What I’ve Been Up To...

Over the past year, I’ve been pretty much nonexistent on the website and YouTube side of things.  So, let me explain and show you where I’ve been and why I was unable to produce more content. 

Previously, I worked for a wooden roller coaster design and manufacturing company which brought me to Cincinnati, Ohio.  I was tasked with a few projects overseas and domestically for about a year and a half which required much travel.  You can see how this is difficult to continue with building and designing for TRCP. 

The picture above is of Mystic Timbers at Kings Island in Mason, OH and wasn’t too much of a drive but it was the first of my many intensive projects. 

The next park/ride took me to Virginia, and many nights of testing and evaluating ride performance and acceleration data.  This park is Busch Gardens Williamsburg.

Having spent roughly two months in Virginia, I had the opportunity to work with a great theme park organization.  It was a tremendous experience to bring InvadR to life and get a few hundred laps in practically every seat on the ride.   

With the work, I would take some moments for myself and snag a picture or two: 

Now the lengthy travels... 

The next assignment was to conquer Europe.  I had no more than two days between Virginia and Europe to get things sorted back in Ohio.  It was a bit chaotic, but I was able to arrange everything necessary prior to spending what would be roughly 7-8 months abroad.

My first stop: Plopsaland De Panne to open Heidi the Ride in Belgium. 

After one month in Belgium, and a successful opening of Heidi the Ride, I was off to my next destination: the United Kingdom. 

Aside from the pomp and circumstance that was present in London, my focuse was more north and west to one of the coolest parks I’ve ever visited: Alton Towers.

Since wanting to design and build rides from an early age, Alton Towers was seen as the “Holy Grail” of parks...pun intended.  I could have never imagined that I would be able to visit, let alone work with, the park I had only seen on television throughout my childhood. 

Nemesis 

The Smiler

The project that took me to Alton Towers: The Wickerman.  It was to be a twisted Ky compact ride with an abundance of theming and fire.  Fire, always a good thing near a wooden roller coaster, right? 

The ride had many challenges, of which the varying terrain was pinnacle.  

One of the best parts of building any ride is the moment when you stand the tallest section.  Since we were working with British, German, and American workers (myself included), I found it necessary to represent the flags of the workers who helped bring the Wickerman to life.

Working with Merlin Entertainment was an absolute pleasure, and the various contractors became a pseudo family across the pond to me.  Since most of my time was spent working, they did take time to show me around England and attend a few Premier League matches for Stoke City.

I lived in England for nearly seven months, and had the opportunity to work alongside the best in the business.  Smytheman Architecture, Kettle & Talbot, Merlin, and Structure Crew were just a few of the many hands that worked to make Wickerman a success.  

Upon returning from the U.K., I worked for another six months for Great Coasters and visited the main office in Sunbury, PA many times.  But, I knew I had to continue on my path and later departed from the company earlier this year.

Since my departure from GCI, I have been working to continue what I started so many years ago and am developing something some pretty nifty gadgets.  I have been setting up the shop, and will be tuning the machinery in the coming weeks.  My videos and posts will resume, and I look forward to hearing from you guys.  Thank you for following along, and I’ll talk to you soon! 

- David