Air today, gone tomorrow.
This imposing drop ride at Cedar Point was manufactured by S&S Power of Utah and stands at an even 300ft tall. 2 sides are devoted to a compressed air launch (the red towers) and 2 sides are for air-assisted decents (blue towers).
Until Knotts Berry Farm's tri-tower 'Supreme Scream' was built, this was the tallest drop ride in the world when it debuted back in 1998. Since then, it's thrilled hundreds of thousands of visitors and is still dropping 'em and launching 'em to this very day. It has lost a bit of its luster in the past 18 years (hey it's legal now!) and the G-forces are seemingly far less than what they used to be.
In 2012, a total of sixteen ultra-bright LEDs were installed up and down Power Tower that illuminate it at night, and I'm told it looks gorgeous (I rode it during the daytime). The crowning marquee at the tower's zenith features the Cedar Point logo proudly displayed for all to see.
Seating config is 2 rows of 4, plus 2 rows of 2 per each 'car', for a total of 12 riders per tower launch. Your view could be facing one of four directions:
1) facing north (the best), towards Dragster, Magnum, and the back of the park
2) facing south, towards Raptor, GateKeeper, and the front of the park
3) facing west, towards Rougarou, Millennium Force, and the lake
4) facing east (the worst), towards Corkscrew, Hotel Breakers, and the lake
You won't necessarily get to "choose" which direction, but if you're clever or lucky enough--and actually give a crap--you might be able to sweet talk the ride operators into picking your preferred seat.
The red side offers a bigger rush than the blue side, but neither delivers quite the thrill that I remember from years past. Maybe because my standards for drop tower rides are much 'higher' than they used to be (haha rimshot!), or maybe ride ops has scaled back on the launch intensity to reduce wear & tear.
Either way, the quad towers still generate that awesome/terrifyingly loud WHOOSH (the sound of air being compressed in giant cylinders) and lines will likely be short enough to quickly hop on this ride as you make your way down the Corkscrew midway. Just don't expect too much from Power Tower. read more