I hate drop towers...and love the Sandstorm. If they axe that ride for some crappy drop tower I'm going to be pissed. They should just relocate Sandstorm.
This sucks. I'm going to BG in two weeks; just missing a chance to say goodbye to The Sandstorm. Had some fun memories. A great flat ride that will be missed.From Busch:
This Sunday, June 2 will be the last day Busch Gardens Tampa guests will be able to ride the Sandstorm. Located in the Timbuktu area of the park, the Sandstorm opened in December 1979. Following the Sandstorm’s departure, Busch Gardens Tampa will announce future plans for Timbuktu.
I've heard it'll be called Desert Dive. And I'm guessing it won't be taller than 200 feet :thumbs:
I haven't paid too close of attention to this thread, so I may have missed it, but are we talking an Intamin free fall tower or an S&S tower complex?
They filed for that name in May 2012, and there's reports of it being 330' tall!
That would be awesome. But isn't there some kind of strict height regulation in Tampa? Maybe it's because it's close to an airport or something? I might be way off here but I'm pretty sure I heard about some kind of restriction on Busch Gardens making roller coasters over 200 feet tall.
The only restriction is that structures over 200' tall must have aircraft warning lights on them, and depending on the property's proximity to an airport, all structures are subject to approval by the FAA.
Busch applied for and received approval to build a 330' monopole amusement park attraction early last year:
http://parkrumors.com/busch-gardens-drop-tower-to-be-330ft-tall/
Here's a direct link to the FAA approval document:
https://oeaaa.faa.gov/oeaaa/external/searchAction.jsp?action=displayOECase&oeCaseID=157759707