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AIR: A Review by Fastardo | ||||
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3/19/2002 The signs around Alton Towers advised me to “Prepare for AIR”. I didn’t know how so I just stood in line feeling apprehensive and excited like everybody else. The day had started OK; Oblivion had been one second of sheer terror and Nemesis seemed faster and wilder than ever but this was a whole new ballgame, I’d never seen anything like it before. Click Read More for the rest of the review As I walked down the hill through Forbidden Valley I didn’t see AIR immediately, but when it finally loomed into view I caught sight of the powder-blue track and ominously grey supports. Unmistakably B&M. My first impressions were how low to the ground the whole thing was, and how very close it came to all the people milling about. The height restrictions imposed on Alton Towers means that the designers have to be very inventive; no part of any coaster may be above the tree line, so lots of quarrying has to be done to fit the ride into the park. Some of the clearances looked marginal as a spectator, as a rider… I dared not think. The wait was nearly over. I was in the station. What on earth was all that machinery above the loading bay? It looked like something out of a Tim Burton movie, huge wheels and cogs and hydraulic arms, all required to get the passengers into position. My time had come, the attendant ushered me into the bay, the train duly arrived on time with the sole intention of taking my breath away. The cars looked good, like the Pod Racers from Star Wars with seats dangling down like any inverted coaster. The restraints were enormous, lined with a thick, padded rubber vest. I even had clamps around my ankles. Just as I was starting to feel secure there was an ear-bursting, pneumatic hiss as the seats began to rotate, my feet being dragged back and up then “clunk," the position has been assumed, I was horizontal. Apparently I was now “Prepared for AIR." The station lights went out, the train was bathed in pale blue light, very cinematic, and we’re off. “The lift hill is very slow, over the crest and down a slight incline, a slow 180 degree turn then the first drop, down we go, this is fantastic. I feel duty bound to hold out my arms in a Superman pose. Should I be Christopher Reeves or Dean Caine? The hill bottoms out and the G’s pull you towards the ground but I still feel secure, up again and suddenly I’m flipped over and now I’m on my back racing down a hill, head first. This shouldn’t feel good but it does. A sharp, highly banked left hand bend and I’m over again, face down and diving into a tunnel, the ground coming up fast – Oh that was so close! Up again, over the spectators and then the surprise, a 360 degree barrel-roll. I knew it was coming but I didn’t know when. We’ve got some speed up and we’re into a tight helix, once again very close to the ground, the G’s trying to pull you away from the car. Now it feels fast. A short straight and…Oh no, that can’t be it! It’s all over.” What a sensation, like nothing I’d ever done before, it didn’t even feel like a roller coaster. I know B&M rides are smooth but this was silk. The whole experience is beautifully executed, the sweeping turns and plunging dives flow into one another so seamlessly. A masterpiece of design and construction. It’s too short, I could have stayed on for half an hour, in fact it’s so gentle I could have stayed on all day and had my lunch on there. I fear some people may be disappointed by the lack of out and out thrills but it’s not about that. It’s about a new sensation. It’s about AIR. Air Images: Air Pic 1 Air Pic 2 Air Pic 3 Air Pic 4 Air Pic 5 Air Pic 6 A Review by CoasterForum member Fastardo |
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