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 Review of Phantom Flyers @ Carowinds
3 Rating Posted by: BobFunland on 4/3/2005 9:46:00 PM
There are thousands of adjectives in the English language, but one sticks out to me as the best way to describe a great set of Flying Scooters: Insane. That is what you can say about a ride on the Phantom Flyers, a 10-tub set of Bisch Rocco flying scooters that relocated from Kings Island, where they were lovingly known as the Flying Eagles. Having never ridden such a ride, I was eager to get a chance to pilot a flyer, especially afer hearing so many rave reviews for the well-run models. Finally, a few weeks ago, I got my chance. Waiting in line is a thrill in its own, as a canopy over the queue ican become a near-miss obsticle for the flyers. I finally boarded, and with the help of fellow TPCers and a few experienced ACErs ahead of me, I was ready to fly. It took me almost my entire first flight to get a good hang of the timing, but I was eager to hop back in line, so I did. My second ride was a life-changing experience, if you believe in such things. I had gotten it, and I was able to fly high and snap hard. I got the flyer sideways on numerous occasions, and flew wildly at times. Few rides can thrill and scare like these things do, and at some of the unthinkable angles that I got the tubs, the premise of a lack of safety resulting from only being held in by a seat belt really added a nerve-wrecking thrill. Ah, but I was fine, because I knew I would be safe. With limited knowledge, I was able to get my wings on the Phantom Flyers, and was able to produce some killer slack and thrilling snaps. I got in a total of 5 flights that day, and 3.5 were fantastic, including one at night, which is always an added thrill. The ride cycle, about 3 minutes, was pretty good too, and having the ride op at night enthusiastically encourage snapping was indescribably awesome. Ah, I am ready to experience more of these, and right now, I would give the Phantom Flyers a 9... really, its a 9.5, and Im waiting for a trip to Knoebels to ride their legendary set. If the Knoebels ones are better, they will get a 10, if these are better, then I will come back and change it to a 10, because this ride was that damn good (one of my favorite flat rides ever). Great job Carowinds, Im glad you didnt limit the capabilities of such a euphoric ride :thumbsup:
 

Review Comments

Mt. Flyer on 4/4/2005 7:25:44 PM said:
What a wonderful review, you have me wanting to jump on this ride right now! Im glad that another person has gotten the Flying Scooter bug. On a recent review of a Tilt-a-Whirl I said that they should ne mandatory for every park in the country. Well the same thing applies to Flying Scooters. When these things are run correctly they are totally exciting, and the sense of freedom they create is awesome!
BobFunland on 4/4/2005 8:36:51 PM said:
Thank you, it was a great ride, and like I said, maybe worth a 10. As long as they are run well like the Carowinds installation (and not like the PKD flyers), they are probably among the top rides on the planet. It can provide a scare element more than any roller coaster I have ever been on... self-security really plummets when you strap in Oh... I love it!!! A slick Tilt a Whirl and unrestricted Flyers should be all over the place, but then again, they might not get that same special value derived from the relative rarity..
adriahna on 5/2/2005 5:39:01 PM said:
Bob - all I can say is WELCOME FRIEND!!! Another Flying Scooter inductee! If theres anything that could possibly redeem the Paramount corporations decision to relocate this gem, its that youve gained your FS wings as a result. Wonderful review, of a wonderful ride, in whats obviously a wonderful new home. Trust me, Bob - youll never be the same again...
WAR2174 on 5/2/2005 9:40:52 PM said:
Wow, this thing must be amazing. I thought this was kid ride(according to the Carowinds website). Im going to Carowinds soon, this sounds semi-extreme. Is is good for kids ages 4-7?
BobFunland on 5/2/2005 9:51:50 PM said:
Thanks adri, it was an incredible new experience that has be wanting more and more. Too bad Paramount, like Delta Airlines, stopped giving out wings

Yes, WAR, it can be both a wild ride for young abults, and tame enough for the youngens, since the passenger decides just how crazy the ride will be. If you dont move the rudder, or move it very little, you wont have to worry about twisting, diving and snapping. Its one of those rare rides good for people from 3 years old to 103 years old.
WAR2174 on 5/2/2005 10:46:14 PM said:
Good to hear! Thanx!
adriahna on 5/2/2005 11:42:55 PM said:
So Bob, can you relate to my strongly wanting to have a tattoo of a Flying Scooter car on my arm yet??? Oh, and once more... WELCOME TO THE CLUB!!!
BobFunland on 5/3/2005 9:12:39 PM said:
I can relate... but I cant bring myself to it personally though. I am not a big fan of body art :nono:
fergusonat on 5/3/2005 9:15:27 PM said:
OK, if I go down to Myrtle Beach again and stop by Carowinds again like I did last year, I will definitely make a point to snap-the-crap outa this thing. So whats the trick to a good snap, Bob? Or do you want us to figure it out on our own???
Hercules on 5/3/2005 9:23:41 PM said:
Ahhh, yes, the art of snapping the flyer. Well young trooper, there is a lot too it. First off, it is all in the wrist. You have to..... well, why dont you just read about it here. http://www.themeparkcritic.com/Forums/ViewTopic.asp?TopicID=67459&ForumKey=1
fergusonat on 5/3/2005 9:36:41 PM said:
Thank you very very much...I guess Ill practice on PKDs flyers even if they arent the best for snapping. Then hopefully I can graduate to Carowinds flyers
WAR2174 on 5/4/2005 1:46:45 PM said:
Hey Bob, the way you described this ride it made me think that I had ridden one before and it dawned on me. I have.
At The North Pole in Colorado Springs. Go here to see them. They are called Dive Bomber.
http://www.santas-colo.com/rides_family-adults.htm
A put in a suggestion to add this park, so we will see. But these flyer things are really cool. They let you do whatever you want on that thing.
Maybe adriahna should check it out too, to confirm my suspicion.
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