X flight. what did you think about it?

[Shelly725]

So i havent seen this up yet but i figured id ask the subject . For those who have ridden it.

Did you like X Flight?

My thoughts at first were like eh this seems cool but i didnt know what to expect. The line was moving especially fast the day i went and well to make a long story short i liked it My rating for it would be a 9 out of 10.

so what did everyone else think of it so far?

[marcos]

Before all the media hype a few weeks ago, I had modest expectations.

After all the media hype and initial reviews, I had high expectations.

The truth was right in the middle of my two expectations. Seriously.

It's a very good, unique, and somewhat forceful ride.

Is it the best thing out there? No, but it is very good, and a great addition to the park. And much better than the coaster it "replaced," Iron Wolf.

The GP will love it.

You want my detailed thoughts? Okay!

Intensity-wise, G-forces, it's not nearly as intense as Batman, which is intense the whole ride. However, it has a few intense moments that will remind you of Batman (barrel rolls/twists) and Superman's pretzel loop, although not as strong. Some of the transitions, smoothness, and floating airtime are reminiscent of Raging Bull. It's really hard to describe...what is true about the hype is, every seat is a different experience. So far, I have ridden it three times:

right side
back row on the outside
middle row on the inside

left side
next to last row on the outside

I still need to ride it in the front and close to it.

My opinion? It's totally worth an hour wait, but not much more than that. I have been fortunate to go during the preview day, and at opening two weekends ago, where the wait was 40-45 minutes. And two Sundays ago, after the severe thunderstorm warning expired, right before the park closed at 7, since a lot of people went home, it was a 5 minute wait.

There are rides I will only go on when they have almost no wait...like Vertical Velocity and Dark Knight, which is not really worth more than a station wait of 10-15 minutes...so I am giving X-Flight way more credit than that. However, if it's like 90 minutes or more, I'd rather ride Demon or Eagle a bunch of times instead.

My favorite "non-family/kiddie" coasters at Gurnee, sort of in order:
Eagle (Blue, due to smoothness)
Batman
Viper
Raging Bull
Demon

Where does X-Flight fit in that list? That's hard to say, but I think it belongs there, whereas Superman, Ragin' Cajun, Dark Knight, and V2 do not.

From what I read from the GP, their favorites, sort of in order, are:
Bull
Superman
Batman
V2
Eagle
Viper

I think X-Flight will be right around Superman, in terms of popularity.

Surprisingly, capacity is not horrible on X-Flight, like it is/was on Superman and Deja Vu...it is rated at around 970 people per hour, and their written goal is 1000. One of the security/grouper guys mentioned they were pushing through about 1050, which if true, is fantastic. The ride crew is very good, and they will only get better the more they are doing it.

For "Six Flags quality" themeing, which isn't very good to begin with, it is pretty good, I must admit. We'll see how long it lasts. And yes, they have real uniforms, other than the hideous Six Flags "construction worker" neon green.

I was at Dollywood last weekend, and rode Wild Eagle, the other new wing rider coaster in the US, a bunch of times. Wild Eagle is really a different experience. Yes, Wild Eagle's trains are the same as X-Flight's, and the track is the same, obviously, since they're both built/designed by B&M. That's where the similarities end.

The layouts are completely different. X-Flight is all about forceful maneuvers and inversions. Wild Eagle is taller, faster, and a bit longer, but doesn't really have any forceful elements.

I really enjoyed both, but I prefer X-Flight for the intensity. Wild Eagle sort of feels like a modern, smooth, fast, inverted looper, and nothing more.

Dollywood is all about themeing...much like the Marriott era at both Great Americas. The queue and station are beautiful, whereas X-Flight's are pretty generic. Wild Eagle is built into the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, with picturesque terrain...unfortunately, the ride is so quick, you don't really notice any of this while on it...only from the ground.

I'm glad X-Flight and Wild Eagle are completely different experiences...there are too many clones out there of everything else!


-Mark

[Luxornv]

I think X-Flight is a perfect ride for the park. While it by no means is a great ride, it's still a very good ride. It does use the unique design of the train and does give a significantly different experience depending on what side you're on. It also looks intimidating which would get the thrill seekers, but after riding it, seems mild which would get the weaker spirited people as well. It rides that medium that will attract people of multiple age groups and thrill intensity. It's a good ride, and I look forward to having it at the park for many years.

[redfishpaw]

X flight did not replace Iron Wolf...