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Air is one of the best rides I have ever been on. Firstly, after the long queue, you enter one of the two below-ground stations. Then, you put your luggage (coats and stuff) if a cage thing, then you wait for the train. When the train arrives, you sit in a seat, and pull down the over head shoulder restraints. Passengers board the train as they would on Nemesis, an inverted coaster near Air. Once everyone is seated the lights dim and turn a
turquoise colour and the seats recline so everyone is facing the ground. The train then sets off.
First, the train exits the station and starts to climb the 65ft lift chain. At the top of the lift, the train takes a small drop and enters a banked right hand turn. After that, there is a big drop and a climb up. Then, the train enters the first flip over. Now, lying on your back, you go down a small hill and enter a large left hand turn around. You then flip back over onto your front and dive towards the ground with not much space between you and the grass. Then, you enter a large left hand turn around and enter the barrel roll. After the barrel roll, there is some more small hills as the train makes it way back to the station. There is also a fast helix before the train hits the brakes.
Jack
An amazing ride with
beautiful views. It really does give a sense of flying, even when you aren't
on the front seat. Its not really a ride for thrill seekers as it isn't
frightening but the feeling you get from it is awesome!
Gemma
Excellent. The 180 degree
roll was awesome especially when you're lying on your back going round
an embanked curve before smoothly exiting it. The 360 degree roll added
that something extra and as for the 180 degree climb - excellent. I'm
only 11 and it is the biggest thrill of my life.
Lee
I do not see why this ride
gets so much criticism - OK maybe it's not the biggest on high thrills
but it dose create a truly, wonderful experience which makes it
different in a weird but awesome way!
B Gorb
A truly unique ride that's
not fast but aimed entirely at the idea of lying down. The twists and
turns are great especially when you're looking up at the sky lying on
your back. Want to know what superman feels like flying? Go and fly on
air!
Aaron Allen
This ride is excellent! I
can't decide if Nemesis or Air is better but Air is so smooth and you
chill out on it. When you go down the hill at the beginning you feel
like you are going to fall out but luckily you don't. Very very very
good ride!
'Air Dude'
It was amazing!! it felt
like I was a bird free to roam the horizon however I don't think it is a
very stable ride due to the fact that as we left there was a cart of
people stuck in mid air due to a fault.
Abby and Becky
Ok this ride isn't as good
and intense as the almighty Nemesis but its still a flipping awesome
ride and doesn't deserve the criticism it sometimes gets
R.T
Although not as good as neighbouring
Nemesis, AIR gives an experience like no other. The first time I went on
Air, I looked forward (didn't look to the ground) so it didn't feel much
like flying. When I went on later the same day, I decided to look down,
and it felt like flying.
Caroline
Forbidden Valley. Those two words
create thoughts like "evil", "disasters",
"monsters", and apparently, "smooth teal
relaxation". Of course, to the sane person, that last bit is, well,
insane. But not to Tussauds. Let's go back to 1994. Alton Towers debuted
it's frightening new roller coaster, Nemesis, themed after a horrible
post-apocalypse monster rising from the core of the earth to terrorize
people. Go forward eight years. Alton Towers debuted its newest coaster,
Air, themed after, well, air. It was a relaxing teal coaster, themed to
some kind of Zen experience. It made its home just metres away from,
that's right, the most frightening thing on the planet: Nemesis.
Why? Nobody quite knows.
The frightful Nemesis music fades away,
and the smooth Air music floats through your transition-shocked mind. A
tall building, shaped somewhat like a quarter of a melon, looms ahead.
On top it reads, "air shop". How original. You join the queue,
which crawls along, up a hill, happily presenting itself to arriving
autocars in the car park, then curling back down the hill to the subterranean
station. The queue stops. A wispy voice says, "Air is experiencing
technical problems." You wait. And wait. Finally, the queue moves
again, and you head into the seat. You pull down the restraint, which
involves two thin rods of steel and a very thick rubber pad. Two
leg-clamps clamp your legs to the leg rests.
A wispy voice says "Prepare for
air". The station turns blue, the cars lift up, and the voice says,
"Now fly."
The train moves out of the station, and
through the eighth wonder of the world: "The Fantastic Dirty Oily
Tunnel!" Yes, the first thing one sees on this ride is puddles of
oil and piles of sand. The train climbs a lift hill, then drops through
several trees before zooming skyward in a 180-degree twist about, then
sweeping majestically back towards terra-firma. The green grass becomes
awfully close, but the cars pull away, veering up and onto your backside
before plunging into a circling dive that whirls round the whole entry
spot.
You roll over, facing down in time to
see the very hard dirt rush up to say hello and have a spot of tea, but
the cars pull away into a clockwise helix before you can get your hands
on a digestive. The ground plunges away, and the train whirls you about
through a fantastic inline twist, then zooming towards the maintenance
building, running the length of it, before rising up a bit, then
plunging again towards earth, then swooping again through a fantastic
helix finale, getting a momentary view of the car park before whistling
past several stones and stopping on the brakes.
Prosies and consies:
Pros:
-Nice step up from Black Hole
-Comfortable
-Smooth
-Nice sensations
Cons:
-Very little theming
-Clashes horribly with its terrifying neighbour
-Unreliable
So, I think if it can be worked out
properly, it could be a first class ride. Just try not to expect too
much from it, and you'll love
Cosmo Jenkins
To answer Kee
Kee's question first, yes, I did feel as if I was going to fall out
on the way up the lifthill! When you look from the ground at the riders
going up, you wonder how their toes don't touch the ground because of
the almost diagonal position.
Now, the first thing I have to say is
that this ride is brilliant! I honestly thought that the roll onto the
back was going to be rough, unpleasant and very forceful. Neither of
these things were delivered, much to AIR's credit. Lying on your back
around the plaza is a really nice touch, and the half corkscrew turning
you face-down again was so smooth it was seriously hilarious! The helix
was lovely, and the inline twist - well, it was sublime. The final helix
was superb and I wondered when the train was going to stop, as the
brakes are surprisingly late. I was sitting at the back, too. If I had
had more time in the park or didn't mind sacrificing a few last-minute
Nemesis rides, I would have gone on again. Ten out of Ten for re-riding
power! I think it is a credit to John Wardley's genius that he can
create a stunning ride without relying on intense theming.
My criticisms. The only one on the ride
itself is that it is not that reliable. In my case, the problem was one
of the stations breaking down, reducing the number of trains available
and thus the throughput of passengers. The remainder are directed to the
reviews in general - this roller coaster seems to have spawned a lot of
unfair comment.
I think people expect too much of this
ride. Yes, there is a niche for ultra-fast rides with high g-forces and
a whirlwind experience (Nemesis) but not everyone can tolerate this and
personally, although I admire Nemesis, I do like to ride something more
gentle now and again. I haven't ridden too many coasters, and none
outside the UK, but this was the epitome of sublime gracefulness. The
graceful equivalent of the Nemesis g-pulling ride. A full 5 stars for a
wonderful roller coaster.
Harold Garmonsway
Alton Towers have always been ones to
break records and introduce world firsts. Since the days of Corkscrew
their coasters have all stunned the world by pushing the limits of
coaster engineering. From the UK's first double inversion coaster to the
latest instalment of artificial flight.
The aptly named "Air" aims to
simulate flight with all the trimmings. Massive delays before take off, queuing
to get on the runway, technical faults with the aircraft etc.
The actual ride is rather good. Whilst
not breathtaking, it is still a thrilling feeling to hover a few dozen
feet off the ground and rolling onto your back to face the sky. Don't
expect to be scared out of your skin, but do expect to be swept off your
feet. It really is like no other coaster and first time riders will love
this most, but that's where the novelty wears off. Any more than once
and it gets gritty, you notice the painstakingly slow queue and loading
and the persistent breakdowns.
The theming is tranquil and the
soundtrack beautifully composed, very appropriate for the ride, had it
not been slapped next to the most evil themed ride in the world.
Complementing Nemesis in Forbidden Valley, is such a bizarre location
for a ride of this type and a theme to go with it that you begin to
wonder if anyone at Tussaud's actually visits Alton.
In all, the ride is good, an ideal instalment
for the park's family image, appealing to all ages, but it really is a
one ride wonder and anymore than one flight will leave you wondering
where the £12m really went.
Dan Thompson
Really good ride thought it could
have bit a bit better but I was not at all disappointed. Its an easy
gentle ride that's not one bit scary and 100% fun!!!
Emma Snaith
I Really do not know what to think of
this ride, it is supposed to be an area of rehabitation from Nemesis,
but this is not clear to a normal visitor who visits only say once a
year. The 'Mutant Racers' stall, situated in-between Air and Nemesis,
should not be their because it is themed at air but inside it is rusty
like nemesis with goblins that you race??? Perhaps the area should be remained
the 'AIR OASIS', making the difference clearer. The music, I have to say
is fabulous, and fades out the sound of townies shouting F**k every 3rd
word perfectly. The queue really shows off the ride. When in the
station, you see the glistening silver/blue cars and the good theming.
You board the car only to here the disappointing call that is, 'air is
experiencing technical difficulties, and we are unable to assess the
length of the delay, thank you' and fifteen minutes later, 2 ''blokes''
enter and say, 'Aye, I know what the problem is, But I can't fix it,
'cause I'm on't tea break'.
After waiting impatiently, you finally
become gently hoisted into the flying position. You then enter a tunnel
with nothing but oil and muck in it. You pray that if you ever do fall
out of the harness, the it would not be here. You then climb the lift hill
and enjoy a smooth, relaxing, but exhilarating flight. You enter the
station to find out that it has broken down again and you remain stuck
in the brake run for yet another 15 minutes.
I find it very hard to rate this
because it is a fantastic roller coaster and B&M have certainly done
their job, but the theming is patch, it can be brilliant (like in the
station) or completely non existent (like in the tunnels). Why? Alton
Towers could have had the perfect ride but a few minor details which
would not cost much to change let the ride down. Anyway, you are
probably fed up of me moaning and so I will finally pray that the theming
of Corkscrew and RITA-Queen of speed don't clash in the same way that
the theming of Nemesis and Air do.
MattMoo
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