When most people think “launch coaster” they think LSM (Linear Synchronous Motor) or magnetic launch. However, before this there was another system that was ingenious for its time and worked almost as well, a flywheel launch. A flywheel is a heavy, rapidly spinning wheel that can store kinetic energy and release it in a quick burst. In the case of a roller coaster, this allows a slingshotting of the train with rapid acceleration. There aren’t too many of these out there anymore, but one of the best is Motocoaster at Six Flags Darien Lake.o

Danish athlete Ida Mathilde Steensgaard completed the world’s first moving obstacle course built inside a rotating Ferris wheel. The stunt was sponsored by Red Bull and took place at Odense Harbour in Denmark. Steensgaard had to clear six custom-built obstacles while the Ferris wheel actively rotated. She is a two-time Obstacle Course Racing (OCR) world champion and the obstacle course was specially built into the 98-foot-high (30-metre) Ferris wheel. What’s also interesting is that the skills she showed are the same techniques used by fire departments for an emergency rescue from a Ferris wheel.

It’s only in testing, but the neighbors of Universal Studios Hollywood are already complaining about the noise from the new Fast and Furious roller coaster, more specifically the screams. It now appears mitigating those screams permeating across the Lakeside Golf Course to the historic Toluca Lake Neighborhood will delay the opening. Universal Studios Hollywood is somewhat unique in that it is near to some residential areas and has not had an outdoor coaster like this before. NBCUniversal has publicly outlined a number of steps to address noise, including installing 900 feet of sound walls, using pea gravel to help quiet the track and designing the coaster cars to rotate so screams won’t always face the neighborhood. Apparently these steps aren’t doing the trick for some neighbors who claim to hear screams every 30-40 seconds now. It appears there may be more walls coming and potentially programming changes to turn riders more away from the neighborhood.

The iconic roller coaster Fury 325 at Carowinds in greater Charlotte, NC has been closed since July 7, 2026. It has now been reported that this is due to a routine maintenance inspection uncovering a foundation issue. Guests have seen work walls erected around a support pillar of the ride with no timeline for the ride’s return. Fury 325 is the world’s tallest and fastest traditional chain-lift “giga” coaster and the speeds and forces on it are intense. The ride got national attention 3 years ago with videos of a crack in one of Fury 325’s support pillars that caused an extended shutdown. This broken support beam had the ride down for about 6 weeks.

There has been tremendous conversation about the future of ArieForce One, the World-Class RMC roller coaster at Fun Spot Atlanta, with its impending closure. Enthusiasts are desperate to see this coaster saved rather than demolished with tremendous speculation of where it could possibly relocate. One of the parks that has been continuously mentioned in the enthusiast community by people like Theme Park Brandon and Coaster Studios is Wild Adventures in Valdosta, Georgia. Could it happen? RMC has already confirmed ArieForce One is very moveable, so it’s just a matter now of determining if it makes sense for someone to move it and if Wild Adventures would be a good home for it.

I was at the Bartow County 4th of July celebration and they had rides from Phantom Entertainment, a carnival/midway company. Phantom had a couple interesting rides including the “Wrecking Ball” and “Tubs-of-Fun”. Wrecking Ball had a “Stay Back Puke Zone!” sign which I had never seen before. It essentially just rocked and gently spun. “Tubs-of-Fun” is akin to a “teacups” ride where you can control the spin. I visited their website as I was curious to get more info on Wrecking Ball and stumbled on a toilet themed ride called “Go Racers”!