually that IS water, its just muddy colored....(unless the pond by the Whizzer dried up?)

Now that I think about it the Whizzer is one of the most popular rides at SFGA so WHY would they even have THOUGHT about taking it out? (On busy days, line could reach an hour easily, even with full loading capacity...)

that_guy · Post by **that_guy** » Wed Mar 08, 2006 9:35 pm

Glorfindel7 wrote:
that_guy wrote:There was no water under the SC Whizzer's lift right...because it seems contradictory with that picture of the 2 Whizzer footers still left at the SC park (please post the pciture again, I can't find it). There isn't water under the Gurnee lift, so I was thinking how could one of those footers in the water at the SC park be from the track curve around the lift if the lift wasn't in water? (sorry confusing yes, especially without the picture...)

Heres the Gurnee pic (no water under the track curve) :

http://www.greatamericaparks.com/sg/rid ... zer007.jpg
Actually that IS water, its just muddy colored....(unless the pond by the Whizzer dried up?)

Now that I think about it the Whizzer is one of the most popular rides at SFGA so WHY would they even have THOUGHT about taking it out? (On busy days, line could reach an hour easily, even with full loading capacity...)

I meant where the track curve around the lift is where you see grass in the Gurnee photo, sorry, it would be a lot easier to understand with the picture of the SC footings...

pjm8071 · Post by **pjm8071** » Thu Mar 09, 2006 11:34 pm

There is water under some portions of the track. Underneath the lift is a maintenance shed that houses the computer for the ride. If you notice next time your at the park on the top of that building is a white light that warns people if the power is on to the lift. Since the lift has a 3rd rail to power the trains it was a way for all employees to know to stay away from that rail when the light is on.