^^ Aw man, you got more rain rides then me now (I only got 2 or 3 I believe)
American Eagle is my favorite ride in the rain besides the Extreme Seadog at Navy Pier. Now THAT is an interesting experience. Kind of hard to keep your eyes open (In the rain), but fantastic pops of air.
Eagle red has always had great air for me in several spots. I don't know if it's me or the ride, but Viper sometimes isn't that pleasant to ride. Other times it's just awesome.
RollingCoasting wrote:^^ Aw man, you got more rain rides then me now (I only got 2 or 3 I believe)
American Eagle is my favorite ride in the rain besides the Extreme Seadog at Navy Pier. Now THAT is an interesting experience. Kind of hard to keep your eyes open (In the rain), but fantastic airtime
Well I've changed my mind again! I think Eagle is better in my opinion. It's taller and faster. I've been riding Red in front row and it's offering great airtime! I'm also really liking the helixes more and more nowadays.
Viper is a good coaster but it seems like it's slowed down somewhat. I still do enjoy it, especially the headchopper elements.
Single Day Ride Count Record
50 rides 8/17/2018 (Without Flash Pass - Coasters After Dark)
Although Viper is still better for me, Eagle Red has definitely jumped up in the rankings. I get some pretty good airtime in the front, nice intensity, and very consistent speed. Although, the final helix of death is still rather jiggly.
Eagle, no competition. It's kind of obvious I'm biased hence my username. AE is in my top 10 coasters in general, higher than anything at Great America too. I just about always ride front on Red and the airtime, fun and speed this coaster has is incredible. Viper is great but can be inconsistent. Just got back from Hershey and I have Eagle higher ranked than anything there except Skyrush.
American Eagle 1981 wrote:Eagle, no competition. It's kind of obvious I'm biased hence my username. AE is in my top 10 coasters in general, higher than anything at Great America too. I just about always ride front on Red and the airtime, fun and speed this coaster has is incredible. Viper is great but can be inconsistent. Just got back from Hershey and I have Eagle higher ranked than anything there except Skyrush.
I do love myself some Eagle, especially red, however Hershey has a really solid GCI in Lightning Racer which is much better than Eagle.
American Eagle 1981 wrote:Eagle, no competition. It's kind of obvious I'm biased hence my username. AE is in my top 10 coasters in general, higher than anything at Great America too. I just about always ride front on Red and the airtime, fun and speed this coaster has is incredible. Viper is great but can be inconsistent. Just got back from Hershey and I have Eagle higher ranked than anything there except Skyrush.
I do love myself some Eagle, especially red, however Hershey has a really solid GCI in Lightning Racer which is much better than Eagle.
Yeah I agree Lightning Racer is awesome, best GCI I've ridden ahead of American thunder but I still prefer Eagle. I think it has a much better drop, better airtime, and even smoother in the front row. I rode LR 6 times, 3 each side (mainly front) and I think Eagles better.
Eagle sucked last year, but this year the red side is almost as good as Mako aside from the stuff after the final trim. Very smooth and good air. Viper on the other hand feels like a car crash a lot of the time.
I have to say Viper. Smoother and better airtime. If Eagle Blue was still going backwards though then I would say Eagle Also I been very unlucky this year with Eagle. In all my visits this year only one side has been opened including yesterday and it's always the red side that closed.
I've said it a million times, and I'll keep saying it. When Eagle (red, especially) is running good .. it's easily a top 10 coaster to me.
If you've ever been fortunate enough to catch it after track work AND low/no trims coming out of the big helix, it's truly an incredible experience. That run back home on red I call "Phoenix meets Voyage." But that is rare.
My 3 rides on it Sunday night were still excellent... that ending helix at the end has ALWAYS been a poor ending, even in the mid 80s. The design was truncated, I believe. It was supposed to go around either way on each side, perhaps a figure 8? I'm not sure, but the design was cut back due to the immense cost.
As far as the butchered PTC trains it runs, which seems to get a lot of complaints from enthusiasts: they run fine. The lap bars are custom (someone told me they are from Morgan trains?), and do NOT fall down and get tighter. The side wing things and head rests are annoying, but all that could be fixed at a cost. The exit of the big helix necessitated the addition of those, I'm quite sure in 1981 when the ride was still new. The buzz bars were gone by the mid-late 80s... and of course 3 train operation stopped after the minor collision in 1984 (the year Six Flags purchased the park).
Enough babbling... I love Eagle!! Still one of the most grand/awesome/breath-taking/great presentation/intimidating/anticipating drops on any coaster, anywhere. All that super-steep, fast, sharp-break-over/snappy stuff is fun, but the Eagle drop is unique and special.
Went the last two Sundays. Eagle Red was awesome both times riding in the middle. Viper, however, was garbage riding 3/4 of the way back. Worst it's ever been and I had some awesome rides on it 4 years ago.
Viper, though I don't love it. The Viper gift shop right now is bad, at this current moment. You have a skeleton shirt right when you walk in, and a kid was shooting people (with a FAKE gun) in that gift shop last time I went on that ride. The skeleton shirt kind of fits the theme of a kid shooting people.... They should call it the Chicago gift shop.
I do like Wiper much better than Viper though. Wiper (my new term) is when Viper is wet, it is so much better. To bad, they couldn't pre-wet the track everyday. lol I compare this ride to American Thunder, and American Thunder is just so amazing in my opinion (at St. Louis), so this will never be that. It is still better than American Eagle though, in my opinion. As I said in the other topic, American Eagle is just "around" for me. It's nothing special. If it get torn down, big deal to me. I might ride it again though I doubt I would ever ride it 5 times a day.
"I've been staring at the world, waiting. All the trouble and all the pain we're facing. Too much light to be livin' in the dark. Why waste time? We only got one life. Together we can be the CHANGE. So go and let your heart burn bright"
For me it will be Viper. -Amazing Airtime -Consistent -Back seat and front are amazing -Well paced Why I didn't choose Eagle -The ride is inconsistent. Sometimes you get a crap ride. Other times you get a really good. -The roughness is starting to ruin the airtime.
I rode Viper last night and the lap bar (which I had left up a fair amount) actually came down during first drop I wasn't happy about that. I felt/experienced almost NO airtime on the entire ride. I was surprised by how much difference the lapbar being down made. This just reinforces my opinion that Eagle is better
Single Day Ride Count Record
50 rides 8/17/2018 (Without Flash Pass - Coasters After Dark)
I've always wondered about the wooden walls that are present, along the track, just after coming out of the giant helixes: would that chop off/severely injure one's hand or arm?? Or is it just an illusion?? I'm not about to try to make contact but to me it certainly appears that you could
What does everyone else see/think?
Single Day Ride Count Record
50 rides 8/17/2018 (Without Flash Pass - Coasters After Dark)
Don't you think that designers know what they're doing when designing the rides? I'm sure that that's all been tested through so that the ride is safe as possible. That hopefully goes for all rides.
SFGAM_Hog wrote:Don't you think that designers know what they're doing when designing the rides? I'm sure that that's all been tested through so that the ride is safe as possible. That hopefully goes for all rides.
This is literally THE only spot on any coaster that I 2nd guess about the safety envelope. I've always wondered because those wooden walls APPEAR to be very close.
Also, off topic, but you can definitely touch the ground on the 1st turn on Whizzer (after 1st drop). I always grab a little grass on that element .
Last edited by CoasterRiderSC on June 13th, 2019, 10:41 am, edited 1 time in total.
Single Day Ride Count Record
50 rides 8/17/2018 (Without Flash Pass - Coasters After Dark)
Yeah. I remember touching the ground during that turn on the whizzer. But to be fair, they do say keep arms and legs in the cars at all times. I'm surprised nobody has gotten hurt on the Whizzer.