Altoona, Pennsylvania – Thursday, July 12th, 2012
Twister, an odd take on the standard Tilt-a-Whirl.
Tin Lizzy has one of the nicer settings in the park.
The approach to the Sky Liner is across a hot gravel infield.
The Skyliner is a John Allen design, first built in 1960 but relocated to Lakemont Park (when it was briefly rebranded Boyertown USA) in 1987.
Unlike Leap the Dips, the Skyliner is included free with park admission, meaning I'd spend quite a bit of time with it today.
Click to view the POV video of the Skyliner.
Skyliner rear train detail
Skyliner
Skyliner skid brakes
Skyliner climbing the lift. (Yes, that's a ballpark in the background, home of the Altoona Curve.)
Rounding the curve before the big drop.
This moment provides a huge boost of airtime for the front car, which you can tell if you look closely.
None of the other hills or drops provide nearly as much airtime as the very first.
John Allen tried to get fancy with this descending spiral drop, although it didn't work too well.
Whoosh!
Skyliner
Skyliner has a lot of features that classic coaster fans should enjoy: skid brakes, buzz bars, no seatbelts or seat dividers, and a jostling ride that's rarely uncomfortable, plus one BIG moment of airtime for the front or back cars. Of course most people probably ride the Phoenix the next or previous day and forget all about the Skyliner by comparison, but it's a good ride that, along with the Leap the Dips, makes Lakemont Park a must do for any coaster fans in the area.
The skid brake underside revealed
Skyliner, sans train
SKY-
Widescreen shot of the Skyliner from the go-karts.
Tin Lizzy
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