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View Full Version : Question: Soarin' Over California's Motion Profile



beanpole
01-13-2004, 03:45 PM
Can anybody describe the full range of motion used by Soaring Over California's flight system? I can feel the chair rotating forward and back as well as from side to side. Does the simulator ever drop or lift the chairs (relative to the floor) during the show, or do the chairs always stay at the same height? Are there any other axis of motion that are used during the show besides side-to-side and front-to-back?

Just curious.

MonorailMan
01-13-2004, 04:05 PM
They actually move in a slight arcing motion up and down, it's not much. Next time you go, see if you can get in row 1, and look at the other seats. :)

Andrew
01-13-2004, 04:18 PM
The recent Disneyland Resort: Behind the Scenes (http://mousepad.mouseplanet.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=21134) program on the Travel Channel included an interview with one of the Imagineers who designed Soarin', and showed the Erector Set model he used to prototype the motion of the ride system.

Check the Travel Channel's Web site (http://www.discovery.com/?channel=TRV) for possible future showings of this special.

beanpole
01-13-2004, 04:30 PM
Originally posted by MonorailMan
They actually move in a slight arcing motion up and down, it's not much. Next time you go, see if you can get in row 1, and look at the other seats. :)

Aha, that makes sense! Thanks for the info.

I noticed in the front seats (near the far right-hand side) that when the seats tilt upward it's a little too easy to see the top of the screen, which disrupts the illusion. Based on that observation, I'd bet that the overall motion profile is constrained by the size of the screen. Maybe that's why the movements don't seem anywhere near as wild as Star Tours'.

sediment
01-13-2004, 04:41 PM
The first lift is all that there is in terms of "fright." My mom screamed until the film came on.
Then it's like easy hang gliding. Lots of wind so it feels as if you're actually flying. Sniff every so often.

mountainrange
01-13-2004, 06:27 PM
This ride is great! more of DCA should have been designed in the same vain and with the same outlook. it almost makes you forget about the rest of the park when you take off and are whisked away. and you gotta love the ending!!

Icy Bacon
01-14-2004, 10:05 PM
The ride seems to use tilting forward and back the most, with most of the turns being tilted back with the film rotating. It's really effective and hardly moves any other ways as far as I can tell.

The one thing about that ride though, is if you are in the bottom row, especially on the sides... it's just lame. I don't know why they didn't stagger the rows so you don't see feet, or why the screen isn't just a little closer on the bottom, but those problems make the ride a lot less wowing in any place but top center. :(

(At least to me)

MonorailMan
01-15-2004, 09:06 PM
Originally posted by mountainrange
And you gotta love the ending!!

Well, not really. I know that if I were a one day guest, the ending has this whole, "Look where your not!" ending.

Personally, it makes me want to be in Disneyland more. ;) :D

Morrigoon
01-15-2004, 10:41 PM
I love the ending too... nothing like seeing yourself on a Disney attraction... even if "yourself" consists of a yellow blot in a crowd scene ;)

mountainrange
01-16-2004, 06:06 AM
Excellent point monorailman, it does make you just want to be in DL more.