Airtime Misfits Podcast

*After recording the episode, we realized we failed to mention that both Gwazi (Iron Gwazi) at Busch Gardens Tampa and Roar (The Joker) at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom were originally built by GCI. Making our statement about RMC not having converted a GCI coaster yet ridiculous and irresponsible. We promise to do better in the future.

For this episode we decided to try something a little different. Instead of talking about a defunct coaster or park, we are instead discussing a defunct roller coaster manufacturing company. That company happens to be the one and only Dinn Corporation. Dinn Corp. first got it's start in 1983 when company founder, Charles Dinn, decided to venture into the coaster manufacturing business on his own. Prior to establishing the Dinn Corporation, Charles Dinn worked as an engineer for Kings Island and was a part of the team that designed and built one of the most iconic coasters in the world, The Beast.

If you have ever had the opportunity to ride a coaster manufactured by Dinn Corp., then you probably know all too well that these wooden coasters have a reputation for being a rough and uncomfortable ride. Only eleven coasters were constructed under the Dinn Corp. name in the companies short life (1983-1991). Many of those coasters have either since been demolished or re-imagined by the good folks at Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC).

What are your thoughts about Dinn Corporation? Were you a fan of these coasters? What impact did the unsuccessful longevity of the Dinn coaster models have on the extremely successful rise of Rocky Mountain Construction in the roller coaster community?

Thanks for listening!

Check us out on Twitter and Instagram: @airtimemisfits

We have awesome defunct coaster and park inspired goods for sale in our shop! Check it out!
www.airtimemisfits.com

In this episode we're discussing Firehawk located at Kings Island (formerly X-Flight of Six Flags Worlds of Adventure/Geauga Lake). Firehawk was a Vekoma Flying Dutchmen roller coaster. Making its debut in 2001, Firehawk was billed as the first and only flying roller coaster in the Midwest. We discuss this coasters brief history at SFWoA/Geauga Lake, as well as its relocation to Kings Island. We also give you our thoughts of the ride experience, why we think it was removed, and was its removal the right decision for Kings Island.

Did you have the chance to ride Firehawk before it was removed? What are you thoughts of this coaster? Be sure to let us know in the comment section. Thanks for listening!

Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @airtimemisfits

Also, check out www.airtimemisfits.com to purchase some coaster inspired goods!

*We decided to get our babies together for a play date when we recorded this episode. Sorry for the occasional sounds of babies in the background. They're future enthusiasts that apparently had to share their two cents about Opryland.*

In this episode we discuss the history of Opryland USA located in Nashville, TN which opened in 1972 and permanently closed in 1997. We take a look how the park started, some of the rides and attractions featured at the park and our thoughts on what caused the park to go out of business.

We hope you join along in the conversation by letting us know your thoughts in the comment section below about Opryland. Did you have the chance to visit the park? If so, what were your impressions of the park?

Check us out on Instagram and Twitter: @airtimemisfits.com

We have a selection of awesome defunct coaster/park inspired items for sale in our online shop! Be sure to check them out!

www.airtimemisfits.com

Really excited about this episode because Chris of Airtime Thrills was able to join in on the conversation! Chris was one of the lucky few who had the opportunity to ride Wind Jammer Surf Racers during it's short three year life span. It was great to get his thoughts and unique perspective of this problem-filled coaster.

Designed by coaster manufacturer, TOGO, Wind Jammer Surf Racers opened in 1997 as the first dueling Looping Wild Mouse coaster in the United States. This coaster was plagued with mechanical issues and suffered much downtime from the start. Due to it's unreliability and uncomfortable ride, Wind Jammer was not considered to be a crowd favorite at the park. The coaster closed for good in 2000 and a $17 million lawsuit was filed by Knott's Berry Farm thereafter claiming that TOGO poorly engineered the coaster preventing successful operation during its three years. Knott's Berry Farm ultimately loss the lawsuit and the coaster was torn down in 2001 paving the way for Xcelerator to be erected on the same site in 2002.

Did you have the rare opportunity to ride Wind Jammer Surf Racers during its short three year life span? If so, we'd love to hear your thoughts about your experience. Be sure to leave a comment below! Thanks so much for listening.

Be sure to check out Airtime Thrills for awesome, fun and knowledgeable roller coaster content!

Airtime Thrills YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbv75m4y_FPOp1zz3DMtv4w
Airtime Thrills Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/airtimethrills/

Check us out at on Twitter and Instagram @airtimemisfits

www.airtimemisfits.com

Making it's debut in 1985 as Avalanche Run, it took Cedar Point only four years to realize that constructing an open track Bobsled coaster on the beach of Lake Erie was probably not the best decision. With the constant issue of sand being blown onto the coaster track, forcing the ride to be shut down to remove the sand, Cedar Point knew modifications needed to be made to keep the coaster running efficiently. The solution; Erect a giant building around Avalanche Run, create an odd and confusing space/Alaskan theme and give it a new name. Disaster Transport.

Making its debut in the summer of 1990, Disaster Transport was the addition to park that Cedar Point execs hoped would help them compete with Disney and their space themed coaster, Space Mountain. Though it was a nice attempt by Cedar Point, Disaster Transport never matched the full scale theming that a Disney park offers. Especially as the years passed. Much of the theming that debuted with Disaster Transport in 1990 either was removed or non-functioning by time the coaster gave it's final rides in the summer of 2012.

What's the story behind the odd space/Alaskan theming that Cedar Point came up with? Was Disaster Transport a fun coaster? And what lead to the removal of this coaster in 2012?

If you had the chance to ride this coaster we'd love to hear your thoughts and memories. Be sure to comment below and let us know your thoughts about Disaster Transport.

Check us out on Twitter and Instagram: @airtimemisfits @thechainlift

www.airtimemisfits.com

Disaster Transport radio commercial courtesy of:
https://youtu.be/xbWoMmL0AFg

Disaster Transport TV commercial courtesy of:
https://youtu.be/97nGs0w-LJs

Cedar Point TV commercial courtesy of:
https://youtu.be/vSXZzsD8uQs

Making it's debut in 1998, Volcano: The Blast Coaster opened at Kings Dominion located in Doswell, VA. To see this innovative coaster in person was something special. The most unique characteristic about Volcano was that it was built inside and around an existing man-made mountain. At it's debut, Volcano held the records for fastest invert at 70 mph and tallest inversion at 155 ft. Unfortunately, Volcano was plagued with mechanical issues and expensive repair costs. Unexpectedly and to the disappointment of many enthusiasts, Kings Dominion made the difficult decision to close the coaster for good in 2018. The ride structure and mountain were torn down soon after. What attraction will fill the empty space that once occupied Volcano? That's anybodies guess. One thing we know for sure, Volcano will be missed by many for years to come.

If you had the chance to ride this coaster we'd love to hear your thoughts and memories. Be sure to comment below and let us know your thoughts about Volcano: The Blast Coaster.

www.airtimemisfits.com

Fun Fact: The Airtime Misfits Podcast features the worlds biggest "Fantist of Mantist" in co-host Nick. So that makes this episode all that more exciting. Easily, Nick has to own the largest collection of Mantis memorabilia of any coaster enthusiast in the universe. It's pretty impressive to see. Listen in as Nick explains why he loves this stand-up coaster so much, despite is notorious uncomfortable ride reputation.

Mantis made its debut at Cedar Point in 1996 as the tallest, fastest and longest B&M stand-up coaster in the world. With endless headbanging and extreme discomfot on the legs and groin area, stand-up coasters are not known for being universally loved by enthusiasts or the GP. All of which makes sense as to why, in 2014, Cedar Point made the decision to do a major overhaul on Mantis. This overhaul consisted of a new paint scheme, new floorless trains in place of the stand-up trains, and a new name, Rougarou. Why did Cedar Point make this decision and was it the right decision for the park? Listen in and find out our thoughts.

Did you have the chance to ride Mantis before it was converted to Rougarou? Let us know your thoughts of this 90's B&M coaster in the comment section.

www.airtimemisfits.com

Really excited about this episode because we are joined by Josh from from Made to Thrill. With Six Flags Great America being Josh's home park, seemed like the perfect opportunity to have him on to share his thoughts and memories about Shockwave.

Making it's debut in 1988, Shockwave debuted at Six Flags Great America as the tallest looping coaster in the world. It also broke the record for most inversions on a coaster in the world with 7. Plagued with many mechanical issues and low ridership due to discomfort, it was inevitable that this coaster would meet it's demise sooner rather than later.

If you had the chance to ride this coaster we'd love to hear your thoughtsand memories. Be sure to comment below and let us know your thoughts about Shockwave.

Thanks to Josh for joining us on the episode. Be sure to check out madetothrill.com for some awesome amusement park and roller coaster inspired goods.

In this episode we are joined by Marc from The Chain Lift. Being a Batman super fan, it was an easy sell to convince Marc to join in on this conversation. In this episode we will be discussing the dueling roller coaster, Batman & Robin: The Chiller located at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson Township, NJ. Making it's debut in 1997, this coaster had several issues from day one that never were able to be fully resolved before this coasters ultimate demise in 2007.


If you had the chance to ride this coaster we'd love to hear your thoughts about the ride experience. Be sure to comment below and let us know your thoughts about Batman & Robin: The Chiller.

In this episode we discuss the short history of Jazzland/Six Flags New Orleans which opened in 2000 and unexpectedly closed in 2005 due to severe damage caused by Hurricane Katrina. We also talk about the current state of the defunct park and what could have been had Hurricane Katrina spared the park. We hope you join along in the conversation by letting us know your thoughts in the comment section below.