Flying Dutchman (Efteling)
Flying Dutchman in Efteling ( North Brabant, Netherlands ) is a water coaster manufacturer Kumbak Coasters, which opened on 1 April 2007.
Originally, the track should be opened on April 16, 2006, exactly 328 years after the disappearance of the Flying Dutchman, but due to various problems they could be opened only on 1 April 2007.
The 420 meter long track reaches a height of 22.5 m. The car can reach a top speed of 70 km / h and the maximum acceleration of 3 g
Station
Flying Dutchman has a double cradle, as with this higher capacity can be achieved. The station is designed as a Dutch port in the 17th century at night. After the waiting area shall be open to visitors, which of the two stations they take. The two stations are right next to each other, the boats go by the zipper principle alternately to the left and the right station. First you hold a piece before the waiting visitors, so that the visitors can already driven the boats leave. Then they drive up to the visitors, who are ranked in the gates, so that they can influence, in which row they drive. After release of the boats by the staff this drive off automatically if the previous boot has left the first block area.
Car
Flying Dutchman has eleven individual cars, each with four rows of seats. In the first and third row of three people, in the second and fourth row four people side by side take place. The rows of seats can be higher toward the rear, in order to ensure a better visibility despite the relatively high backrest. Each seat has its own hydraulic tank holder which is adjustable. Front of the boat there is the figure of a lion holding a lamp in his mouth, the flickers during the exciting scenes in the dark ride part.
Transport system
Keep the car of the ride, as opposed to water roller coasters by Mack Rides, always in contact with the rails. These rails are under water not discernible through the opacity of the lake. In the sections in which the boat travels through the water it is pulled by a chain, which is located under water in the rails. The rails are quite wide with a track width of 1.20 m.
Ride
After leaving the station, the boat travels through a first space. Between the hulls of two ships, the boat moves into a second, filled with dense fog and completely dark room to represent the open sea. Only the flickering lamp front of the boat makes for some light. Here it comes to the first encounter with the " Flying Dutchman " in the form of an image that is on a wall of water in front of the boat projected. Only shortly before the boat reaches this wall of water, the water surge is throttled, so that the passengers do not get wet. Only a short time later, the boat seems to be crushed by the oncoming flying Dutchman, it is a bit pulled in the air, goes into the hole in the hull and slips there at 35 km / h 6 meters deep descent down. With swing the boat is running on the following extremely steep lift hill, which has an inclination of 45 °, and remains surprising in this. During this time a face over the passengers' heads light up and a skull is projected onto this. After the captain cursing was heard, the lift hill runs with a jerk at 11 km / h, and the boat is pulled to the top of the visible from the outside and the inside completely dark tower. Only shortly before the boat leaves the descent down, opens a door that releases the view of the opposite wooden roller coaster Joris en de Draak. It follows the externally visible part roller coaster. By a curve the car flies over a small hill, passing through a tunnel filled with fog, travels through a steep turn, passes a block brake, making a left turn, after which the final splashdown takes place in the lake. From there it is slowly drawn in a 180 ° turn and a right turn back into the station.
Technical problems before the opening
Due to technical problems opened Flying Dutchman a year later than planned. For one thing, hanging in the chain lift work at the end of the dark ride part not the way it should. It was initially planned that the boot is received in a fluid motion of the chain. However, it was not possible to run the chain in sync with the boat, so there was a violent jerk, the park guests did not expect. Therefore, the management decided to install a holding brake on the lift hill that stops the boat. It therefore is a temporary solution, so that the boat stops first.
Secondly, the car would not crossed at the first test drives the Horseshoe. To solve the problem of steel wheels were mounted on the vehicles, the coating of the rails abschliffen the something so as to reduce the friction. The boats were a few days left to go until the surface was strong enough ground. The coated with plastic wheels have been remounted so the rides during normal operation were not choppy.
Music
The music of the ride was composed by the Dutch composer René Merkel Bach. It was recorded on 22 January 2006 by the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. The soundtrack consists of 16 different pieces.