Negative-G - Six Flags The Great Escape 2014

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The Comet Roller Coaster at Six Flags The Great Escape 2014

This is THE reason I wanted to get back to The Great Escape.

The Comet roller coaster at Six Flags The Great Escape, Queensbury, New York

The Comet is, to put it simply, pure insane joyous fun!

If you like negative-g's the Comet has hill after hill full of it for you.

Four out of The Great Escape's six coasters are transplanted rides. The largest is The Comet which began as the infamous Crystal Beach Cyclone in 1926. The Cyclone was known for being one of the most terrifying coaster designs ever created. It was designed by Harry Traver and on opening day a young man was thrown from the ride perishing after slamming into the ground below. The park fixed the faulty restraint and the ride reopened later that day.

From that point on The Cyclone had a perfect safety record outside of the occasional fainting on the ride which happened enough to have a nurse stationed at the ride with smelling salts in order to revive riders. The Cyclone ran from 1926 until 1946 when operating costs from having to perform excessive maintenance on a ride that had forces which was tearing it apart caused Crystal Beach to close it down. The Cyclone did not completely go away as the park hired Herbert Schmeck the chief designer of Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters to make a new coaster out of the structure, mechanical parts and anything else from the Cyclone in order to cut costs.