Top Gun spoof features a 787 and A380

by McLean Robbins on




Let’s do this. Goose and Maverick are back on the (computer) screen in this new spoof from 3D-Aviation. The team took classic footage from Top Gun and re-worked the plane shots to feature a 787 and A380 completing dastardly feats of daring, including spins, turns, and “goosing” the tower.

What do you think?

Two New Roller Coasters with Top Thrill Factor

by Jamie Rhein on

There are two new roller coasters opening this summer with a thrill factor rating of 5, according to the American Coaster Enthusiasts. A 5 means that you’re in for a hair-raising treat that is unique from other coasters’ offerings.

The Flying Turns is a bobsled ride of sorts. Styled after a roller coaster that was popular in the 1930s to 1950s, this ride is a remake. Two people sit with one in front of the other in one car that is joined with four others. The cars then zoom down a wooden track that circles in various configurations for two minutes. The thrill partly comes from it’s rarity. This is the only coaster like it. Head to Knobels Amusement Resort in Elysburg, Pennsylvania to try it out, although, I’m not sure if it’s open yet. It is supposed to open this season though.

The other top thrills coaster, Griffon, is found in in Busch Gardens Europe, Williamsburg, Virginia. The park’s Web Site has a clip advertising it with a horror film type voice that finishes the description with “The only way down is face down.” It’s also described as “the world’s tallest, floorless dive coaster.” Just look at the photo. The dive part comes from the 90 degree angle decent. The floorless part might be because you sit with your legs dangling. Somewhere along the three minute ride there are two inverse loops that are patterned after the stunt of a World War I German fighter pilot. Leave your sunglasses behind.

The other top new coasters to open this year, according to the enthusiasts, are: Tony Hawk’s Big Spin (see post) Thrill factor: 2; Mystery Mine (see post) Thrill factor: 4; and the Maverick (see post) Trhill factor: 3.

New Cedar Point Roller Coaster Opens In May

by Jonathon Morgan on

I grew up in Ohio, about an hour’s drive from Cedar Point, the amusement park often ranked as the best in the world. I can remember fearing for my life, and trying not to puke, as I flew hundreds of feet into the air on the park’s 17 coasters.

This year there’s a new addition to the park: Maverick. The coaster will take riders 105 feet into the air at a 20 degree angle, just before sending them racing downward at a 95 degree angle — reaching a top speed of 70 mph.

The track is finished, and workers are now focused on the $21 million ride’s electrical and underground utilities systems. Awesome!

Sounds like I need to plan a trip to Sandusky this summer.