Six Flags Chief Engineer, Larry Chickola was recently featured in an article on the Wall Street Journal’s website. The article gives us a look into Mr. Chickola’s education and career which might be of interest if 
you’re an aspiring roller coaster designer. It also details some of his projects including his work on Superman Escape from Krypton and the New Texas Giant. It was interesting to read that he made the design for the reborn coaster more thrilling than the original designs. And also, it was neat to see that his personal favorite is the top-rated Bizarro at Six Flags New England.
Here’s a quote:
His personal favorite, after the Texas Giant, is the Bizarro coaster at Six Flags New England—”a very tall, fast ride with nice uplift elements that make you feel like the ride is pulling away from you.” He tried to do one better on Texas Giant and “make everyone hold really tight to the ride the first time they rode it.”
Now I see why the New Texas Giant has so many airtime moments. As I said in my review, they’re exciting, but they come at you so frequently that I prefer Bizarro’s more spaced out elements. I do love Chickola’s ambition and I’m glad that he pushed the ride’s design. You also might notice a mention of “thecoastercritic.com” in the article.
Read the full article: Larry Chickola: Mastermind of the Mega Coaster
What’s Your Take?
What do you think of the article? Leave a comment below.
November 2, 2011 at 04:07
I think it's cool how the guy actualy canoes at SFGA.
November 3, 2011 at 12:26
Yeah he probrably canoes on the big lake by nitro. I would love to go on a boat ride there and take some good pics of the park.
November 6, 2011 at 08:00
I was wondering why he instilled it with so much rapid-fire airtime, too. Thanks for clearing that up.
Oh, and congrats for getting mentioned in the article.