The ever changing face of Flamingoland makes it a park to watch and visit. CoasterForce was lucky to get an interview with Nick Buckley, Operations Manager at the park.
Nick has worked at Flamingoland since 2004 and has had previous theme park experience at Alton Towers, so he knows his stuff.
Aside from Nick there are approximately 400 members of staff to look after the 1.75million yearly punters at Flamingoland. Is that number going to grow? We at Coaster Force think so! Read on to discover why...
CF: Kumali has been an excellent addition to Flamingoland. Why did you opt for a Vekoma SLC? What other ride types did you consider before deciding on a SLC? NB: Any number of factors go into the decision to acquire new rides, among them obviously is cost versus benefit. With Kumali and Velocity we were able to negotiate an excellent deal which also included the removal of three older coasters whose lifespan was coming to an end – certainly from Flamingolands point of view. The package of the two excellent rides was what really made it appealing as well as the clearly justified claims that Vekoma SLC rides have come a very long way.
CF: What made you decide on calling your new coaster "Kumali"? Did you come up with the name first and then think of an appropriate ride? NB: It was ride first then name. Kumali is the name of our male lion which seemed appropriate for a ride that is hopefully as wild and untamed as its counterpart.
The sexiest SLC in the World!
CF: Flamingoland is good enough to give Thorpe Park a run for it's money in terms for thrills. Are the future developments at Flamingoland going to be more thrill based than family based? NB: Balanced is always our intention as we aim to be a Family resort not just a themepark. This year for instance we installed the Muddy Duck Tractor ride as well as Kumali, before that Velocity and Navigator which allows 4 foot guests, before that Lost River which is both thrilling and inclusive of Families, expect future developments to be in keeping with this philosophy.
CF: Flamingoland has gone from a fair ground-esque park to a fully fledged theme park, with noticeable Flamingoland branding, in a space of a few years. Is this just the beginning of the long term plan for Flamingoland? NB: Very much so, our design consultant Victoria masterminds all our developments which gives us a coherent direction for the future rather than individual rides having to be themed as best possible.
CF: You knew this question would come up... Flamingoland is rumoured to be getting a wooden coaster next season which will undoubtedly be a new signature ride. Without using the words "I can't say anything about this" and "all will be revealed later", (hahaha) what can you tell Coaster Force about this rumoured project? NB: All will be revealed later! The best I can say realistically is that yes one is very probably in the pipeline though the timescales are unlikely to as swift as next season. Your members thoughts regarding manufacturers, duelling versus one big one, desirable features would be welcome.
CF: What ride manufacturers has Flamingoland been in contact with regarding new rides for the park? NB: All of them really, we have a large amount of Vekoma rides obviously and enjoy a good relationship with them, however, we are not wedded to one manufacturer in the way some parks tend to be, its really a matter of seeing what holes need filling then looking what products are out there that will do the job.
CF: Are there any plans for what used to be White Knuckle Valley, such as a theme, and is the corporate tent in that area temporary? NB: Yes there are and yes it is. The corporate hospitality tent is reasonably easy to move as and when required, the aforementioned Woodie is pencilled in for this area.
Magnum Force...where a tent now sits!
CF: Would you even consider a tie-up with a big brand restaurant chain such as Subway to put a restaurant or two in the park? NB: Not really my area but from as far as I know there are no immediate plans for such a tie up, our catering dept. has made big improvements offering wider ranges healthier options etc. I wouldn’t rule it out for the future however.
CF: So far, Flamingoland appear to be able to install any choice of ride they want giving an impression of a good relationship between yourselves, the local residents and the district council...is this so? NB: We do enjoy a more harmonious relationship than many parks, doing what we can for the Villages in terms of litter and turning down PA systems when asked lending out our football pitch etc. The Cliffhanger did cause a minor disagreement when it was themed in red an white which we were forced to remove, that is now thankfully resolved.
CF: Virtually all UK Theme Parks use their website as part of the main building blocks of their marketing campaigns. Will Flamingoland follow suit and invest in a website which does the park justice, and will attract more customers and allow them to purchase tickets in advance on-line? NB: We are in the process of just such an upgrade as we speak, it is already possible to book holidays online – watch this space.
The upgrade couldn't come quicker in our opinion!
CF: Does Flamingoland intend to advertise nationwide? Not many non-theme park enthusiasts down south have heard of Flamingoland... NB: Visitor numbers and profits have been rising very nicely through regional advertising and positive word of mouth – the best form of advertising there is.
CF: What feelings surrounded the removal of Bullet and Magnum? Was the management glad to see these go or will they be missed? NB: Mixed feelings really, the maintenance of tyre driven lifts in our climate was problematic at best and the Bullet particularly was very power hungry so they were not cheap to run. Additionally the rough bone shaking nature of the rides meant they did cause a lot of minor injuries and a few more major ones which we will also be glad to be rid of. As a fellow coaster enthusiast however I am sad to see them go, rides are rarely manufactured these days that put that kind of stress on the body.
CF: Is the addition of a second train to Velocity possible? If so would the park consider it, Flamingoland seems to be moving further and further into the lime light in the UK theme park industry and its low capacity is a problem on peak days. NB: It is possible to do so though it would require some fairly extensive modifications to the ride. Hopefully as Velocity becomes just one of our better rides as oppose to the new big thing it will cease to be such an issue.
Another Velocity train could mean twice as many cheesy grins!
CF: Can you see the focus of Flamingoland moving away from the Zoo and just becoming just a theme park? NB: No the zoo remains a integral part of our product, going back to the family balance which I mentioned earlier it may not be as important to coasterforce but it is important to many of our guests. The integration of rides with the zoo is also something that may well be expanded in the future.
CF: Finally, why should people visit Flamingoland when there's so many theme parks in the north? What does Flamingoland offer that the others don't? NB: We are committed to delivering the most exciting attractions with a world-class zoo. Year on year our park is far more worth a revisit when compared with most of our competitors as our product is being constantly updated with major attractions. We also remain very competitively priced when compared to most parks who even come close to our ride expenditure.
So, there we have it. A woodie is a confirmed at Flamingoland for (possibly) the 2008 season. What kind of woodie would you want? Comment below and we'll make sure Nick see them! If you've not been to Flamingoland before, we strongly recommend you give it a visit. With plenty to do for everybody, it's the best way to spend a day! Coaster Force would like to thank Nick Buckley and all the staff at Flamingoland for their hospitality in April 2006 and we look forward to seeing you again shortly!
NOTE: No part of this interview may be reproduced on any other web site without crediting Coaster Force. Contact ian@coasterforce.com if you have any questions.
Schwarzkopf fanboy
Posts: 1 Location:
FL is a 3 hour drive for me, and I always thought it was worth it - Magnum Force is still by far the best coaster I've ever ridden. Sorry, but Kumali and Velocity, maybe be nice enough rides, but they're not going to give me the incentive to head up there at all. It's like Alton Towers getting rid of Nemesis and Rita in favour of a pair of PinfarisI do wish the park luck, it's certainly on the up aesthetically, but without the Schwarzkopfs, I won't be around to see it.
coaster.freak
Posts: 99 Location:
something like a megaphobia stadard
ashtonrick
Posts: 6 Location:
An average to large twister with some good airtime I reckon - we haven't really got any really twisted woodies left in the UK any more - something along the lines of the legendary Belle Vue Bobs or any of Traver's machines would be ace!
Mutt
Posts: 6 Location:
Nick - good to see some seemingly honest answers, and asking for suggestions for your proposed wooden coaster is a smart move!!With that in mind :-) my suggestion would be to look at Intamin first; they undoubtedly make the finest woodies in the world at the moment, and will build a ride that will still be rideable in years to come, which can't be said of many other manufacturers. If Intamin are prohibitively expensive; then Gravity Group, Great Coasters International (GCI) and Vekoma in that order are the best bets. Whatever you do - avoid RCCA like the plague; unless you want to relive some of those bullet-style injuries...In terms of design - take a look at Balder (Intamin@Liseberg), Thundercoaster (Vekoma@Tusenfryd), any coaster at Holiday World in Indiana or Thunderhead (GCI, Dollywood). Think tunnels, ditches, crossovers and interaction with objects/structure/queues and you won?t go far wrong. And unless you go for Intamin, please don't be tempted to go too tall with a woodie - your customers will be in for a rough ride otherwise...
Mutt
Posts: 6 Location:
Ian - good to see some seemingly honest answers, and asking for suggestions for your proposed wooden coaster is a smart move!!With that in mind :-) my suggestion would be to look at Intamin first; they undoubtedly make the finest woodies in the world at the moment, and will build a ride that will still be rideable in years to come, which can't be said of many other manufacturers. If Intamin are prohibitively expensive; then Gravity Group, Great Coasters International (GCI) and Vekoma in that order are the best bets. Whatever you do - avoid RCCA like the plague; unless you want to relive some of those bullet-style injuries...In terms of design - take a look at Balder (Intamin@Liseberg), Thundercoaster (Vekoma@Tusenfryd), any coaster at Holiday World in Indiana or Thunderhead (GCI, Dollywood). Think tunnels, ditches, crossovers and interaction with objects/structure/queues and you won?t go far wrong. And unless you go for Intamin, please don't be tempted to go too tall with a woodie - your customers will be in for a rough ride otherwise...
Titan
Posts: 1497 Location: New York
Great Interview! Id suggest going to Gravity Group. They put so much time and effort in their coasters, and theyre great guys too. Something like a double-out-and back, with a mix of airtime hills and fast-paced turns. A medium sized coaster, probably somewhere in the 100-150ft height range. Even though Ive never been to the UK, I think itd be good for the park over there.
danny1000
Posts: 1497 Location: New York
wow! a woodie at fl thst guna be a site for sore eyes. (not saying it wont be a decent ride). well i proberbly would like a big dipper kind of ride with plenty of airtiem he he.
sean
Posts: 703 Location: Featherstone, West Yorkshire
Excellent interview which answers a few questions in mind.
mrswellsisafatslut
Posts: 703 Location: Featherstone, West Yorkshire
I would want something that has a varied layout like megafobia or Tonerre de Zeus. Like it could start taking you out towards one end of the park with huge airtime hills like on a B&M speed coaster, only wooden. Then at the end of this move into a twister section like Gwazi at BGT, then come back to the station in a similar out and back style to the 1st part. it would provide a thrilling yet enjoyable ride (ive also heard that Vekoma make good woodies, which would benefit FL after having success with thier rides for the past 2 years running!)
Yesum
Posts: 23 Location: Ellesmere Port
I don't really care as long as it's got lots of air time, fast paced and GREAT THEMEING. But I'd love to see some more flat rides at Flamingo Land. Like at thorpe Park they;ve got many flat rides. But don't forget the childrens rides, it's not just a park for thrillseekers! Also a good paint on the wild mouse ride would be good :)
Dan Farrell
Posts: 856 Location: In Lancer
I might also add that we are lucky to have two of the most amazing Tradtional CCI woodies quite close to us: Megafobia and Tonnerre de Zeus, therfore trying to better them may result in the 3rd best ride. I'm leaning towards the Intamin Pre-Fab. We all love tradtional woodies, but we have two of the best already near us... what we dont have within easy reach is a Mega Coaster or Intamin Pre-Fab. So I think Flamingoland would find that the Intamin Pre-Fab would not only be cheap to build, but would also avoid direct comparision with Megafobia, whilst offering a different, but similarly mind-blowing ride experience.
Dan Farrell
Posts: 856 Location: In Lancer
Having ridden a lot of different wooden roller coaster and having run this website for 5 years, I feel there are a few things that Flamingoland could do to elevate their status to the levels of Holiday Park, Liseberg or Holiday World, simply with one ride only. Expedition GeForce, Balder and Raven have placed those parks in both the top lists of consumer satisfaction and ethusiast list. Flamingoland if asking for help in deciding on a wooden roller coaster, in much the way Holiday World and Oakwood did, will surely help them rise to levels they may never have dreamed of!
Martinb
Posts: 856 Location: In Lancer
I personally would like to see a big woodie, with one big drop then loads of little drops that have plenty of airtime, in other words it should have a constant high speed through-out the circuit and only slow down when it hits the brakes at the end!
Shockwave
Posts: 3377 Location: Manchester
It's great news to hear plans for a wooden coaster in the near future. But the park will have a lot to think about before they make a decision. Maintenance costs will be a key issue, because these rides need a lot of TLC to keep running well. Wooden coasters don't need to be huge to be exciting, and Megafobia a few hundred miles across the country is proof positive of that. Because the UK doesn't have many wooden coasters, I'd like to think that the ones we do have are great, and the park can take all the time they want getting this one just right.
costar
Posts: 131 Location:
This interview has a real North Yorkshire friendly feel to it, so different to the 'management speak' we are used to from Six Flags or even (sorry!) Cedar Fair. About wood, we have to be realistic about size (El Toro ain't gonna happen) but a UK Top 3 ride is still well within reach. From memory, the site doesn't lend much terrain-wise but a creative airtime filled layout is a must. Unfortunately it might be hard/pricey to coax GCI to our shores but GG have worked here before and Vekoma could deliver with the right team. I wouldn't be afraid of innovation, tunnels, queue interaction, maybe even an inversion if it sits nice amongst all the airtime. Go get 'em Flamingoland!
Pierre
Posts: 3137 Location: Middlesbrough LIKE
Excellent interview... thanks to Ian for asking our questions and thanks to Nick for answering them so honestly! As for the woodie, I would prefer a long one, and the key thing being plenty of airtime hills! Keep it up FL!
Harvey
Posts: 1082 Location: ZE NAVIGATORS SEAT, SO SHUT UP
A top notch interview for Coasterforce once again. It is great to see Flamingoland listening and talking to its fans, it stands out in the crown of UK parks for just that reason, and the only way for Flamingoland is up.
ZeroG
Posts: 2312 Location: Central Herts-ish
Great interview! Personally, I prefer big long woodies *tee hee, so much innuendo* than duelers, and a layout akin to Tonnerre or Megafobia wouldn't go a miss.
Ben
Posts: 8182 Location: Northampton, UK
If you wouldn't mind bringing us a coaster very similar to Voyage, it'd be much appreciated.
Fretless
Posts: 8182 Location: Northampton, UK
We hear the sound of wood and what you want it to be by asking the public? well my answer to be a dueiling one ( of course) to hold as many airtime hills as possible a deep dive helix and curve and also add another element. Somthing that has never been seen on a woodie before, or somthing that has but in a differnt way. Ideas are endless when head on with a woodie
Jake
Posts: 5484 Location: Warwicks, UK
The removal of my favorite and third favorite coaster was quite upsetting for me, but if Flamingoland keep investing in the way that they are I can't see this being an issue. I also wish more parks were as friendly and leanient towards their fans. *Looks at tussauds*.
AeRo
Posts: 4402 Location: Aberdeen
|Good interview Ian with some good answers from Nick. A lot of the stuff has already been posted on the forums already but it is good to have the 'official' line. Keep it up, I am looking forward to more interviews.
