The History of Air and Galactica - Secret Weapon 5 | Expedition Alton Towers
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- Опубліковано 17 вер 2019
- Join us on Expedition Alton Towers as we look at the history of Air - The first B&M Flying Coaster and it's VR re theme Galactica. Planned from the opening of Nemesis before Oblivion but delayed this ride offers a unique experience not found elsewhere in the UK. The VR section would last less than 3 years before being reverted back to a experience more similar to Air - Secret Weapon 5
expthemepark
expeditionthemepark
www.patreon.com/expeditionthemepark
Credits -
David Ainsworth - • The making of Air - An...
TowersAlManac Construction Photos- www.towersalmanac.com/
Shaun Chng - • Alton Towers Air (B&M ...
Sean Flaharty - • Coasting Through Europ...
psyclonesteve - • New Beast, Alton Tower...
Theme Park Worldwide - • Galactica - Alton Towers
Coaster Clips - • Air Offride HD Alton T...
Hold Tight Riders - • Alton Towers Rollercoa...
Conor Boyle - Recreated VR Clips - • Video
Nolimitscoasterfan - • Galactica - Off Ride F...
cryptiksouls - • Air - Alton Towers fro...
All used under Fair Use for education purposes. Please check the original videos to support them. - Розваги
i remember when i was like 13 i was on my like 3rd ride through single rider and got grouped with probably a bunch of stoners and the guy next to me just kept shouting 'I'M A PIGEON I'M A PIGEON' and it has remained one of my most vived and fond memories of this ride hahahah
Oh my 😂😂😂
I hope he stays away from Red Force if that's the case
holy shit, I have a feeling that might have been me and a couple of my mates. I cant remember properly, but we got stoned and went on air like 5 times over, me and my friends had a thing where we would say random shit while flying. Im a pigeon, or "im a fucking pigeon" was one of the things we said. What year/month was this do you remember ?
@@TheMahano oh lord, i'm going to take a stab and say it was at least 9/10 years ago? around summer time (July/August). There were 3 people and I was there as a single rider. Don't think I was 10 I must have been like 13/14 cause I was in high school hahaha
I'm pretty sure I have the on-ride photo in my family's storage but GOD knows where it is!
Alexandre Santos quality that 😂
One thing is clear: Alton Towers’ commercials are consistently weird.
MegaRayland I wouldn’t have it any other way 😍
Yes
Every time he showed the air commercial and the coaster races through a flock of birds I always think, "Oh no, bird strike...!"
And they seem to... REALLY LIKE "In the Hall of the Mountain King"
MegaRayland ye they always have been
"Hmm, what can we do in our commercials to sell this coaster as serene and non-threatening?"
"How about an unsettling muted color palate and creepy whispering?"
"Perfect!"
You need to do a feature on john wardley, the guy is a legend
Shame he lied about the concept as if it was his original idea even though there was already the Flying Dutchman model with the exact same concept that was well established.
It was his idea originally (he thought of it in 1994, as stated in the video) just Vekoma beat him to it.
@@exiledrabbit It was the first B&M Flying Coaster. Like would you rather ride a B&M Flying or a Flying Dutchman Coaster. I would have to say a B&M Flying.
YES
"Now flyyy"
Hearing that just made me sad. I miss the old Air so much.
I sadly never got to go on the ride when it was branded as Air, but I'm sure I would've preferred it over Galactica
they even had audio description of the visual affects on the vr for blind people. this was amazing to me, riding galactica, as i'm totally blind. while the vr was lost on me, the inclusion of the audio description track describing the visual affects was worth strapping the headset on for, though you had to get the speakers correctly aligned to hear it properly, something i only managed second time around, but even so, it was great to feel included.
wait i really hope this isn’t offensive but how did you type this message
@@CUTOUTS look up, "what is a screenreader?" or, "how do blind people use computers?"
@@blackbearish i know i’m stupid sorry
@@blackbearish that sounds so passive-aggressive lol
they really should’ve just kept the air theming, it wasn’t much but the idea of it being a relaxing flying coaster is just so intriguing. galactica isn’t up to par, especially when the theming only really works with the vr which has now been removed anyway
Did you mean 'Air lack of theming'?
@@bugboy69 it makes more sense than a space centre? You fly through the AIR like superman and I liked the old theming, I would have enjoyed galactica if it was done properly. The vr was disunited, unclear and it fell off mid ride because they didn't fit properly even when the operator adjusted it for me. If it was executed well it could have been a success. Now they've gotten rid of the vr they should change it back to air like it originally was.
@@C.Woodford and just throw the portal, theme tune, shop retheme to roller coaster restaurant and more in the trash?
@@bugboy69 I never really liked the theame tune, portal is never on, and the rollercoaster restaurant isn't part of galactica
@@C.Woodford they still spent a lot of money on the retheme and it'd be a waste to go back to air. and you're right, the roller coaster restaurant isn't part of galactica, but it was part of the retheme and to bring air back they'd have to bring the restaurant back to the air shop which is just a lot of wasted money
Can't believe you left out the opening day fiasco where the metal beam that pushes the train into its flight position snapped in half. It was delayed for weeks. 😯
The entire Air logo and theme is so Y2K, I love it.
the whole air theme reminds me of britney spear's "in the zone" album, especially considering both were released around 2002/3, have a premise of relaxation and peace and use a blue colour scheme. the music used for air could pass as instrumentals for that album, lmao.
@@dylan-ly1xu Everything from the color scheme, the ride's name, the letter type, the design of the station and the air shop with the silver panels, the blue-green glass. It's all very early 2000s minimalism. Britney was following the same trend and vibe.
Should have called it 'Windows XP, the ride'
Air is such a cool name it’s simplistic and the theme gives it meaning.
Just realised I 100% fell for the "gentle family ride" marketing - Air was my first rollercoaster. So glad I did!
My fist “big ride”!
I remember visiting during Scarefest 2015, the park was dead. All I could hear was Air's soundtrack mysteriously playing in the ride plaza, I've never felt more magic in that area ever since. It's weird, I know, because the Galactica soundtrack is awesome but it's just not Air...
This! I ADORE the Galactica soundtrack, the vocals are off the charts. But it'll sadly never compare to the airy, oasis feeling of the Air soundtrack
Air's advert is still one of my favourites. I'm glad you jabbed at the tunnel - it's so bare.
It's like they intended for something to go in there; mist effects or something, but they all got cut last minute. "Prepare to fly... through a concrete carpark!"
Apparently was meant to be Cadbury heroes themed or have smoke effects etc....
I don't mind that they took away the VR because I hate it and think it's not nice to wear! BUT seeming they have kept the theme they should paint the track and add more things around the track to make it fit better and make you feel a little immersed in space
I agree, I really like the space portal the ride travels through but I wish they would add more! The concrete tunnel before the lift hill is desperate for some theming XD
Obligitory "Wasnt expecting to see you here"
Woah I did not expect to find one of my favourite LGBTQ+ icons on a roller-coaster video-
@@amberr3662 Haha I am a theme park addict!
@@RolyWestYT SAME! I had no idea a youtuber I look up to would be like me
I can't get over that on-ride interview. I know he's probably ridden it a hundred times but he sounds so passive 😂
You've gotta admit, AIR and galactica's theme song are arguably the most relaxing in the park.
The smilers is the most relaxing..
@@Adamm17004don’t mention that
Literally I've made it a tradition that whenever I see a video about Alton Towers (Especially Secret Weapons) I drop everything and watch the video the second it comes out!
What if your at a funeral
He’s right...
I always really resented the Galactica re-brand because I genuinley loved Air so much as a kid, I still really miss the "now flyyyy" bit before the coaster sets off.
Also every time I went on Galactica the VR was always off or down for the day which just made me hate it more, I wonder if I'd been able to try the VR I'd have been more on board with the new theme
I agree. I miss Air.
I want my Air back, so many good memories linked with it :(
Laura likewise. Such amazing memories.
The vr wasn't all that they hyped it up to be, and honestly made it less scary. Air was much better
galactica has the better soundtrack. airs is ok but I much prefer galacticas
I'm glad there is someone who is talking about the British roller coasters. It seems that most people talk about just the American ones, but as someone who was born and raised in the UK, I've only ever really known UK rollercoasters
Wow, how this guy just camly descriped the ride while being flung around in the air.
Such a professionel.
Also there was a young man who didn't have a shirt on not there is anything wrong with that but when you pull the restraints down it might hurt
So now that it it doesn’t have VR, I just tend to refer to it as a combination of the two - Galacticair.
Also, VR is weak to rain. AND YOU MAKE A VR COASTER IN THE UK. WHY?
If you look you see that the vr headsets are covered in some sort of sheet
Well change my theming and call me a new ride, THAT IS IMPRESSIVE!
YuxaRatt lul
YuxaRatt I wish they’d kept the VR
I just don’t get it surely it’s no longer galactica
The whole point of galactica was to be in space but now youre just on air
ayy I call it that too
I once went on Air when I was about 18, and my top came down. I was just hanging there the entire ride with my very revealing bra out. The photo kiosk operator thought it was the funniest thing. I still have the photo somewhere 😂
I’m going there for my 18th, hopefully nothing goes wrong 😂
This happened to me on a ride in the states called Outlaw Run at a park in the Midwest called Silver Dollar City. I was wearing a tube dress and when I got some air time on a hill it pulled my dress down. I was so embarrassed I blazed past the photo area and never rode the ride again.
look, its not the craziest, fastest, scariest or meanest coaster at the park but it is one that I will always proudly say I absolutely adore. It was the first B&M of it's kind, and they got it right in my opinion. Just because this is a B&M coaster that rides under the track people wanted it to be nemesis again, but the park already has a nemesis, so try to appreciate this ride for what it is, a smooth flying-like terrain experience with a couple little inversions for fun
Instead of investing in vr and a space retheme, they shouldve used the budget to theme the ride how john wardley originally intended it to be. Waterfalls and all!
The drabness of the tunnel could easily be fixed with some black LED star curtains like you see in theatres and TV studios. Hang them either side, paint the floor black, add some atmospheric smoke (not too much), play the soundtrack and it's pretty much sorted
SMILE SMILE SMILE SMILE SMILE
Will we get a history of wicker man?
Shrug!
@@ExpeditionThemePark Please I've never been there but if I ever do then that's the first thing I'm doing
Ain’t much of a history my love
esme no but there was that music at the end...........
Tuxedo Pug wicker man is amazing
This will always be my favourite ride at Alton, I still have loads of merch from when it was Air.
Rare stuff that will be!
Didn't they have an Air bar with a terrace where the Rollercoaster restaurant is now? Did they serve any Air themed drinks?
@@visionist7 air themed drinks would be some lorax stuff lmao
its a shame that galactica has removed the vr entirely, i really enjoyed it! also i've eaten at the rollarcoaster restaurant, and its really expensive :/ the food was definitely good though
Same!
It looks the same as the rollercoaster restaurant that's in Europa Park (which u believe came first)
Yeah I ate there this time and like you say really expensive. I had to do it once though and it was cold so a £15 burger meal beat a hot dog on a cold corner :)
The food was good for you!?
When I went it was dry and over cooked!
@@higg873 The one Alton towers opened before the europa Park one!,
Air terrified me as a kid and I'm glad my mum pushed me to go on it (I went a year before smiler opened as it was being constructed) It was a truly exhilarating experience, I love the design of it. It makes me sad that Air is not restored to its former glory as it's pretty much my favourite Alton ride and needs care, also the Air soundtrack was my favourite.
Watching John Wardley go on rides and his passion for them is really nice to see.
I swear they cleaned the vr headsets with KFC lemon wipes.
Air’s vibe was soooo early 2000’s lmao
Sam such a great job on this series. Thank you as always to teach me about parks outside the US.
Thanks so much Adam. I appreciate the support
Binge watching your videos has made me realise how much I love seeing daytime TV presenters doing pieces on rollercoasters 🤣
please never stop making alton towers videos, they are my fave!
I met John Wardley at the Nemesis 25 event. Such a nice guy and now have that ticked off my bucket list along with a signed photo 😊
I never knew they’d gotten rid of the VR. How disappointing. I thought it was awesome.
Look at it this way... vr is weak to rain, galactica is in the UK.
the VR was a terrible add-on.
same thing happened with kraken unleashed, it raises wait times and maintenance
Nightfall I hated the VR! Haha.
Yeah the VR was good the first and sometimes the second time round. After that it became shaky and incredibly faulty, especially the longer it had been installed. I’m glad they changed it back
Air is such an amazing ride. Finally, I'm thrilled to see a video on Air!
I adore the soundtrack and the ad for it as well. If only Alton Towers would just rid of all the Galactica theming :/
I went to Alton Towers yesterday! Even though there aren’t any VR headsets anymore, the ‘portals’ with the mist really add to the ride experience. Other than that, i imagine it feels very similar to air- still calming, comfortable and a little thrilling. Great ride!
I used the headset once and thought it was rubbish. Kinda low-res. Should have stayed as "air"
It will always be Air to me. I'm glad I'm close enough to experience it often, it's unlike anything I've ever been on before. Always fun.
Been watching this channel for so long so it’s weird when a clip I uploaded is used 😂 cheers for the credit
Conor Boyle hahah
I like Galactica! Thank you so much for making this video :D
😯
Shame about the VR removal, I’m just glad I got to experience it, I personally thought it was amazing, although I did have to hold it firmly on my face for the full effect. Even though space is a vacuum with no actual air, the cool wind on your face seriously felt like you was gliding through far afield planets. I never felt air was really big or long enough to work as a coaster and gallactica gave it that little something different. I seriously think we’d have some of the greatest coasters on earth right now if the tree top limit was lifted.
I honestly don’t know what I prefer! The Galactica or Air theming! I feel like air was so fun for the nature of Alton Towers, the “You can fly” concept. I think air worked because it’s not a particularly “thrilling” ride, whereas Galactica has a more thrilling feel to it, however the track never even changed.
With Galactica,
I really love the space theme, they could’ve made far better efforts with it after removing VR aside from the station and the portal. It feels just like air. The space theme could’ve been executed far better than it truly was.
Thank you! I've been waiting for a video on this ride for ages.
I miss the Air theme with the music blasting out. I have fond memories of riding Air. VR on Galactica was out of sync and made me feel sick. I only did it once and never bothered wearing the headsets after. Alton Towers is a special park with so many pioneering rides in the UK. I hope the UK continues to build innovative attractions and coasters with original themes.
Alton Towers seems like a fun place to visit, and maybe cheaper than Disney World. If I ever go to Great Britain this is the place I'd visit.
Seriously...if they really want to have people on a flying coaster that makes it seem like you're flying through space, they really should make a dark ride type coaster that has a combination of large wall mounted monitors and the tubes painted to look like star fields.
You're putting out these insane quality videos at such a rapid pace! Awesome job, and looking forward to the next one :D
Thank you so much!
Alton Towers RipSaw please I never. Got to go on it
At some point
@@ExpeditionThemePark A video on Submission would be nice too.
Hazel LoveGood what? What's rip saw?
Susie Studios an old ride at Alton Towers
@@susie4284 Ripsaw was a Huss Top Spin located in Forbidden Valley that was removed in 2015.
My last visit to Alton Towers was in 2014 so I unfortunately never got to ride Galactica with the VR, the closest I have got was riding Crazy Bats at Phantasialand last year which actually worked quite well as a VR experience as it was sit-down and enclosed. Also I hated the name "Air" for a rollercoaster and think Galactica suits it much better.
Air was and still is one of may favourite roller coasters!
The only rollercoaster to gain two ‘world’s-firsts’ in the space of 14 years
You’ve gotta say though...
*dat new galactica music is dope*
Zachary Nolan tru dat
tru dat
facts
Easily the most underappreciated ride in the UK. Not enough people talk about it as a British favourite
I remember going the year it opened and not having a clue they had built it, so going on the monorail through Forbidden Valley and seeing it I was like WOW WHAT IS THAT. I enjoy it but it just doing what Nemesis, The Smiler and Obilivion do for me now. Another great video Sam, recently subscribed so going through them all now.
I will always whisper assume the position in the ear of whoever I’m riding with before going onto the ride :’D It is also a favourite of mine and one of the first rides that I fell in love with as a teen. Keep up the great videos.
Been some years since I've been to alton towers. But air was my favourite hands down
I’m visiting Alton Towers next week for a staff day out with work, I’ve been binging your videos to help with my fear!😅
Have you got a video on the Kraken at Seaworld Orlando? Love your videos. These should genuinely be a Netflix series and I would binge it in a day 😁 keep up the great work
A message to expedition: Ive replayed this video and all your videos over again like alton teaming up with heroes. My favourite is air tbh
Man your final thoughts on it at the end are the exact same for me and every word was getting me wetter. You really know how to turn an Air fan on.
I was so so disspointed to learn the VR was going to be removed completely. Agree it was a pain when the VR wasn't working. But it's gone from one of the best ride experiences I have ever had, to now (for me) being to dull and boring to warrant my time. Get a good headset with loud audio and it was an incredible experience. Now it's just a weired force less family coaster
This was my first real rollercoaster ever and I did it with VR. It definitely helped me get over a fear and I’ll always thank it for that. Sad the VR is gone but I’m excited to go back to England to ride it one day
Talk about long queue times..you kept us waiting a week between videos..your probably busy with life but my nerves can't take it..absolutely brilliant..
Haha I'm sorry my sister just got married and we are having a family vacation so I am trying to do as many as I can! Things should be back to normal next month
I'm back and went yesterday and it seemed to be riding great these days, felt much more intense than usual. had me giggling all the way!
Love the video! Air was the coaster that got me into coasters. Would love an Expedition Skytrak though - never got to ride it!
Air will always be one of my favourite rollercoasters!
Great video! I loved getting the history behind this incredible coaster design. My favorite flying coaster is Tatsu. In fact, it's my favorite of the 96 coasters to date that I have ridden. The intense sensation of flying over the park, the dives, rolls and the intense pretzel loop, finishing with a tight sweep over the main plaza of the park is truly phenomenal. Flying Dinosaur is a bucket list coaster for me because I hear it is even better than Tatsu. One day I hope to be the judge of that.
Air is my favourite coaster too, but I wish they would revert the name back, as 'Galatica' doesn't fit well with it.
I really wish they kept the air theme song, its just so relaxing and so much better
Loved the vr, but instead of fully removing it, I wish they made it for one back row only. Treat it like the front rider queue: if you want vr you can have it, but will have to accept queuing longer. Not only would reliability improve with less units to check and maintain, but dispatch times could have been reduced. Plus all the people that felt nauseous, hated the long queue times or just wanted to ride the old Air would have been satisfied. Always seemed weird that they just completely gave up on it.
Love you videos. I love learning about the roller coasters and their history
Thank you
Yesss it's finally here! Great video BTW and I guess that wraps up all of the secret weapons at Alton Towers other than wickerman
Great video miss the theme of air like the sound track something very special about it #prepareforair
I had a copy of the air soundtrack somewhere back in the day. There's actually a guy who used to write quite of lot of themes for rollercoasters and themeparks. Managed to track him down one day.
so glad I got a ride on this with the VR (I live a long way from Alton Towers so only go there once every couple of years)
I love your videos! They’re actually really interesting and I’ve been watching for hours XD
Air was my first ever rollercoaster I’ve ever been on. (Just recently)
I remember begging my friend to not go on it and began walking away from the entrance of the ride.
Long story short,when i was climbing up the lift hill i was suddenly so happy.
The first time I even saw a flying coaster and got to ride was in Universal Studios Japan on the pterodactyl coaster. To date- best experience ever
A very underrated ride. Great video!
This is honestly my favourite ride at Towers.
Glad I never went on when it had VR, I heard it was trash and I could believe it!
Travis Cox it was optional I believe
I went on Galactica during the 2018 season, but chose not to use the VR due to its poor reputation. If I'd have known it was about to be removed entirely I probably would've tried it.
Hello There, great video, very informative and it was fantastic to hear your perspective on this. Thank you for doing this. Cheers Peter :)
You’re fast becoming one of my favourite UA-camrs
Keep it up
me and my friend tom love watching your videos together
no homo tho
Good bonding time!
Gay
Come out of the closet mate
Might not be homo but it's definitely sexist
Just make sure you're wearing socks, then it's not gay.
Air’s logo/branding looks gorgeous
I went on Air once. It was amazing. My favourite all-time ride!
I've been waiting for this for ages now
Edit:I'm shocked that you liked and commented this has never ever happened to me!
Me too!
Honestly didn't even know about the rebrand/retheme to Galactica with the VR thing, the last time I was at Alton Towers was in 2002 and I remember going on Air.
“Galactica” is the only rollercoaster that I have wanted to ride more than once
ive said it once and i will say it again, alton towers is genius with their theming
I really wish they would change it back to Air. I know they won't because it would cost a lot of money and just isn't feasible, but Air's simplicity is what makes it awesome. It didn't need a gimmick or a theme - it was simple and enjoyable. Galactica just feels like one big gimmick and not even a clever or original one. Plus, I prefered queueing with the simple and relaxing Air theme music as opposed to the overly loud and orchestral Galactica soundtrack
This one is probably one of the best ones for me I think it’s suitable for everyone and it’s so fun ! :]
I worked as a videographer for one corporate event at Alton Towers hotel during the off season. They opened up Air for all these upper management types to ride on it - one bloke just went round and round for 30 mins and I had to wait for him in the rain until he had enough! I tracked on the copy “we are on the right track” over the video footage lol.
Manta at Sea World Orlando is incredible. That (not sure what you'd call it) inverted pretzel loop was such an unexpected feeling the first time I rode it.
Went in the Galactica store on October 12 2019...sells vr headsets despite it not being a vr ride anymore (I didn’t get one though. I got a Nemesis monster keychain)
I was going to say the same thing, was surprised to see so much VR gear being pushed in the shop when it has nothing to do with VR anymore.
And also, if the VR has completely been removed, surely now they can release the VR footage of the ride, to allow us who liked it, so we can view it? Albeit they would most likely release it in a VR only format, so you can really only experience it fully if you have a VR headset? 🤷🏼♂️ Just an idea that they could perhaps take on
This may be something that has already been done, but after watching your flying coaster expedition series I'd love to see something similar with the history of Arrow. Perhaps the rise with its history at Disney, the fall with X/X2, and everything in between? That would be really cool!
I never went on air because I was too young but I did go on when it was and still is galactica. Still kinda wish I was older so I could’ve gone on when it was air though.
Been on some of the best rides all over the world. Air has always been my favourite, wish it lasted longer though.
I love air but they really need to add more themeing around the track! Also I think they should have kept the last few seats with VR so people had the option. But ah well.