News New Gondola Transportation - Disney Skyliner -

[Creathir]

Excellent! We'll be able to make out the license plate number of the garbage trucks picking up in the back of BoardWalk Inn!!

That was my exact thought too!!!

“Look Mom, why does that car have Dick Van written in the dirt on its roof?”

 

[NormC]

Why?

Because it is a properly designed system with lightning strikes and bad weather taken into consideration. It has proper grounding. Doppelmayr has been building these for a long time to withstand all types of weather. Disney is not a special circumstance. This is not new technology.

 

[monothingie]

Because it is a properly designed system with lightning strikes and bad weather taken into consideration. It has proper grounding. Doppelmayr has been building these for a long time to withstand all types of weather. Disney is not a special circumstance. This is not new technology.

Everything is designed for lightning and bad weather to not cause damage to the equipment. Florida Building codes are the toughest in the country with regards to lightning and wind resilience. That does not mean that operation during said weather is safe. Disney shuts down attractions proactively at the hint of Bad weather and rightfully so to protect themselves. If there is weather that falls outside of what legal has deemed safe for operation you bet that it will be shutdown, and given the extremely low tolerance for risk that Disney does take with guest attractions, I would expect it to be shutdown quite often during bad weather. I know I wouldn’t ride it during a lightning storm.

 

[NormC]

Everything is designed for lightning and bad weather to not cause damage to the equipment. Florida Building codes are the toughest in the country with regards to lightning and wind resilience. That does not mean that operation during said weather is safe. Disney shuts down attractions proactively at the hint of Bad weather and rightfully so to protect themselves. If there is weather that falls outside of what legal has deemed safe for operation you bet that it will be shutdown, and given the extremely low tolerance for risk that Disney does take with guest attractions, I would expect it to be shutdown quite often during bad weather. I know I wouldn’t ride it during a lightning storm.

Yup. No argument there. They would close it in extreme weather so it is still a non issue. They are very safe and there is no need to worry. I would gladly ride it in a lightning storm.

 

[tirian]

Amazing how you go on and on about stuff you constantly claim to not care about. Forced perspective is designed and neither view was designed.

I blocked him a year ago because I was tired of petty arguments with someone who claimed he didn’t care, argued with industry experts on the boards, then waived it away as a difference in opinion. For someone who suggests there aren’t standards, he likes to enforce his ideas.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Everything is designed for lightning and bad weather to not cause damage to the equipment. Florida Building codes are the toughest in the country with regards to lightning and wind resilience. That does not mean that operation during said weather is safe. Disney shuts down attractions proactively at the hint of Bad weather and rightfully so to protect themselves. If there is weather that falls outside of what legal has deemed safe for operation you bet that it will be shutdown, and given the extremely low tolerance for risk that Disney does take with guest attractions, I would expect it to be shutdown quite often during bad weather. I know I wouldn’t ride it during a lightning storm.

Then you will probably be standing outside in a puddle hoping that lightning doesn't strike you or anywhere within a few feet of you. The towers are grounded, the electric charge will go straight down to the ground. Now if you are standing close to one of the towers in water on the ground, you will feel a tickle or two as a couple billion volts rush through your body. And it will be a good show for those that are safe, sound and grounded inside the Gondola. It really is basic science, something that has fallen out of favor lately and replaced by thoughts and prayers. Hurricanes will shut it down, but, otherwise very little will stop it other then a loss of electricity. Even then I'm sure they have backup for that. The monorail runs during thunderstorms, why wouldn't the Gondola's.

 

[marni1971]

I blocked him a year ago because I was tired of petty arguments with someone who claimed he didn’t care, argued with industry experts on the boards, then waived it away as a difference in opinion. For someone who suggests there aren’t standards, he likes to enforce his ideas.

Nice to see you around

 

[monothingie]

Then you will probably be standing outside in a puddle hoping that lightning doesn't strike you or anywhere within a few feet of you. The towers are grounded, the electric charge will go straight down to the ground. Now if you are standing close to one of the towers in water on the ground, you will feel a tickle or two as a couple billion volts rush through your body. And it will be a good show for those that are safe, sound and grounded inside the Gondola. It really is basic science, something that has fallen out of favor lately and replaced by thoughts and prayers. Hurricanes will shut it down, but, otherwise very little will stop it other then a loss of electricity. Even then I'm sure they have backup for that. The monorail runs during thunderstorms, why wouldn't the Gondola's.

Your ability to spout nonsense is quite impressive. The installation will be fully compliant with all applicable building codes for lightning and wind.

Do you think Disney will have a tolerance to try and test how well the system reacts to lightning. It has nothing to do with science and everything to do with risk management. Disney will not create an environment in which guests in a semi-enclosed (monorail or bus being fully enclosed) are exposed to any potential weather risk.

BTW Have you ever been in a ski gondola in a 25mph cross wind? I’m guessing not because then you’d know it’s probably one of the most unnerving things around. Even though the system was build low and is generally at or bellow the tree line, in wide open areas such as the studios parking lot during a gusty summer storm it would certainly make for an uncomfortable, unpleasant ride, unless you think Mr and Mrs Smith whose biggest threshold for excitement would be riding SSE would enjoy the back and forth swaying caused by one of these storms.

And by the way Mr Science, you should know that the average lightning bolt is about 300,000 volts and 30,000 amps. But you only need as little as 150 miliamps (.150 Amps) in the right place to kill you. You think Disney Legal is going to take that chance??

 

[GoofGoof]

I feel like we had the discussion on lightning strikes a bunch already. My guess is the system won’t run during a lightning storm, but I defer to the experts:

Unless there is some sort of custom solution, the manual provided to Disney by the manufacturer will state that operations are to be suspended under threat of lightning. The towers and terminals are always grounded with copper wire but the haul rope and cabins are not. Remember everything the cable contacts is rubber to provide a smooth ride. As I said before, once a lift is stopped in advance of a storm, metal clamps are attached to the rope to ground it. If the line was struck without the grounding clamps on, the current would find its way to the ground, likely through the towers rather than the cabins. However no manufacturer would recommend an operator put people out on line in a thunderstorm. Lightning strikes can damage electrical components on the towers that might take some time to replace. Better not to have people hanging on line while that is done.

Also the cabins are not plastic. They are mostly aluminum and steel.

This isn’t the end of the world. They also run 2 large water parks and every resort has a pool and those also don’t mix with lightning. The protocol is probably something like lightning strikes within 10 miles and they shut things down but they also reopen pretty fast (maybe 30 mins without strikes). Since these storms tend to blow through quickly it probably means the system is down for an hour or less about 20% of the days (Orlando averages 81 days with thunderstorms a year). That’s what backup buses are for. I’m pretty sure they shut some of the boat transportation down as well for lightning.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Your ability to spout nonsense is quite impressive. The installation will be fully compliant with all applicable building codes for lightning and wind.

Do you think Disney will have a tolerance to try and test how well the system reacts to lightning. It has nothing to do with science and everything to do with risk management. Disney will not create an environment in which guests in a semi-enclosed (monorail or bus being fully enclosed) are exposed to any potential weather risk.

BTW Have you ever been in a ski gondola in a 25mph cross wind? I’m guessing not because then you’d know it’s probably one of the most unnerving things around. Even though the system was build low and is generally at or bellow the tree line, in wide open areas such as the studios parking lot during a gusty summer storm it would certainly make for an uncomfortable, unpleasant ride, unless you think Mr and Mrs Smith whose biggest threshold for excitement would be riding SSE would enjoy the back and forth swaying caused by one of these storms.

And by the way Mr Science, you should know that the average lightning bolt is about 300,000 volts and 30,000 amps. But you only need as little as 150 miliamps (.150 Amps) in the right place to kill you. You think Disney Legal is going to take that chance??

Sorry, I keep forgetting how literal everyone is on the boards. The voltage was hyperbole, of course, however, the damage it will do to you if you are struck directly would be pretty much the same. And yes, they are going to take the chance because the chance isn't as high as you seem to hyperbole it to be. Yes, I have seen gondolas in high winds on a mountain top in Vermont with a chill factor of -30 degrees and yes the do move sideways a bit, thus the comment about hurricane stoppage. The high wind that occurs during those quick summer downpours will be to short to stop them and my guess is that they have side movement restricting mechanisms that will keep them fairly straight up and down.

They don't have to test the tolerance, engineering has already determined the scientific tolerance, there is no mystery about how they will react.

So my ability to "spout nonsense" is not as impressive as you might think and in this case I think it is you that is spouting. However, for you the solution is simple.... Don't get on one and it will never be a problem for you. We will just file your concern under "fake fear".

 

[monothingie]

Sorry, I keep forgetting how literal everyone is on the boards. The voltage was hyperbole, of course, however, the damage it will do to you if you are struck directly would be pretty much the same. And yes, they are going to take the chance because the chance isn't as high as you seem to hyperbole it to be. Yes, I have seen gondolas in high winds on a mountain top in Vermont with a chill factor of -30 degrees and yes the do move sideways a bit, thus the comment about hurricane stoppage. The high wind that occurs during those quick summer downpours will be to short to stop them and my guess is that they have side movement restricting mechanisms that will keep them fairly straight up and down.

They don't have to test the tolerance, engineering has already determined the scientific tolerance, there is no mystery about how they will react.

So my ability to "spout nonsense" is not as impressive as you might think and in this case I think it is you that is spouting. However, for you the solution is simple.... Don't get on one and it will never be a problem for you. We will just file your concern under "fake fear".

To say they move a bit under a 25 mph cross wind is an understatement. Aside from the lovely yet jarring swinging sensation, when you add the torrential rain, and lightning of a typical summer squal to a semi enclosed noncoditioned vehicle you have the makings of a very unpleasant guest experience, one which Disney would be happy to avoid.

Yes the system is designed to withstand whatever Florida will throw at it, but not necessarily while it is in operation. There will be strict operational guidelines for it, and I would expect them to be very conservative, as almost everything is at WDW.

Again putting your pompous bloviations aside, your entire point makes no sense. Do you honestly believe that Disney would operate this system when they have a track record of shutting down similarly exposed attractions under similar conditions. Disney would not run a system unless there was an extremely low risk to the guess.

 

[Goofyernmost]

To say they move a bit under a 25 mph cross wind is an understatement. Aside from the lovely yet jarring swinging sensation, when you add the torrential rain, and lightning of a typical summer squal to a semi enclosed noncoditioned vehicle you have the makings of a very unpleasant guest experience, one which Disney would be happy to avoid.

Yes the system is designed to withstand whatever Florida will throw at it, but not necessarily while it is in operation. There will be strict operational guidelines for it, and I would expect them to be very conservative, as almost everything is at WDW.

Again putting your pompous bloviations aside, your entire point makes no sense. Do you honestly believe that Disney would operate this system when they have a track record of shutting down similarly exposed attractions under similar conditions. Disney would not run a system unless there was an extremely low risk to the guess.

Yup... and you just answered your own fears. They aren't spending millions unless there was an extremely low risk to the guest. Pompous bloviation's? Wow, just get a new Thesaurus? I get it, your scared of the Gondola's. If they had even a moment of danger they would stop, but, they aren't investing all that money in something that just looks pretty. It has to be usable in all except extreme cases.

Now go on and find some new descriptive adjectives to describe me, I'm collecting them to be read at my funeral after, while riding in a Gondola, I get hit by lightening, left to die in the extreme heat over a pond filled with alligators in a hurricane and a broken cable dropping us down into a parking lot, hitting cars that combust into flame. I expect it to make headlines.

 

[JoeCamel]

To say they move a bit under a 25 mph cross wind is an understatement. Aside from the lovely yet jarring swinging sensation, when you add the torrential rain, and lightning of a typical summer squal to a semi enclosed noncoditioned vehicle you have the makings of a very unpleasant guest experience, one which Disney would be happy to avoid.

Yes the system is designed to withstand whatever Florida will throw at it, but not necessarily while it is in operation. There will be strict operational guidelines for it, and I would expect them to be very conservative, as almost everything is at WDW.

Again putting your pompous bloviations aside, your entire point makes no sense. Do you honestly believe that Disney would operate this system when they have a track record of shutting down similarly exposed attractions under similar conditions. Disney would not run a system unless there was an extremely low risk to the guess.

I would pay extra for that!!!

 

[monothingie]

Yup... and you just answered your own fears. They aren't spending millions unless there was an extremely low risk to the guest. Pompous bloviation's? Wow, just get a new Thesaurus? I get it, your scared of the Gondola's. If they had even a moment of danger they would stop, but, they aren't investing all that money in something that just looks pretty. It has to be usable in all except extreme cases.

Now go on and find some new descriptive adjectives to describe me, I'm collecting them to be read at my funeral after, while riding in a Gondola, I get hit by lightening, left to die in the extreme heat over a pond filled with alligators in a hurricane and a broken cable dropping us down into a parking lot, hitting cars that combust into flame. I expect it to make headlines.

Well I’m glad you have your demise well planned. Enjoy!

 

[monothingie]

I would pay extra for that!!!

Chances are you already are.

 

[Biff215]

I would pay extra for that!!!

I’d pay even more to see this!

while riding in a Gondola, I get hit by lightening, left to die in the extreme heat over a pond filled with alligators in a hurricane and a broken cable dropping us down into a parking lot, hitting cars that combust into flame. I expect it to make headlines.

 

[GoofGoof]

I would pay extra for that!!!

Disney’s newest thrill ride. FP reservations available at 4pm for daily thunderstorm.

 

[Kram Sacul]

Disney’s newest thrill ride. FP reservations available at 4pm for daily thunderstorm.

They have this ride at DCA.

 

[JoeCamel]

Disney’s newest thrill ride. FP reservations available at 4pm for daily thunderstorm.

Yessss.... See! it never fell off!

 

[GeneralKnowledge]

I blocked him a year ago because I was tired of petty arguments with someone who claimed he didn’t care, argued with industry experts on the boards, then waived it away as a difference in opinion. For someone who suggests there aren’t standards, he likes to enforce his ideas.

For someone whose signature brags about how old he is, he sure is intent on spending every last moment of his twilight years hammering away at a keyboard babbling to strangers.

I enjoy reading these boards thoroughly, but I can’t imagine committing what has to be equivalent to at least a few novels worth of text per week to the conversation.