My mom lost to cancer a few years back..her bday 2maro..she passed yesterday...this video lets me know just how much I miss her in my youth..she was amazing enough to take me to KI every year and ride all day from opening till close...thank you for the wonderful memories 💙😿😹💜..💕rest well momma💕

@johnfoltz8183

2 жыл бұрын

Sorry for your mother

@boltgaming248

Жыл бұрын

same

This video is very nostalgic and the way I'll always remember King's Island. I was one of the original ride operators on the Bat and will never forget the wonderful times I had working on it. This is the first time I have seen video of it in almost 30 years. Man, how fast all of those years have passed.

This is an amazing video! The music blends perfectly with the images...I miss those days.

Was just at Kings Island last weekend for the first time since I was 12 years old. Took the family down and camped at cedar brook camp grounds and we had a great time at the park. (except for the heat) When I was there in 1980 there was a big sign that said COMING SOON...THE BAT! Like many here I never got the chance to ride it but it is true that if you look under the Vortex you can see the old concrete foundations of the Bat. I just wanted to say that I really love this video and the song .

You've just stirred up a ton of wonderful emotions and memories. I can't tell you how grateful I am to you for posting this. Thank you!

Beautifully edited with a great song. I remember Kings Island in those days. Lovely. Thanks.

The Racer had both tracks facing forward in the beginning. The Brady Bunch was at KI in the mid 70's and you can watch them on the Racer as well as various places in the park during this episode. I loved going to KI as a kid in the 70's. Thanks for the great memories!

Was just there yesterday. Amazing to me how much has changed and then some things still look the same. Amazing footage thanks :)

Phantom Theater by a landslide. I love Kings Island and my family and I go every year...but it was a sad, sad day when they took out the Phantom Theater. Loved It!!!!

Wow, the Bat really looks like some tinker toy that Arrow threw together without much thought... like most of their coasters. I'm a big Arrow fan, they made big steps in the coaster world in their day, but it really was more or less an accident that any of their coasters turned out to be a great coaster. Magnum XL-200 still amazes me, so simple yet so amazing to this day, 20 years later.

I remember being there in 80, 81 and seeing a big sign saying "coming soon-the BAT". I never made it back so I never got to ride it. I have been going to Cedar Point every year going on 25 now and I'm ready to see something new. I will take the family to Kings Island this year.

Simply fantastic footage. Wonderful choice of song. Reminds me of what a special place King's Island used to be - then it all went corporate and parks weren't so rare anymore. It's still a great place - it just isn't such a...treat would be the word.

great ride... it did break down quite a bit.. but i always seemed to get to ride it when we were there.. which was MANY times... thanks for the memory..

Wow this brings back memories. Never got to ride the Bat, but I always loved watching it go through the motions. I was really upset the year it got taken out, because I was just then tall enough to ride it. I still have a Bat T-shirt though, and somewhere there is a picture of me standing in front of the station. At least I got a treat when Vortex opened! It's now my favorite coaster.

I love how my dad says this is how he remembers Kings Island and when we went to the park this year he asked where's the Bat, lol.

@tractorgt

4 жыл бұрын

I grew up going to Kings island with my dad when these were the rides and I remember being 7 and riding the bat early and then the beast at night. I was just tall enough for the first time that day. Now I go up with my son and ride the new amazing stuff like diamondback and banshee. Funny to see how far the rides have come in technology.

I love looking up history on parks, this one the most.

very nice video. i was lucky enough to ride this ride during 1983. it wasn't real fast but it had really intense swinging. it gave my brother a headache but i thought it was awesome.

Fantastic video. Thanks so much ... it brought back many wonderful memories. I rode The Bat, and the Screamin' Demon ... lot of rides that are no longer there. I'm glad they still have The Racer and The Beast. The Beast is my favorite coaster ever.

One of my favorite videos on KZread. This is the Kings Island I grew up with. Love the early 4 bench Beast trains and the ponds around the ride. Who else remembers the Beast prints on the path that led to the entrance? :) Also fondly remember my Bat rides, and finally riding Screamin Demon in the summer of '82 which was my first looping coaster.

I got to ride The Bat once when I was 11 years old. We were lucky enough to be at KI on a day that it was actually running. I don't remember a whole lot about it except it was a bumpy ride.

The beast and the racer are still there from what I remember from my last visit in 2009, though beast has been having problems the past few years....

great video, I was there at that time and i got to ride the bat!!!! i just got back yesterday from kings island. still is and always will be my favorite park! miss the backwards racer! i didn't think anyone could ever make a wooden coaster better then the beast, but the son of the beast (OMG)great!!! thanks for sharing the video (takes me back in time)

Thank you so much for posting this video! I love seeing the good old days at Kings Island! I visited the park during the era that this video was shot! Very Cool! ~Josh

I was last at Kings Island in 1981. I remember a big sign there that read "coming soon, The Bat". Sorry I never made it back to ride this thing.

Long live the best Arrow suspended. Love this vid....the footage, music (TFF fan here!) and the memories. Thankfully the concept wasn't abandoned. Top Gun (ok Flight Deck, there I said it lol) is short but sweet. A great front seat ride at night.

We can all be sad that the bat didn't last more than a few years or we can be glad that it was taken down and we were given the Vortex. I wish we could still have both :( Great video BTW. I watch it all the time.

@ArrowThrills

6 жыл бұрын

In my opinion vortex is the worst coaster at kings island its rough they should have keep the original bat

I love that the Racer was made(and atually ran)as a racing coaster. There's many others that call themselves "racing" coasters, but it's only 2 trains running simultaneously.

The "Scoobie Doo" coaster was built for the 1972 opening of KI. It was renamed "The Beastie" in 1980. It later became the "Fairly Odd" coaster and is now called the "Woodstock Express".

Ah The Bat. It got torn down before I was old enough to ride it but I remember it being there when I went to KI with my parents

My mom tells me a story about riding the bat when I was 4...I nearly fell out! But I grew up to live for summers and KI's season passes!

I never got to ride The Bat. It was always broke down when I went! All I ever saw of it was a deserted track while waiting for The Beast. I miss those old days! It's sad now that The Beast doesn't draw the four hour line like it used to and I miss watching the fish eat people's spit in the pond!!

I once spent a few hours at King's Island riding with an employee of the park. This was after they had closed "The Bat," but continued to leave it standing. He said that the park had hopes of re-opening the ride, but could not because the material covering the wheels would not hold up under the tremendous amount of pressure that was constantly placed upon them. He also told me that they DID make attempts at developing a wheel that would hold up, but were unsuccessful in their efforts. (?)

The Bat was the greatest ride ever. I got to ride it twice before they took it out.

And to add to that, there was a video on here some time ago showing Arrow testing cars taking sharp drops and corkscrews before the Bat was built. The idea was for a locking device that would stop the swinging just long enough so a train could negotiate an inversion.

Just for reference: The Beast is still operating, the Racer is still operating with both trains going forward, the Beastie is the kids version of the Beast and is still operating, and Son of Beast is still there but hasn't run since about 2007 due to mechanical problems .

Thanks for posting this! I never got to ride The Bat or Screamin' Demon, so this is the best I have. ;-)

Wow this looks quite amazing! Better than a lot of new coasters.

very nice great footage

There will never ever be a rollercoaster like the Bat that is featured in this video! NEVER!!!!! I was ever so lucky to be able to ride the original Bat at Kings Island1981 and1982. I sure wish that they could bring back ahb ñ no 8ii in. FAQ similar type of this design of course without the street points! I had gotten to ride the original Bat rollercoaster 27 times. That was up until they dismantled the coaster due to the stress the ride had. I always loved the shapes of the cars and designs!!

@ArrowThrills

6 жыл бұрын

Jim the newer bat colors skeam sucks rename it TOP GUN

@spacevspitch4028

6 жыл бұрын

Lucky bastard! I was only 2 years old when the original bat opened. Once Arrow perfected the design of the suspended coaster I don't think they ever designed one as cool as the first prototype here. Top Gun is great but it's too short. Sadly, they finally retired The Big Bad Wolf at Busch Gardens. I never got to ride that either 😫

@ArrowThrills

6 жыл бұрын

Why did they tear down big bad wolf for veterbolten

@ArrowThrills

6 жыл бұрын

I never rode the original bat in 15 years old

@ArrowThrills

6 жыл бұрын

C Rizzy they still could have relocated screeching eagle I never rode it but I love arrow suspended coasters

The original beast looks so beautiful, with the ponds next to it, to bad they where drained.

the Bat, definitely ahead of its time....loved that ride!!

King's Island put the Vortex there whre The Bat was back in 1987....still wished they still had The Bat..it was an awesome coaster!! ahhh. the memories....

I rode this only one time around 81 or so. My friend from MI said, man that ride don't feel right.

AMAZING VIDEO!!

I got to ride the Screamin Demon at Kings Island in 1986 and then again at Camden Park in West Virginia in 1997 it was a great ride but it was closed down in 2000 and scrapped in 2004.

The Bat was torn down and the Vortex was put in its place. A little further down is the Beast and just past that is now the Diamondback. Great trio to hit back to back to back.

I wish they kept half of the rides from back then! Some of those look really fun! The only one they kept was the beast!

This made me cry a little.

No, the Bat's record was spotless.

That was awesome!

I can't believe they took that ride down ;(

I was lucky enough to get to ride the Bat!

i saw some brady bunch thing and they were at that park - i remember the sign said "Red racer" on the front of the roller coaster. but i watched that movie YEARS ago

0:23 Beuatiful shot. Great footage of The Bat.

It rly sucks that there arent very many of these suspended coasters anymore. All thats left in America is the Ninja at Magic Mountain, Iron Dragon at Cedar Point, Flight Deck at Kings Island, and the Vortex at Canada's Wonderland. I just can't believe Busch Gardens got rid of the Big Bad Wolf. That was a good coaster and I never got a chance to ride it.

I JUST HEARD! AWESOME! I cant wait to go back to kings island!

Just to clear up any stories of deaths on the Bat, there were none. I worked on the ride from the very first day it was operational. One of the trains had partially collapsed as it was climbing the second lift. Under each lift was a chain link fence structure. The portion of the train that had collapsed, was actually resting on that fence. The riders were shaken up, but there were absolutely no deaths or serious injuries. There were also problems with the overhead brakes & urethane wheels.

The Beast is still one of the best coasters on the planet.

I never got to ride The Bat, as it was shut down every single time I went to KI. However, it was quickly forgotten about when Top Gun opened....a very simliar coaster...that rarely shut down....lol.

the kul thing is is when you look at the beast theres water and trees around it ... today theres vortex to the left and and exit way and everything else.. its just crazy how much kings island has changed.

the bat swings like crazy

When i was so tiny - remember Kigns island for me ment the beastie ;)

TEAR DOWN THE RACER?! I hope you were kidding, the racer is THE rollercoaster that sparked the second coaster renasaunce (can't spell lol) and helped pave the way to those towering monsters. and btw you're right on one thing: they DO need a standup (they have just about everything else)

naw, my brother told me all about that coaster. the brakes were not stopping the cars at the station and had some tech problems. but when top gun came outthe first year, he said "oh my god, this where the bat use to be and it was an under track coaster too"

my parents rode the bat they said the swinging was a bit too aggressive but overall not bad and they actually recycled the tracks for the "big bad wolf" at busch gardens in virginia (which was really fun)

I dont know if you no what you put together here with this video of the Bat and this song but it really hits home to me because my family and my best friend buddy legg went to kings island and we seperated from my parants and rode the bat. We were partying that day and when we went around the first turn we both herd a loud jolting noise from above are car. We both looked at each other and said that didnt sound right. I wished we would have told someone, because the next day it killed 4 people.

lol the bat looks so crazy!

Bat was one of the few suspended coasters which actually wanted or allowed the cars to really swing. I have been on three others and you get the feeling the design companies want to apologize because the cars swing a little. HELLO ! ! ! Swinging cars was the entire point.

@rienjen

10 жыл бұрын

From my understanding, the main issues they dealt with were daily maintenance problems, including buffers and cracks in the piping due to pressure in areas they didn't expect. The ride was closed more than it was open during its short life, so they finally scrapped it. Interestingly enough, they've just renamed "Flight Deck" (aka, "Top Gun") The Bat...not sure why but it might have to do with the new hanging ride coming out this year, "Banshee," where the old Son of Beast used to be.

@ashleybryant2367

10 жыл бұрын

Rien Jen Top Gun/ Flight Deck is a direct dissendant of the original Bat. It is a suspended Arrow coaster just like the original minus the design flaws, it may not be as fun as the original but its design is sound.

@davidbaker234

10 жыл бұрын

The violent swinging was it's down fall

@johnbrooks715

9 жыл бұрын

Ashley Bryant The Bat (previously Flight Deck and Top Gun) is sort of a descendant of the original Bat (1981-1983) except the design of the new Bat is based off of Vortex at Canada's Wonderland which opened in 1991, while The Bat opened in 1993 as Top Gun. I agree, the design of this Suspended swinging coaster is greatly improved compared to the original design which was The Bat which existed from 1981-1983. Arrow Dynamics had greatly improved their suspended swinging coasters over the years. Too bad they became defunct in 2001 mainly because Vekoma (their rival) was stealing business from them. Luckily we've still got these amazing suspended swinging coasters thanks to Arrow Dynamics. :-)

@urbex_coasters

9 жыл бұрын

With rides like Magnum, Desperado, and Phantom's Revenge, there is no way Vekoma is better than Arrow was. Arrow>>>>Vekoma.

Kinda cool to see the water by the Beast. All dried up now.

King Island had a stand-up at one point. King Cobra, but it was removed. They need to bring back a lot of their old rides.

What I can't for the life of me figure out is why they needed to drain the lake that the Beast line went through (seen in this video) in order to complete the Vortex. Or at least they could have re-filled it!! I loved feeding the goldfish from the line waiting for the Beast. Also they ruined that great lake across from LaRosa's in Rivertown to build the new coaster, "Diamondback". Its so ugly now. Rivertown has lost its charm. I don't even want to talk about Oktoberfest. Ugh!

The Racer and The Beast is still there!

I wish I would have ridden the Bat. L@@Ks even MORE fun than the Big Bad Wolf ( which was AWESOME ). My friend road it & LOVED it. No complaints of "neck whipping" ( his family were fragile that way ). As you can see, its motion was very fluent and smooth. What a Gorgeous coaster, with the Bat cars & beautiful spiraling track! Don't know if its still there but "Flight Deck" was 1 of 5 remaining in 2010. Iron Dragon, Ninja, Vortex ( not KI's Vortex ), & Vampire are the other 4.

Wow. I am 33 yrs old and I was too young to have rode that ride (i was a very short kid). For some reason, this is the first time Ive ever seen it though. Weird. I cant believe how modern it looks. I thoght the Vortex was state of the art at the time when it was finally built. The bat looks like something that would be built today. Amazing. I do remember the Bat being down all the time though. Where was it located?

The Beast and the Racer are still there. They have NOT been taken down.

the screamin demon was actually moved to camden park in WV after it left KI. I got to ride it there before they shut it down in 99

i miss the bat sooo much :(

Lets all just forget the Bat and be happy Kings Island actually still has one suspended cosater. (Top Gun/Flight Deck)

if you look very carefully by the vortex in the grass you can see a part of the flowers of the bat picture r.i.p bat also really great song

He is right, it was 72. The Brady Show (Episode 5 on their last season) was in 73. They never mention the word "King's Island" But just say "A new amusement park in Cincinnati" But if you watch, you can see the eiffel tower, and see King's Island written on some of the ride's carts.

Thanks for posting this, it's incredible footage. I'm working on a documentary for the park, do you mind if I use some of this in the video? I'd provide on-screen credit and link back to the video in the description. Please let me know!

Shane, awesome vintage footage. And somehow, your soundtrack strikes the perfect emotional chord. Great song. Did you capture this great footage? And I assume you rode The Bat? Do tell.

This ride had problems with the shocks wearing out. The track also broke in a few spots from the force of the cars and they came off the track. They put in cables to stabilize the track, but that didn't work either. So they tore it down.

The Bat had to be shut down due to insufficient design. The rails were not banked in the turns (see 1:52 and 1:56 and compare to Iron Dragon at Cedar Point). That caused excessive side loading on the brackets, wheels, and joints of the suspended cars. They'd wear out the nylon wheels in days. By the time Cedar Point built Iron Dragon, designers changed the track design to bank the rails, which eliminated the side loads.

the beast and the racer are still there.

lol the bat looks so crazy

I feel lucky. I got to ride the Bat...the real Bat. It was only once...but it was a fantastic ride!

@arrowguy173

8 жыл бұрын

+thejimm2009 It was! Great theming too.

Nah, that's just a rumor. The reason it was taken out was due to mechanical and design problems. There were no deaths or serious injuries on the Bat. The company that built the Bat, Arrow Inc, replaced it for Kings Island with the Vortex, which they also designed. Apparently rumor has it Kings Island got a heck of a financial deal on construction costs for Vortex from Arrow Inc. because of all the problems with The Bat.

@TheWarcraftpeon Apparently the guy who got struck by lightning was the brother of my pediatric doctor as a child. I can't confirm it, but that's what I've heard.

damn that helix after the second lift ill looks amazing

@Lapbar Do you remember when they had Alligators in the water at the beginning of the beast. Also you can still see a waterline on the square block in the middle that the cables are attached to.

correct, no one died on the Bat. It was removed due to exstensive technical problems that could get worse and worse and end up injuring or killing sombody. So they replaced it with the vorteex where the bat used to be about 4-5 years later

the bat was off the chain. it was one of the 1st suspended and they didn't know exactly what would work. they didn't know to bank the track and the hydraulics and suspension were minimal. that's why the bat always seemed so out of control and swung so far to the side. they made "improvements" to later suspended coasters but the bat will always be the best.

Right. The racer is still there also.

The Beast is still there!

ok this song would make u cry with the music vid

@PokeTec13 Top Gun was renamed Flight Deck. And if you already knew that, it may have actually been open. The enterance is blocked for aunt and you enter in the normal exit. For some reason.

the beastie's sign is soooo cute!!!!! i wish they would change it back to the beastie instead of the woodstock express. :'(

if im right at one point of time I remember riding one of the racers backwards

Well, your wish may have been granted. The Flight Deck coaster next to Banshee in Action Zone, which is a suspended coaster like The Bat was, is being re-themed and re-named in honor of the original. :P So, a new Bat will fly again in 2014!