Most surprising airtime moments and most surprising airtime-less moments

Hi guys. Airtime is a moment of coasters that many enthusiasts crave, and while you expect airtime in certain places on many coasters, sometimes that amazing burst of airtime can just hit you right out of the blue when you’re least expecting it! On the flip side, however, there are sometimes elements where you’d expect a pop of airtime, and it just doesn’t materialise.

So my question to you today is; of all the roller coasters you’ve ridden, which have had some of the most surprising airtime moments, where that amazing airtime hits when you’re least expecting it, and which have had some of the most surprisingly airtime-less elements, where you’ve been rared up for an amazing burst of airtime but have just gotten nothing?

I’ll get the ball rolling with my answers…

Most surprising airtime moments

• Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit - non-inverting loop: This element doesn’t look like it should provide an awful lot of airtime, but you’re yanked out of it with surprising force! This was one of my earliest experiences with airtime, and this was a really excellent moment, in my opinion; it definitely surprised me!
• Icon - Various: Icon has an absolute plethora of amazing airtime moments, in my opinion, but in terms of surprising ones, I’ll limit it down to a couple. Everyone might rave about Icon’s top hat, but I have to say that that probably isn’t my most surprising moment of airtime on Icon, as great as it is! For me, the most surprising airtime moments on Icon are the curved drop into the second launch (doesn’t look like it would provide much airtime, but you get absolutely thrown out of your seat!), that straight drop about midway through the second half of the ride (do you know the one I mean, where it’s a straight drop in between the plethora of rapid turns? Even though that drop isn’t particularly big or steep, the airtime there is surprisingly strong!) and that sideways banked airtime hill towards the end of the ride, just as you’re approaching the brake run (that one really throws you sideways with some surprisingly strong negative g’s!)! All 3 of these are really great at catching you off guard with amazing airtime when you’re least expecting it, and they are one of the many things that I love about Icon!
• Wicker Man - Various: Now this is one that I would never have expected to be including based on how it rode in 2018 (I only remembered 1 or 2 fairly mild airtime moments from my first ride, and that was in row 10!), but lately, it’s become an absolutely furious airtime machine! Every drop seems to throw you over with strong ejector, and the reason I included it is because in the back row especially, the ride now gives really great airtime on many small hills or turns that don’t look like they’d be ripe for giving airtime; to give some perspective, even the small hill with anti-rollbacks on it leading into the 180 degree u-turn was a surprisingly great little airtime moment on my last ride!
• The Swarm - Final in-line twist: Now I’ll admit I’m slightly sceptical about calling this airtime, but I don’t know quite what else to call it, because Swarm’s final inversion just absolutely flings you out of the seat with really surprising negative g’s! It’s quite possibly becoming one of my favourite moments of the ride, and I’d certainly love in-line twists a lot more if they all rode like that!
• Shockwave (Drayton Manor) - Zero-g roll: I did always wonder how a zero-g roll would ride on a standup coaster, and I’d have to say that it rides surprisingly well, and like Swarm’s last inversion, it gives a surprising burst of inverted airtime! While Shockwave overall is not exactly one of my favourite rides, this inversion was an excellent surprise airtime moment that really threw me out of my seat with surprising force when I was least expecting it, and was undoubtably the highlight of the ride for me!

Most surprising airtime-less moments

• Colossus (Thorpe Park) - Airtime hill: This hill looks like it should ride really well on paper; it’s quite long, quite low, and the train goes through it at a surprising pace. However, this is sadly one of those moments where you’re rared up for a great pop of airtime, and nothing happens; I don’t know if I’m just always seated in the wrong rows for stuff to happen on it, but every time I’ve ridden, I’ve stayed firmly in my seat over this element, with no airtime being felt whatsoever.
• Big One (Blackpool Pleasure Beach) - Various: While the Big One is not exactly known for being an airtime machine, and wasn’t really built to provide airtime, you’d think that with the height and decent size hills, you might get at least some airtime. However, on all 3 rides I’ve had on Big One, I’m afraid I’ve stayed firmly in my seat throughout, even towards the back, which is traditionally thought of as a more airtime-filled seat on rides. Again, maybe I’m just riding in the wrong rows, and Big One wasn’t really built for airtime, in fairness, but I can’t help but feel a nagging feeling of slight disappointment whenever I crest Big One’s hills.

But what ride moments have been surprisingly airtime-filled or surprisingly airtime-less for you?

To be honest I am to that experienced with airtime however I have to say that the roller-coaster at Great Yarmouth pleasure beach has some brilliant but totally unexpected airtime moments.

It’s not a rollercoaster, however the Rio Bravo log flume at Parque Warner has the most amazing airtime ever. I knew nothing at all about the ride, so wasn’t expecting it, but as you go down the backwards drop, you then go into a airtime hill. It was scary enough on the front row, but later in the day we did it on the back row, and you completely come out of your seat, especially as the boats are the same as Valhalla so have no kind of lap bars or restraints.

Phoenix at Knoebels. I knew it had a reputation for amazing airtime, but I was taken aback by just how absurd the airtime was! And thanks to the lap bar restraints you literally fly out of your seat.

Rob said:

Phoenix at Knoebels. I knew it had a reputation for amazing airtime, but I was taken aback by just how absurd the airtime was! And thanks to the lap bar restraints you literally fly out of your seat.

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Agree on this. Also the airtime hill on Speed is ridiculous, as it should be when you look at it off-ride, but it always amazes me.

@Matt N I think this topic might be your Standing on the Shoulder of Giants

+1 for Phoenix.

Phantom's Revenge. The air time hops at the end are obscene. Almost had three phones and a park map to the face throughout the day re-riding this.

Going to additionally throw Balder into the mix. I really wasn't blown away when first riding it in 2014, but re-rides in 2016 and 2018, especially with a loose restraint, were simply delightful.

The less said about Steel Vengeance's brutality on its hoppy romp to the brakes the better.

The trump card for air time, however? Lightning Rod's quad down. Beautifully bonkers. [Haters gonna hate, eh Rob?]

The first hill on Hyperion blew me away tbh. Had no idea the ejector was that strong.

Magnum XL 200 was the one that caught me off guard the most, especially given how pathetic Big One is.

Phoenix and Phantom's are good shouts.

Rick said:

@Matt N I think this topic might be your Standing on the Shoulder of Giants

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What do you mean?

Apologies if I’m misinterpreting you, but is this to do with my relative lack of experience of airtime-heavy coasters? If so, then I guess that’s a fair point; the only coaster I’ve done really designed for airtime is Mako, and while that one certainly did surprise me and blow me away with its sheer airtime strength (and also how sustained it was; I was catapulted out of my seat for what felt like an eternity over every hill!) the first time I rode it (the fact it’s stayed #1 for 5 years indicates that pretty well!), I think most people don’t particularly rate B&M hypers, and find them to be pretty sub-par on the airtime front, so I guess I haven’t really experienced any “proper” airtime machines, so to speak.

Jump 'n Smiles and Miamis can both deliver a good burst of airtime. For years I used to walk past the Jump 'n Smiles at fairs, and assume they must be really tedious because of how slowly they turn. Then I went to Mellor's Funderworld, where it was unlimited rides. After doing all the biggies (this was when they still had the rapids, Move It 32 and Big Ben) I did the Jump 'N Smile. I spent half the ride out of my seat.

But the biggest airtime machine I've ever been on was a Tagada at a German fair. People were literally flying through the air.

Most surprising airtime

- Expedition G Force. Maybe shouldn't be surprising but I didn't know much about it before riding other than it had a good reputation. I didn't know that reputation was built on actively trying to fling you to Holland and even if I had I don't think there's words to prepare youfor the sensation. Incredible.

Most surprising lack of airtime

- Silver Star. It looks so good, it delivers so little. It's actually quite an achievement to build a ride that big that is so forceless. I don't know how they've managed it and I wish they hadn't.

I’m going to second Balder. There’s clearly airtime but I wasn’t quite expecting those airtime hills to be quite so well engineered to deliver such an extended period of airtime.

Balder, Magnum XL-200, Mystic Timbers all full of airtime

Danny said:

The trump card for air time, however? Lightning Rod's quad down. Beautifully bonkers. [Haters gonna hate, eh Rob?]

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You bet they are!