Serving the themed entertainment community

Latest News

  • Looking forward, WhiteWater redefines leadership team
  • Mad Systems announces addition of Toni Losier to business development team
  • Museums Evolving conference goes virtual for second year in a row due to COVID-19 pandemic
  • Whitney Hines joins Luci Creative as Senior Project Manager
  • David Gillig joins San Diego Zoo Global as chief philanthropy officer
  • Design Silverfish uses Christie projectors to immerse visitors in South Korean culture
  • Ocubo selects AV Stumpfl’s PIXERA media server software for Immersivus 3D art installation in Lisbon
  • Editorial: Current events and the US attractions industry
  • Home
  • Opportunity Hub
    • Leads & Opportunities
    • Webinar Calendar
    • Submit a Webinar
  • News
    • COVID-19
  • Issues
    • 2020
      • #85 – Looking forward to the future
      • #84 – Everything the industry has to offer
      • #83 – Waterparks and more!
      • #82 – Solving Problems with Innovation
      • #81 COVID-19 and beyond
      • IPM guide to AV 2020
    • 2019
      • #80 – IAAPA 2019
      • #79.5 – IAAPA Expo 2019 Preview
      • #79 Europe and Waterparks
      • #78 – Asia/Tech
      • #77 – The Best in Themed Entertainment
    • 2018
      • #76 – Year End/Trade Show Round-up
      • #75 – IAAPA 2018
      • #74 – EME/Waterparks
      • #73 – Asia and Technology
      • #72 – Dubai/Museums
      • #71 – MENA/Entertainment
    • 2017
      • #70 – IAAPA 2017
      • #69 – Game Changers
      • #68 Going Global: Technology on the International Stage
      • #67 – Experience Design: Many Faces Many Places
      • #66 Theatrical Influence and Convergence
    • 2016
      • #65 IAAPA 2016
      • #64 Waterpark, Zoo & Aquarium 2016
      • #63 Technology 2016
      • #62 International
      • #61 Museums and Expanding Markets
    • 2015
      • #60 – IAAPA 2015
      • #59 – Zoos/Aquaria and Waterparks 2015
      • #58 – Technology 2015
      • #57 – International 2015
      • #56 – Museums 2015
    • 2014
      • #55 – IAAPA 2014 / Tenth Anniversary
      • #54 – Waterparks, Zoos and Aquariums 2014
      • #53 – Technology 2014
      • #52 – International 2014
      • #51 – Museums 2014
    • 2013
      • #46 – Museums 2013
      • #47 – International 2013
      • #48 – Technology 2013
      • #49 – Waterparks 2013
      • #50 – IAAPA 2013
      • 2013 Wrap-Up
    • 2012
      • #45 – IAAPA & WWA Wrap-Up
      • #44 – IAAPA
      • #43 – Waterparks
      • #42 – Technology
      • #41 – International
      • #40 – Museums
  • Subscribe
  • Advertise
  • About
    • About InPark
    • Privacy Policy
  • IPM books
    • Screens to scenes: Christie’s visual technology
    • Tales from the Expo
    • Themed entertainment in academia
  • follow
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Linked
    • Youtube

Vekoma: Forged in steel, tempered by imagination

Sep 28, 2020 Joe Kleiman #83 - Waterparks and more!, 2020, Europe & Middle East, Features, Homepage Slider, IPM Interviews, Theme Parks, World markets Comments Off on Vekoma: Forged in steel, tempered by imagination


Vekoma: Forged in steel, tempered by imagination

Vekoma opens two new intertwining roller coasters in Germany

Interview by Martin Palicki

ABOVE: Volldampf and Hals-über-Kopf coasters at Erlebnispark Tripsdrill in Germany.

Known for a variety of high-profile coaster installations around the world, Vekoma has quietly been innovating and planning their next generation of rides. We asked Vekoma’s Peter van Bilsen (Executive Vice President Sales & Marketing) and Benjamin Bloemendaal  (Unit Manager Concepts Engineering) about their latest offerings.

  • Peter van Bilsen
  • Benjamin Bloemendaal
How is Vekoma addressing business in the pandemic?

Peter van Bilsen: Vekoma is working together with its clients preparing for the post-COVID-19 era. We are operating as normal as much as possible, following the guidelines of the authorities. Where travel and restrictions permit, the assembly and installation of new rides and attractions continues.

What rides are you working on currently?

Peter van Bilsen: We are happy to announce that two new Vekoma coasters have officially been opened to the public at Erlebnispark Tripsdrill in Germany!

“Volldampf” (“Full Steam Ahead”) is a Family Boomerang Coaster and “Hals-über-Kopf” (“Head over Heels is a Suspended Thrill Coaster. The two coasters feature a unique intertwined layout, crossing each other several times. Both rides have exclusive theming that has been created in cooperation with Erlebnispark Tripsdrill to reflect regional culture.

Tell us more about the rides.

Peter van Bilsen: The Family Boomerang is designed in the style of a 19th Century steam locomotive, inspired by the famous Swabian folk song, “Auf de Schwäbische Eisenbahne” (“On the Swabian Railway”.) The train seats 20 people. On a track length of about 500 meters and speeds up to 60 km/h, passengers are taken through a break turn, camelback and twisted camelback, s-curve and a curved stall up to a height of 22 meters.

The theming of the Suspended Thrill Coaster refers to the local heroic story of the “Sieben Schwaben” (“Seven Swabians” was one of the fairy tales collected by the Brothers Grimm). Each individual car is designed with a shield and lance and on the back of each seat you can find a rucksack with equipment like a pan, map and blanket. This Suspended Thrill Coaster is newly developed by Vekoma. We used the latest technology with machined chassis and steering wheel bogies to create a very smooth ride with less maintenance. Two trains with ten double seats each will be running on this track, which is more than 30 meters high and features numerous inversions, airtime moments, sharp turns and twists at a top speed of 80km/hour!

One final unique feature will be the glass-domed roof in the station of Volldampf where guests in the queue will be able to see the rides above them.

How is the Suspended Thrill Coaster different from the Suspended Looping Coaster?

Peter van Bilsen: Vekoma’s Suspended Looping Coaster (SLC) has been one of our most successful coaster models, with more than 40 built all over the world since the mid-1990s. The combination of high thrill, compact footprint and great cost benefit helped make the SLC a signature coaster for many parks. As time passed, we wanted to completely overhaul the SLC and develop the next generation version of the ride, which we call the Suspended Thrill Coaster (STC).

The STC was designed to fill the gap between the SFCs (Suspended Family Coasters) and SLCs (Suspended Looping Coasters) – even though the latter model is now discontinued. Creating a thrill coaster that can be enjoyed by a wide audience was key in creating both the new vehicle and the track design.

Benjamin Bloemendaal: A major difference to the old generation design is how we develop and manufacture the ride. With our in-house design tool we are able to fully account for G-forces in the track design – resulting in a smooth symphony of turns, twists and inversions throughout the ride.

Please tell us more about the design specifics in this upgrade.

Benjamin Bloemendaal: For example, in the vehicle design process, guest containment for smaller guests was a must-have. The STC allows for different passenger heights from 1.05 m (the Tripsdrill layout) to 1.20 m depending on the layout and G-forces.

Volldampf is a family boomerang coaster based on an old German song about a goat. All photos courtesy of Vekoma

It was important for us to limit the amount of G-forces. Most turns and drops are around 3Gs with a max of 3.4Gs on the ride. A few airtime segments peak at around -0.4Gs. This force range makes the coaster very accessible outside the typical target group for thrill coasters, but still allows for a dynamic mix of aerobatics. The focus throughout the design is on speed and pacing – we don’t like to slow down — and constant changes between positive and negative forces.

The new trains for the STC meet all of the latest safety standards and are ready for decades to come. Unlike any other inverted coaster, our STC is equipped with seats that can swing slightly to the side via a double redundant hinge point connected with a specially developed tuned spring-damper system. This ensures a super smooth ride experience!

The ergonomic seats can be equipped with a lap bar or if the customer desires, with an “over-the-shoulder” lap bar especially designed to comfortably withstand both positive and negative G-forces. Additional damping on all running wheels improves the ride comfort even more.

Peter van Bilsen: As you can see, our goal was to create an unforgettably smooth and thrilling ride experience, which we are certain will be high on the bucket list of many coaster enthusiasts around the globe.

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Print

  • Benjamin Blemendaal, Erlebnispark Tripsdrill, Family Boomerang COaster, germany, Hals-über-Kopf, new attractions for 2020, new products, Peter van Bilsen, roller coasters, Suspended Thrill Coaster, theme parks, vekoma, Volldampf
  • tweet
Related articles
  • Ocubo selects AV Stumpfl’s PIXERA media server software for Immersivus 3D art installation in Lisbon
    Ocubo selects AV Stumpfl’s PIXERA...

    Comments Off on Ocubo selects AV Stumpfl’s PIXERA media server software for Immersivus 3D art installation in Lisbon

  • Christie introduce Pandoras Box Version 8 for real-time video processing and show control
    Christie introduce Pandoras Box Version...

    Comments Off on Christie introduce Pandoras Box Version 8 for real-time video processing and show control

  • SeaWorld San Diego introduces Sesame Street drive-thru experience
    SeaWorld San Diego introduces Sesame...

    Comments Off on SeaWorld San Diego introduces Sesame Street drive-thru experience

  • Six Flags Discovery Kingdom steers in 2021 with new drive-thru experience
    Six Flags Discovery Kingdom steers in...

    Comments Off on Six Flags Discovery Kingdom steers in 2021 with new drive-thru experience

More in this category
  • Looking forward, WhiteWater redefines leadership team
    Looking forward, WhiteWater redefines...

    Jan 22, 2021 Comments Off on Looking forward, WhiteWater redefines leadership team

  • Mad Systems announces addition of Toni Losier to business development team
    Mad Systems announces addition of Toni...

    Jan 21, 2021 Comments Off on Mad Systems announces addition of Toni Losier to business development team

  • Rock Solid: Stoneface sculpts natural environments for theme parks, zoos, aquariums and more
    Rock Solid: Stoneface sculpts natural...

    Jan 21, 2021 Comments Off on Rock Solid: Stoneface sculpts natural environments for theme parks, zoos, aquariums and more

  • Museums Evolving conference goes virtual for second year in a row due to COVID-19 pandemic
    Museums Evolving conference goes...

    Jan 21, 2021 Comments Off on Museums Evolving conference goes virtual for second year in a row due to COVID-19 pandemic


Quick Takes

My Tweets

Latest Issue

Leads & Opportunities

  • Cedar Fair seeks Corporate Director, Communications
    Cedar Fair seeks Corporate Director, Communications

    Dec 29, 2020 Comments Off on Cedar Fair seeks Corporate Director, Communications

    The position will lead strategy development and execution...
  • Pursuit seeks Financial Analyst, FP&A
    Pursuit seeks Financial Analyst, FP&A

    Dec 28, 2020 Comments Off on Pursuit seeks Financial Analyst, FP&A

    This role will focus on all aspects of financial planning...
  • AOA seeks Show Set Designer
    AOA seeks Show Set Designer

    Dec 26, 2020 Comments Off on AOA seeks Show Set Designer

    There will be a great deal of freedom, which will be...
  • Visualization firm THE THIRD FLOOR has openings for a variety of positions
    Visualization firm THE THIRD FLOOR has openings for a...

    Dec 09, 2020 Comments Off on Visualization firm THE THIRD FLOOR has openings for a variety of positions

    THE THIRD FLOOR is currently seeking Postvis Generalists,...
  • CineVenture seeks 3D character animator
    CineVenture seeks 3D character animator

    Dec 09, 2020 Comments Off on CineVenture seeks 3D character animator

    CineVenture develops high-end content for the global...

Top Posts

  • Whitney Hines joins Luci Creative as Senior Project Manager
    Whitney Hines joins Luci Creative as Senior Project Manager
  • David Gillig joins San Diego Zoo Global as chief philanthropy officer
    David Gillig joins San Diego Zoo Global as chief philanthropy officer
  • Sally Brings the Animal Animatronics of Five Nights at Freddy's to Life in New Attraction Concept
    Sally Brings the Animal Animatronics of Five Nights at Freddy's to Life in New Attraction Concept
  • JRA designs new children's museum in Wisconsin
    JRA designs new children's museum in Wisconsin
  • Legacy Entertainment designing massive LBE for Beijing Enlight Media
    Legacy Entertainment designing massive LBE for Beijing Enlight Media
  • Rock Solid: Stoneface sculpts natural environments for theme parks, zoos, aquariums and more
    Rock Solid: Stoneface sculpts natural environments for theme parks, zoos, aquariums and more
  • Editorial: Current events and the US attractions industry
    Editorial: Current events and the US attractions industry

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Instagram

Categories

  • IPM Interviews
  • Theme Parks
  • Museums
  • Water Parks
  • Attractions
    • Haunts
    • Zoos & Aquariums
  • World markets
    • Asia
    • Europe & Middle East
    • Latin America & Mexico
    • North America
  • Technology & Media
  • Business
    • Events
    • People
  • World Expos

InPark Magazine

2349 E Ohio Ave
Milwaukee, WI 53207 USA
262.412.7107
mpalicki@inparkmagazine.com

View our Privacy Policy

Copyright 2018 InPark Magazine / All rights reserved
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Instagram