Submitted by Charlton Stanley, Guest Blogger
Since it has been somewhat tense around here, I thought a bit of adrenaline might relieve some stress. There is a curious thing about aviators. We hate high places. If you can get a typical pilot on a roller coaster or Ferris wheel, you have accomplished something. Oh sure, there is the occasional outlier who doesn’t mind, but few pilots I know are willing to get out on high places. I once knew a Marine Harrier fighter pilot who went over to a friend’s apartment for a cookout. The friend lived on about the 14th floor. The grill was out on the cantilevered balcony. This tough Marine fighter pilot would not go out there, even when bribed with beer.
I have some theories why this is so, but that involves rather dense aviation psychology research discussion that might give some of our readers a math headache, and is beyond the scope of the #1 Legal News & Analysis Blog on the intertoobz. At any rate, some of us would like to be able to ride a real roller coaster without getting any higher off the ground than we are willing to fall. Quite a feat for a designer to build a fast roller coaster that does not go any higher than the average pilot is willing to fall without a parachute. The Austrians and Swiss have accomplished just that.
This is the outstanding alpine coaster in Mieders, Austria called the Sommerrodelbahn. The drop is about two thousand feet down an alpine mountainside. This is a single rail coaster, and this experienced rider does it with no brakes. The seat is tiny, and there is a single seat belt. This photo is of the guy who made the video below.
I want one!
LOL – okay rafflaw; juxtaposing blog banters.
I’d love to see you ride down the (looks like 3 miles) of zoom;
and a sign every 50 or 100 feet saying
Twerp
Ugly
Old
Limb noodle poodle rafflaw
a picture with your face – stating America’s Most Wanted.
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BTW – yours truly got started in the Carny biz and there’s no way in blazes I’d get on that crazy thing.
OS,
I love that close to the ground coaster!!
SF, I am afraid the gear stance of the Scottish Aviation Pioneer is way too wide for that little footpath of that strip at Hidden Splendor, no matter the STOL ability. Have you ever seen a max performance takeoff and landing by a lightly loaded Antonov AN-2? Local guy owned one for a while. He named it, “Big Bubbinski.”
Ah! Yes…well…I’ll take a Scottish Aviation Pioneer, instead (or a good Maule) into ANY of those mountain strips RATHER than that brakeless ride down the mountain! I had a ride in a hot air balloon once – and once only. The basket came up to just below my waist, and creaked whenever I breathed. I carefully placed one foot on each of the insubstantial looking wooden slats which crossed the basket – and prayed – a lot!