IamA Six Flags Ride Operator, AMA!

Will you be there Saturday? My and my wife are coming. I'm going to say "Theme_Park_Throwaway" to the operator of every ride we go to. I'll know it's you when you say "banana for scale, captain." Then I will salute you.

Those. Exact. Words. It'll blow my wife's mind.

Edit 1: Status update. I have not seen him/her yet. My wife doesn't want to go to the kiddie rides. We're currently waiting for the Goliath and the line is at a dead stop.. No signs of our guy/gal at acrophobia. Next stop is the train.

Edit 2: the train appears to be closed?

Edit 3: I am sorry to report that I did not find /u/Theme_Park_Throwaway. There were two things on my agenda: have fun with the wife and make reddit happy. I could only accomplish one of those but we have season passes so maybe next time.

I will be there Saturday. Make sure hit up acrophobia, take a railroad trip, and check the kiddie area for good measure ;)

I'll be sure to do that.

Wife: "Why are we going to the kiddie rides?"

Me: "Because..........just trust me, ok?"

lol!

As a former six flags employee,

How long is the ride down for?

Will this ride kill me?

What do you mean my child is too short too ride?

How do I get to the waterpark?

Are you guys open on (misc. date)

Does the train take me to the waterpark?

Will I get wet on Thunder River?

Are there any loops on this?

Why is the ride broken?

DON'T START THE RIDE! MY BELT ISN'T ON!!

My kid is tall enough! See? (as he slams his kid's head against the height stick).

Do you know when the ride will open?

Why do they have height limits?

Are you open? (In the midst of a thundershower)

Are there rainchecks?

When that phone at the little booth rings, who is on the other end, where are they, and what are they telling you? In my mind it's either, "Don't let that guy in the blue ride, he's a terrorist" or "don't let anyone on or they'll all die."

The phone is used for supervisors/ride attendants to contact supervisors/ride attendants. When the phone rings on a ride, usually it is something along the lines of "Do you have extra people at your ride? I need an extra person over here to run lunch breaks" or something related to the staff. All the important/interesting phone calls involve us calling someone else, such as for a breakdown, fight, or other situations that involve us closing the ride.

here to run breaks

Wait, someone manually stops these death machines???

EDIT: Fuck my mother I'm very stupid. Breaks =/= Brakes. Move along, nothing to see here.

Breaks as in employee breaks. Like every employee has to take a break during their work day and if we don't have enough to cycle out one person at a time we'll call another ride.

Y'ever seen a fat guy with a huge mohawk and a gorilla tattoo on his left arm?

Can't say I've been looking.

If you see him, tell him Jerry died.

Will do.

Do any of the rides secretly transform into giant crime fighting robots after hours, thus protecting civilization from certain doom?

Not allowed to comment on that, sorry.

Any good fat people stories?

Yes. WAAAAAAY too many fat people come to the park thinking that "Oh well they must have fat people come all the time so there's gotta be some accommodations." Yeah, some rides fit bigger riders than others, but none of our rides (with the exception of some flat rides and other non-coaster rides) are meant to accommodate obese guests.

The worst is the arguing. People seem to think that I can just reach over to my panel and engage "fat people mode" or something. If the god damned restraint won't close around you, there's nothing I can do to fix it. Got a problem with that? Contact the ride manufacturer. Six Flags doesn't design the coasters or the units (the thing you ride in).

As a fat guy, I love it when they put a seat at the front of the line that lets me check and see if I'll fit without waiting in line.

This! I have guests come in the exit sometimes asking if they can check that they fit before they wait in line.

As a fellow Six Flags employee (Great America) I feel your pain. Too many times have I gotten yelled at because people waited two hours in line, only to find they didn't fit. When I tell them they should have tried the test seat at the entrance they get even more furious. It's greeeeat!

I'll just tell them to send their complaints to the ride manufacturer, which is usually B&M, located in Switzerland.

I trained ride operators and attendants at a smaller amusement park. During orientation I was charged with teaching the "guests of unique body proportion" section. It involved a lot of role playing on how to most professionally and sensitively deal with this common situation while still sticking to your guns and not compromising safety.

Some fat people (sorry-- "guests of unique body proportion") would have our 16-year-old attendants in tears.

Yeah, it sucks having to tell someone they can't ride because they're too fat. For anyone wondering, the standard procedure is to say "If the restraints can't close properly I can't allow you to ride, sorry."

You forgot "for safety reasons".

"Due to the ride's design..." etc.

I could google but I'm already on Reddit and you're here so yeah... didn't a lady die in Texas because she was too big for the ride and shoved herself into her seat and her belt to just be thrown off moments later?

I heard something like that but I can't confirm any details on it. One point I really want to stress is that rollercoasters, and theme park rides in general, are extremely safe if everyone follows the rules. As long as you follow the rules, you will be fine.

I don't think obese is the word you're looking for BTW. Half of America basically obese and fits on the ride. We are talking extreme morbid obesity, which there is way too much of also.

Well there's at least 3 tiers of obesity in my mind.

First tier is the "A little overweight" tier. Sure, they're a bit bigger, but they're not unhealthy and they exercise occasionally.

Then we have the simply fat people. Yeah, most people would agree they are fat, but they can still walk around and function properly (for the most part). They can ride some of the rides, but some of the smaller rides just aren't for them.

Then there's the people who are just depressingly fat. They come to the park usually with family, and still try to fit on every ride.

---

Do yourself a favor: If you are nowhere near being able to close the restraint, you can't ride. If you wait for me to come around you're only going to create a scene. Just hop up and wait for your party outside of the exit.

Any horror stories? Injuries, unpleasant bodily fluids, or complete whackadoodles?

Injuries? None. Modern theme parks are remarkably safe. Whenever you see a ride closed for maintenance it's because something simple (Usually the lift or transport devices) has failed. Never have I heard of a rides brakes, restraints, or any vital element breaking.

Unpleasant bodily fluids? Being that it is an amusement park, vomit isn't very surprising. Usually it's not too often, maybe 2 or 3 times a week does someone vomit in a place that would cause the ride to have to close, and when we do have to clean it up, it's not too bad. We use a sawdust looking cleaning agent that essentially sucks up all of the liquid, sanitizes the area, and makes the entire place smell like like artificial flowers. From there it's just a matter of sweeping it up into a normal dust pan and dumping it in the garbage.

Complete whackadoodles? Well, yeah. Nothing too bad usually, depends on your definition of whackadoodle. We often have guests with different medical conditions ride our rides, but usually they are very nice and compliant. Most people who get angry or violent with us usually are just angry because they've been waiting in line for an hour and don't get exactly what they want.

What is the craziest thing you've seen at the park?

It's crazy how much poop we find. In the line, behind vending machines, in the middle of the fucking paths. Most of it can be contributed to all the feral cats running around in the park, but sometimes you can just look and tell that it was a human that did it. I sometimes wonder what the encounter would be like if I ever caught someone in the act.

Is there anything you can do for me (double rides? skip lines?) and if so, how do I get you to do it?

I wish. When we go to the park on our off-days we still have to wait in lines. We get a %35 discount on food though. Woo!

Almost makes it reasonably priced.

Almost.

Rudest person?

Hard to say. We have a lot of people ask that we bend the rules for them, and get incredibly irate when we don't. For example, someone came to me right before I sent a train out (with another train waiting to come in the station) and demanded I let them get in the open seat. I tell them the procedure of load, Check restraints (already done) and go. She got all worked up and ended up saying that she's the guest and that since she paid to get in the park I have to do what she says. I again tell her that I don't make the rules, and that I am not allowed to let her in, and (by my own mistake) that my job is more important than 30 seconds of her time. She immediately responds with "You don't know who I am! I could have you fired right now!" and waddles off with her 2 children. Keep in mind this was in front of an (almost) fully loaded train, all of which just wanted to go.

Wow. What are the punishments for cutting in line?

Death.

Haven't you been to Six Flags before?

The only thing that should be punishable by death at Six Flags is allowing your kid to make that STUPID FUCKING WHISTLING NOISE WITH THOSE FUCKING BENDY STRAWS.

I can tell you that we really don't have a procedure for that. If you manage to cut without any guests in line noticing, you're fine. If a ton of guests are pointing fingers at you saying you cut in line, I'll give security a call. Most often what happens is that some kid will try to cut in line to be funny, and when someone notices him he just walks back to where he was.

What's up with the excessive thumbs up waving?

That's the safety scan. Essentially each attendant has a scanned area, and once they scan their area and put their thumb up, that means their area is clear and safe.

I've always wondered about this. What exactly are you checking for? Chipmunks?

Bags, people, open restraints, really anything we might have overlooked.

What's your favorite mexican food dish?

Tacos.

What's the weirdest reason you've had to shut down a ride?

Weather and vomit are pretty much the only things that shut down a ride. One ride in specific has to close pretty often due to a transport motor (those little wheels that push you out of the station) that sometimes throws error codes.

Were you working there when déjà vu was there? That shit was always broken down.

Nope :l

When I scream does the ride ACTUALLY get faster as is so frequently advertised?

With the exception of a few flat rides, the ride operator has control only over the gates in the station, the restraints, and train dispatch. So no, there is most likely no relationship between you screaming and the ride's speed.

Caught anyone having sex while on ride or in park?

Never that. Lots of stories from the photo guys about girls flashing their tits on goliath in front of the camera and stuff like that. Never heard about anyone setting up one of these, either

I recently went to Six Flags Over Georgia over the summer. While I was in the park, our car was broken into, along with the car that was parked next to me. Her and I both spoke to security, and they told us that it happens all the time. I know you're a ride operator, but would you happen to know if Six Flags has increased security at all to prevent things like this from happening again?

From what I've heard, they have acknowledged the problem. Not sure if they've started making changes to stop that. I personally would still not leave any valuables inside my car in that lot, or any public lot for that matter.

Why is it that when I went to 6 flags a few weeks ago, I had to ask 3 different employees before someone could tell me where the bathroom was? (First two responded "uhhhhh..... I don't know")

If an employee is in their home-area, they should be able to tell you where the closest bathroom is without even thinking. The employees you asked were probably on their way to or from their position and didn't know that part of the park well.

What do you guys do with the lost and found stuff that never gets returned?

Everything we pick up goes to security at the end of the day. If you lose something, it'll likely end up there if it's not stolen or dropped off of a ride.

Is there any "behind the scenes" stuff that's purposely kept away from park visitors?

Besides the general unsightly stuff (employee cafeteria, maintenance sheds, employee lot, security HQ, and other offices and stuff), there's nothing really "hidden" from the guests. You can even see the big aforementioned "backstage" area from the train. There's really not much to hide. The employee lot is an absolute MESS though. There's rollercoaster trains, big tube things for thunder river, tons of storage crates, props for fright fest, and plenty more unused crap just scattered about in the back of the lot.

Which country has the rudest, most obnoxious tourists visiting six flags?

I really can't generalize much. The vast majority of the people there are very polite and nice. There are some rude people, but to say that one specific group of people is meaner than another is hard to do. In fact, the foreigners who visit the park are almost always incredibly compliant and polite, even if there's sometimes trouble understanding each other.

Not OP and not a park employee, but as a frequent visitor of amusement parks(mostly disney world and universal studios...literally well over 100 times) i feel qualified to answer this. The french have been involved in more rude encounters that i have witnessed than any other nationality. Brazilians are probably a distant second, mainly because the seem to come in ridiculously large groups, usually college aged, and feed off of each other's excitement until they almost seem insane.

I can agree that large groups of people, ESPECIALLY ~13 year olds without supervision, are always a pain in the ass.

Can't say I've ever encountered someone who was notably french at the park.

What are ride operators paid?

7.25/hr

What is your favorite ride to operate?

You have to be certified to operate and run each individual rides. Of the rides I'm certified for, I think my favorite position is the Georgia Cyclone, honestly there is almost no line ever for that ride, which makes for happier and more compliant guests. I don't get the opportunity to work there much, but every month or so I'll end up there.

So tell us more about the Georgia Cyclone position. My wife and I are up for most anything.

Like the Carolina Cyclone but a LOT more intense.

He is only certified to operate, not to train.

Well technically I am certified to train new employees.

I remember my first ride on the Georgia Cyclone. It was with my dad and it was the LOUDEST rollercoaster in the park. Definitely one of the older ones, and all white. Pretty fun ride but definitely aged. It's a lot like the Coney Island Cyclone, apparently. According to Wikipedia.

It's a mirror of the Coney Island Cyclone with some modifications. IIRC it's only been around since '91.

Any tricks to get free tickets?

Be friends with an employee. We get free tickets every so often and can always bring ourselves and a friend in for free.

Will you be my friend?

So that's what you think of me? Just a friend? OK.

Have you ever had to call the police on some ridiculous visitor?

Not yet, one time I had to call security because we saw some guy walking where he shouldn't have been (railroad tracks), but that story ends there.

do you guys make the 'BOOoooooooooowiiiiiPPP!' sound before you coaster starts rolling like the operators in California?

No? We make the signature "ifugusredyturidsey OOOOOOooooohho YEEEaaaahhahhhhHH" sound.

There was a guy operating mr freeze at the St Louis location that came up with the BEST one liners to send guests off. He didn't make them up or anything, just shit like "AUTOBOTSROLLOUT!" and he would sing nsync "bye bye bye." It was the first time I heard anyone be interesting while sending off rides. Found a supervisor to compliment him :)

Good job! It's hard to watch a select few employees really go above and beyond to make sure guests enjoy their day without any recognition for it.

I've been to the park many times, grew up in ATL. Great job answering questions here, btw, I've really enjoyed reading them!

Any good Fright Fest stories? I assume that the people in costume get punched on occasion. It seems like that'd be a good excuse to punch somebody in the face and get away with it. You know, hypothetically speaking of course.

Did you dress up last year or do they hire temps or people specially trained?

Didn't work for Fright Fest last year, unfortunately.

To what extent does someone have to be yelling "stop the ride" for you to actually stop the ride?

Really depends on the ride and the way they're screaming.

In most situations, if it's not obviously a joke, we have to hit E-STOP. I've never had this happen firsthand, but I'd probably hit E-STOP with no hesitation if any rider needed me to stop the ride.

So is there an estop for every ride? I mean it's not really beneficial to stop a ride when it's just up on the tracks because the people can't get out anyway. I'm always terrified at the start of the ride that something will happen and I can't do anything about it until the ride ends entirely. Like I'll be at the top of the ferris wheel and have a panic attack and not be able to get off/flag the operator

Yes, every ride that I know of has an e-stop which will most of the time cut power to the ride, which fully engages the brakes and stops the lift/transport system.

Does it take a long time to restart it after you hit the estop?

It depends on the ride. For some rides, not at all. Specifically flat rides such as the kiddie swings, and the little ferris wheel. These rides require nothing more than just pulling the e-stop button back up.

For coasters, however, maintenance needs to come and restart it for us, which keeps us from using it in situations that it's unnecessary, such as if someone left their bag on the dock, or if they didn't take their hat off like we asked.

What's the most over-priced item that you can buy at the park?

Food. The food is insanely overpriced. All of the restaurants, with the exception of a couple specialty restaurants, stock all the same food (pizza, chicken tenders, fries). In the park you'll be looking at upwards of $10 per person for only food. Add a drink for $4 and now you're out of cash. The same exact food, prepared the same exact way, is served in the employee cafeteria for ~20% of the price it is inside the park.

1. What has to happen for you guys to stop the ride? Like, would operators stop if someone is seriously scared and yelling stop?

2. Have you had to stop the ride and have people walk down those super small stairs to get down?

EDIT: How is the pay? (if you don't mind answering)

1. If any of the operators or attendants deem there is an emergency, they will stop the ride. If we know that a person is simply scared of the ride itself, unless the ride is something that's easy to stop, (think tiny kids rides or chairswings), it's too late.

2. Nope, even in events where the lift stops functioning, maintenance will put in a good effort to restart the ride before unloading the guests. The catwalk is really only for maintenance, emergencies, or any other situation where it isn't possible and/or safe for the train to keep going.

Do you hate it as much as I did?

No, I am very pleased with my job most of the time.

Well that's good, I never had a summer job that I liked. At my Six Flags you either hated working there or you loved it. I was always secretly jealous of the people who liked it.

It's very different from any job I've ever had. The sheer amount of people I see and talk to each day is insane. It's also surprising that they put me in a position with any power at all. My first day of work after training consisted of me showing up, learning the specifics of the ride, getting certified, and then I go right to checking restraints and being in charge of a small panel with a button to send the train out and the E-STOP button. I could have stopped the train at the top of the lift if I wanted, I could have sent the train out with one of the restraints not secured.

I think a power trip in that position is pretty common. It definitely went to my head a little at first. I thought it was pretty amazing how quickly I went from training to operating and then after awhile I realized that there doesn't need to be any real build up to it. Have you worked elsewhere in the park?

Nope, only ride ops so far.

In my experience that was the best department to work in.

A lot of staff are switching to park services because the wages are higher and the hours are less.

is it safe for me to put my bag/shoes/items that may fly out of my hand on the exit side of the rollercoaster?

Six Flags makes sure guests are made aware of the fact that we are not responsible for anything left in the boxes on the ride dock. That being said, in most cases it is much safer to leave your items there than hold them or put them in your pockets.

And don't get me started on hats. If the ride is fast in any way, you need to take your hat off. Yes it will fall off. No, just because you tightened it doesn't mean it won't fall off. No, we won't go get it for you. No, putting it backwards won't help. You're going 70 mph on an open-air seat. Your hat is going to fall off if you wear it.

Any stories of some boobies falling out of loose clothing?

Accidentally? No. But people apparently will pull 'em out mid-ride for the camera on Goliath fairly often.

Any good stories with church groups? I don't know why, but in my time visiting theme parks they always seem to the groups causing uproars.

Not any good stories really, but there always seems to be at least 4 or so there each day.

Do you stay at the same ride all day or do you rotate positions?

Usually I'll stay at the same ride all day. Some rides or sections involve several different positions so I'm never doing the same thing all day.

Are you the kind of operator that states the rules of the ride in the most dreary and monotone voice possible, or the kind that is awesome and totally gets into it?

Gotta say it makes a huge difference in the enjoyment of the ride if I can actually hear what the operators are saying, and if they ask how the ride was at the end and we all get to scream.

I'm definitely the guy who gets made fun of for being so cheery about it.

Is Monster Plantation any less scary with the lights on? I've hated that ride my whole life. How deep is the water?

Never been in there with the lights on, but I was never scared of it anyway. The water is probably about 2 feet deep, just shallow enough so that the boat hits the bottom before the lip goes under.

How prevalent are employee relationships? How about employee orgies? I've known quite a few people who have worked at Cedar Point and Disney parks, and essentially they've said that the "barracks" is nothing but a fuckfest the entire summer.

Never heard of any relationships between two employees, sorry to burst your bubble :/

How bad do you hate the gates at the rides? I used to be a regular at great adventure. We were waiting on superman and the ride broke down .I like seeing how things worked so my wife and I stayed at the ride. It was the ride ops, maintenance and us on the platform. Turns out somebody pushed the metal gate too hard and broke the pump and caused the whole ride to estop.

Never had any issue with the gates other than one kid pushing it back and forth causing all of the other gates to move with it.

How much upkeep goes into rides (daily, weekly)?

I have no idea how much work maintenance does to the rides when we aren't around, but when we are, generally they don't interfere unless something's broken.

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During operating hours we're not supposed to ride the rides, bus every so often when we have an extra team member we'll let them on. When I do get to ride rides it's because either the park hasn't opened yet or just closed, and the opening/closing procedures are done.

My favorite ride is definitely the Mindbender. I would vote for Goliath but it's not very smooth compared to other B&M hyper coasters and I always end up greying out after the big helix.

I've been going to SFoG since the mid 80s, and Mindbender is still easily in my top 2. The other being Goliath - riding on the front of that beast at night is amazing!

I miss Freefall. It was way better IMHO than Acrophobia.

Ever been on a drop tower not looking at the ground when you drop? Try it. It's terrifying.

Interesting. I used to work the Rotor at NJ in the 80's and we had to ride the ride at least once per (I think) 2 hours as part of the safety checks.

In fact, that's how I lost my job and bared for life from the park. Because I rode it the wrong way.

We cycle all of the rides before we load guests in the morning, and if an employee has some free time and wants to hop on it's usually allowed.

I don't know if you guys over in the States heard about the crash of The Smiler rollercoaster over here in the UK in Alton Towers (it's like England's Six Flags but shit). If you have, how scared did it make you feel going into work, and did you know that shit like that could actually happen?

Hadn't even heard about that until now. The entire incident brings up a lot of questions. Where was the empty train at the time? Was it in the station?

Looking at the wikipedia page, that ride looks like a nightmare in terms of maintenance. The incidents on that rollercoaster alone are enough to make it seem like an error due to poor maintenance.

Never have I personally been worried that one of my rides would cause any injuries. Sometimes it's a bit stressful knowing that you only checked half of the restraints, and the other half were checked by some guy you don't really know.

Ever see any nipple?

Nah, people seem to know to keep their clothes on when they're in a public place.

What is the best day/time of year to come to SFOG where there is the shortest line?

Right around now on a Sunday, or a Tuesday during the summer when it's still open during weekdays.

How many theme park fanatics have you seen (ACE, TPR, etc)?

Unfortunately I've seen none as of yet. SFOG isn't really known for any groundbreaking coasters. Mindbender is the only one that's really significant and I don't work there.

I don't know if this was already asked or not but why do you guys look back and forth pointing before the ride starts?

To make sure there's nothing on the loading dock, everyone is where they should be, and that there's nothing else we might have missed. A lot of the looking isn't done because we have to but because we genuinely don't want to make any mistakes.

Where do they keep the keys to turn on the rides, and who brings them to and from the rides?

edit: have you heard of many people getting busted for smoking weed? Or ever see a person in line completely lit with bloodshot eyes reeking of that dank chronic?

All the keys I know of are kept on location in a specific spot, nothing super secret. I can't say it's like that for all the rides, but at least at the ones I've worked at. Most bigger rides and roller coasters have a special key for maintenance that allows them to control just about every aspect of the ride. We only have access to the gates, restraints, train dispatch, and e-stop buttons. If the ride sends out a maintenance code, we can't start the ride until maintenance has come and used their key to acknowledge the code.

On a more personal level, what are your favorite films?

Not really a movie guy, sorry :/

Who the fuck doesn't like movies

o/

Do they require you to have any special prerequisites prior to training you to be a ride operator? Or do you simply apply for the position as you would any other job in the park?

Had zero experience going in to this job.

Does Six Flags still make you clock in late so they don't have to pay you to walk to your ride?

No? We clock in using the phones at the rides.

Have you ever found anyone's head over by the snow-cone machine?

Is this a reference to something?

What separates you from a carnie working state fairs?

Not beng a carnie.

I was going to ask if you like your job, but someone already covered that. Someone already covered stories from your end too. Go figure.

Got any funny stories FROM guests? For example, my high school had a choice between Disneyland and Six Flags. We ended up going to Disneyland. This partly happened because of people like 1 of my friends who sabotaged it by advocating for Disneyland to a bunch of people when nobody on the Six Flags side was there to do the same thing. The voting room wasn't even 1/3 of the graduating class; not enough people knew about it, Six Flags or otherwise, so that Disneyland advocacy gave that side the edge.

One time a kid (probably 7-8) came up to me who was waiting in my line and told me ALL about their life in the 1.5 minutes before her mom came up and put an end to it. She told me about her mom's speeding ticket, her dad's tendency to run red lights, her friend's birthday party, her immense passion for rollercoasters, and so on.

But was it funny?

It was amusing in a way.

How awful is it to work there? My girlfriend worked at Six Flags New England and she said it was the worst, most ridiculous job ever. Well, not just her, everyone I've ever met who worked there hated it.

I like it a lot. Time goes by fast and it's not too repetitive. Sure, there's a lot of doing the same thing over and over, but there's always something else we're dealing with, such as angry guests (which is a ton of fun), and foreign people who have no god damned idea what a rollercoaster is or how to speak English so we can instruct them. I also can get in to any Six Flags park for free with a friend whenever I want, which is nice.

Any hot bitties work there?

Ehh a few, not many considering the amount of employees.

What's it like to be a professional carnie?

Well the park doesn't move often so that's a plus.