The Legacy of Arrow Development (Documentary)

[Rollercoasters4Life]

Don't know if this has been posted before, but this is a documentary on Arrow and the impact that they had on the industry as a whole - its a great watch. Learned some new information watching it, its very informative. Watch it on the link below:



I knew they went bust before X at Magic Mountain was finished but I didn't know it was Six Flags themselves that finished the project, I thought Arrow had a contractual agreement to get it completed no matter what. Also X ended up costing $45 million most of which went into research and development and Arrow never wanted to build the ride as big as it ended up being. Also shocked to learn that Vekoma were moulded by Arrow to be their European supplier and taught them their tricks of the trade then Vekoma stuck two fingers up to Arrow and went it alone with all they were taught.

Really highlights what Arrow did for the industry as a whole though and although they are no longer trading - their legacy lives on through their currently operating rides (like Matterhorn, their oldest (1959)) and their designers/engineers in different companies like Alan Schilke in Rocky Mountain Construction. They had great ideas, just some poor executions that cost them several times.

If you have a spare 70 minutes give it a watch, its well worth it.

 

[Rick]

I knew they went bust before X at Magic Mountain was finished but I didn't know it was Six Flags themselves that finished the project, I thought Arrow had a contractual agreement to get it completed no matter what.

Also shocked to learn that Vekoma were moulded by Arrow to be their European supplier and taught them their tricks of the trade then Vekoma stuck two fingers up to Arrow and went it alone with all they were taught.

I wouldn't take either of these things at face value, there's an element of truth to both, but to suggest this is the full story is somewhat disingenuous. It's a very good documentary, but it's somewhat of a love letter to Arrow and has to be taken as such.

 

[Rowe]

Ah yes, I've seen this documentary before and I think a number of enthusiasts here have too. I added it to the Theme Park Documentaries page we have on the Wiki back in June, I believe.

 

[Rollercoasters4Life]

Ah yes, I've seen this documentary before and I think a number of enthusiasts here have too. I added it to the Theme Park Documentaries page we have on the Wiki back in June, I believe.

Didn't know a page existed compiling them all, sorry. But thanks for posting it, I'll have a gander at them.

 

[Towerslover]

Great find, really intresting and worth a watch!