The
magic date of March 16th 2002 had finally arrived, after a brief walk
through the gardens, we found ourselves in Forbidden Valley. With
our XRT giving us 30 minutes of ride time before the public we took advantage
of riding ''Air''. Click here
for a report of the day.... Check out these snaps from our visit.
Look
who we met. The man behind this coaster 'John Wardley'.
In
the ''Air'' station.
Matt
and Alex from Rideas on ''Air''. Fingers crossed!
Assume
the position.
The
entrance to ''Air''. Virtual queue to the right, normal queue to the left.
''Air''
in the last inversion.
That
first drop.
Onto
your backs.
The
barrel roll.
The
first inversion turns you onto your back. The area is nicely paved and
looks very different to the rest of Forbidden Valley.
The
queue starts to build up.
Up
the lift hill.
The
first inversion.
Around
the mid ride helix.
Riders
on their backs.
Into
the end of the ride.
The
trains going through the switch track.
People
in the queue wait in excitement.
More
of that barrel roll.
Hanging
in the flying position, on the lift hill
Up
they go.
Higher!
Down
the first drop they smile to the camera.
Through
the first flip.
A
tight helix.
Flipping
riders back into the flying position.
Queues
are really long now, especially with the broken down virtual queue.
The
''Air'' shop
Fly!
Not
as much theming as some people imagined.
I'm
sure I can see some Rideas members on the viewing platform.
The
''Air'' photo shop.
Rideas
members in the ''Air'' shop.... smile :-)
The
old Ripsaw arcades is now a cafe bar.
Virtual
queue building in the background and a games unit closer.
From
the Ripsaw queue we can see the new area opened up.
From
the monorail....
and
another.
''Air''
seen from the car parks.
People
start to use the long queue line over the mound.
That
final part of the ride.
The
''Air'' shop from the monorail.
Fly.
The
first flip.
After
the mid ride tunnel.
Dynamo
is back and as good as ever.
Who's
riding Air ?
All
in all, a fantastic day....... I think ''Air'' gives a great flying sensation
and it was worth the wait. We had a great day and saw many coaster enthusiasts......
maybe you'll spot yourself on one of the photographs?
