American Eagle has been a big debate over the years. Some say it should be re-tracked,
others say it should be left alone. Today I’m going to be talking all around this
subject. But the question is, will American Eagle get the new GCI retrack? Let’s get
right to it. The benefits of doing this include new records
such as the world’s longest wooden roller coaster. It started off opening with many
records so it was iconic at the time. People felt like it was a must ride to experience
all of those insane stats. But, could the “new coaster” supply those same feelings?
Having this record would say a lot and bring in a lot of park guests. However, it would
kind of suck if they made it a hybrid, here’s why…. Six Flags is interested in getting
records and they have been in a war with King’s Island. The record for the amount of wood
track keeps getting passed around between the two parks, and this would take them out
of the picture. However, if they went the wood route, it would take the record back.
Arguably the coaster is rough and boring. In my opinion, it has a lot of dull sections
with bad pacing and a re-track could be the solution. I realize some people love the ride
the way it is, and think the roughness gives it character but I sadly fall on the other
side. Also, they could treat this as a new coaster, so park guests would be interested.
I have no doubt that the back will become more popular with this investment. American
Eagle never really got lines. Its queue is really long, and stretches really far. However,
it would never fill. So hopefully with a retrack the lines will remain as they did in the past.
Also, the coaster never races. At least it hasn’t for the past few years, and this
retrack could change that. I still have yet to ride it racing, and really want to experience
that. Additionally, the rides supports are really old and losing its integrity. They
may have to replace the wood altogether, but it really is in need of a treatment. Everytime
I’m in the station of Raging Bull, I watch American Eagle and see it’s structure sway
back and forth. Also, I could really see the paint faded away. They would have to repaint
all of the structure if they did want to do a re-track.
But, what negatives would come with this investment. Well… GCI’ing or RMC’ing the coaster
would have to fill some big shoes. There is no doubt people would be very upset if they
announced the closure of the ride. Guests would expect a lot to fill the gap of the
coaster. But could they completely remove the coaster and settle with something else?
This most likely would never happen, as it’s too expensive. Speaking of being too expensive,
a retrack itself would be super expensive because of how much track would be needed.
Though, the expenses would pay off because of how much people it would bring in. Moreover,
why would they add another RMC to the park. They already have one that brings in large
amounts of people, so it would be odd to have another. But yes, a GCI retrack could be used
instead. Overall, it has a few negative factors, but the positives easily outway the negatives.
It’s obvious that this is the most historic roller coaster in the park. It’s been around
for so long and just takes up so much space so you can’t really forget about it. For
most people, this is your first big roller coaster, or even first big wooden roller coaster.
The records it surpassed at the time seemed impossible and made everyone want to experience
it. It led to a war in the coaster industry. After this coaster was built, it proved that
we could do more than we thought. Taller, faster, longer roller coasters were being
built. One crushed the other until it almost became impossible to beat. Parks gave up,
no one wanted to try anymore. It then just became about guest experience and money rather
than breaking all the records. Maybe this could bring us back into another war. Could
we see another battle trying to outbuild the others again? Well, I think this would definitely
start something, and I won’t be complaining. Up next, let’s discuss the ride’s elements.
With Goliath, it’s going to have to do something different. Goliath is focused on big steep
drops and giant inversions rather than airtime. So, I could see the retrack of American Eagle
having compact, low to the ground airtime hills and sharp laterals. Honestly, the helix
could be left alone rather than being replaced by another element. It just adds something
special to the ride. It’s cool to see the giant structure from the highway and it serves
as a moment to catch your breath before going back into the action. Instead of a steep,
giant drop like Golaith, I want to see a curved drop. Something like Twisted Colossus would
be perfect. Infact, I’m hoping that the rest of the ride would be like Twisted Colossus.
Furthermore, instead of two separate stations, they could make it a mobius coaster like I
said before. This would be easier to get records and just be cool and different. They could
always just GCI only a few elements just to smoothen them out.
But, what could the theming look like? Well, I don’t see it changing that much as it’s
not really a subject that would get that much of a theme. And, it’s theme wouldn't even
change the section of the park. I could see its theme staying the same, just like its
setting. Maybe we could see a whole new theme being used that would change everything such
as the queue and maybe even the name. Speaking of the name... a thing I have always
wondered is, would the park change the name to? I think they probably would sell the effect
of a new ride. Now, let’s think of a name. A lot of people have been saying stuff like
Iron Eagle, Twisted Eagle, or maybe even Dueling Eagle. I think those are all great names that
would all fit, but it just doesn’t hit. Yeah those are all cool names and all, but
they all feel cheezy. American Eagle already has a sick name, so I wouldn’t see it changing.
Now, do I think this would be the right fit? Well, yes I would. Many people do not because
of Goliath, but I still think it does. The park needs more strong airtime and new coasters,
so this could easily fit it. They haven’t added a coaster since Maxx Force since 2019,
and have been adding coasters every 2 to 3 years, so I think this may be likely. Six
Flags Great America without a doubt is running low on space and removing coasters may become
an option as we have seen before. American Eagle receives low crowds, and takes up a
lot of space so a retrack may be the only option.
More parks and coasters could definitely be in need of a re-track more. If the coaster
was left alone, I’d still be fine with it. I completely understand if they don’t. Other
coasters may really be begging for the treatment so subscribe to watch that video when it comes
out. And, comment down below if you think American Eagle could get re-tracked. If you
enjoyed this video, I have no doubt you will love this video, so here is a preview…