Tac Talks Coasters - Post 65: #105
Photo Sources: All photos are mine
Flying Cobras at Carowinds!
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Opened: 1996 (Relocated to Carowinds in 2009) Manufacturer: Vekoma Height: 116.5 ft (35.5 m) Speed: 47 mph (76 kph) Length: 935 ft (285 m) My most recent ride: 2018
Here we have the second of three Vekoma Boomerangs I've done and this one I liked a little bit more than Fiesta Texas's Boomerang. This is mainly thanks to the renovation it got in 2017 which gave the ride the updated trains from Vekoma. These trains have vest restraints rather than the older, bulkier restraints that most older Boomerangs have, which removes the possibility for headbanging when going through the layout. Given how painful old school Vekomas can be, any ability to remove the possibility of banging your head against the restraints is welcome in my book lol.
Generally, I do prefer the sitdown Boomerang models like this one to the inverted Invertigo models, since they can have those improved restraints and I think the forces are more pronounced on the sitdown models. The vertical loop, especially on the backwards pass, really has some strong positive Gs that always seems to catch me by surprise whenever I ride one of these. The cobra roll can be a bit disorienting in a fun way as well, but the twists to either side in that one also run the risk of being jarring or uncomfortable, so the loop is generally my favorite part of Boomerangs.
Also, since it's refurbishment in 2017 that gave the ride a repaint and re-theme from Carolina Cobra to Flying Cobras, the ride looks fantastic. The color scheme now is so much better than the coral track with teal supports it used to have, and the vibrant colors of the cars in the train really pop against the dark blue track.
Thanks for checking out today's coaster post! Keep an eye out for tomorrow's coaster!
