Disney Skyliner (Gondola Transportation System) Read Post 1 Now Open!

[tsme]

I know little to nothing about their capability to be air conditioned, but apparently they can be.

I think they don’t have ac because it’s perfectly safe not to. I don’t think Disney is stupid enough to install a system that if stopped for several hours, would allow temps to rise to a life threatening level.

http://newsroom.doppelmayr.com/en/doppelmayr/news/doppelmayr-gondola-for-macau-news/

I think Disney likes to roll the dice sometimes. As in, for the majority of the time the air flow is sufficient, however they know that if it stops for an extended period of time in the summer it would cause a health risk to people in them. But the higher ups feel like (or felt like, might’ve changed their minds after the 3hr debacle) that the risk was low enough that they’d roll that dice. And I believe the current leadership believes if the worse were to happen, they can pixie dust their way out of it, like they’re too big to fail or the consequences wouldn’t be enough to effect the bottom line. Just my opinion.

 

[NWOhiogal]

I believe the current leadership believes if the worse were to happen, they can pixie dust their way out of it, like they’re too big to fail or the consequences wouldn’t be enough to effect the bottom line. Just my opinion.

Maybe 20 years ago they could have pixie dusted their way out of it. In this internet age? No way. Disney tried it with "there was no one in the gondolas and there were no injuries" before people started shooting back "BS, I was in one of the gondolas" and send them pictures of people being taken off in stretchers.

They can't lie their way out of reality any more. They'd better get hip to that and make changes before something really awful happens.

 

[firefly_ris]

Here is an article on using ultracapacitors (via Maxwell Tech) @48V to power A/C on gondolas. Granted this is not in a Florida environment, but it does show that high-rate charging can happen at the stations during operation. Capacitors have superior cycle life as compared to conventional battery designs, but are typically more costly.

http://gondolaproject.com/2012/09/12/how-londons-emirates-air-line-cable-car-powers-cabins/

I have read that the AC on those units doesn't work very well... Though now of course I can't find a source for that. If true, I would assume Disney and Doppelmayr concluded that if it's iffy in London's milder climate perhaps not worth trying in Orlando.

Or they just didn't want to add it to the budget... Who knows.

 

[Brianstl]

Fake Facts? According to whom? It’s October, not May. Right now the temperature may not climb too high, however it will in the summer. It’s simple science. Lastly, I believe the OP referenced car temperatures and how quickly the temperature can increase. Perhaps take another look.

When the cabins stop, they really don’t warm up much. It just starts feeling like the outside because the air flow stops. There is no oven effect like a car because of how the cabins are wrapped. If you can’t handle the outside temperature, you probably shouldn’t be headed to the parks.

 

[little tess]

This is a good coverage of a MAJOR ski gondola accident that occured in Vail CO in March 1976. Conditions were challenging, rescuers were prepared for action and communication was almost primitive with what we have today, but they STILL did a better job communicating than the Skywhiner debacle managed. No one could "glide back into the station" and evacuations consisted of riding a flat seat down to the ground on a guy wire.

And rescuers could tell the gondala cars from the ground.

https://www.si.com/vault/1976/12/13/626270/the-tragedy-on-gondola-ii

 

[SgtTibbs]

When the cabins stop, they really don’t warm up much. It just starts feeling like the outside because the air flow stops. There is no oven effect like a car because of how the cabins are wrapped. If you can’t handle the outside temperature, you probably shouldn’t be headed to the parks.

I have doubts about that, early reports were that the temp went up noticeably while stopped. Stopped in the full on summer heat that could easily be an issue.

 

[Jax1023]

I have doubts about that, early reports were that the temp went up noticeably while stopped. Stopped in the full on summer heat that could easily be an issue.

The perceived temp went up. Someone with an actual thermometer reported they did not.

 

[Marionnette]

The perceived temp went up. Someone with an actual thermometer reported they did not.

Can we not agree that the measured temperature and the heat index (feels-like temperature) could be wildly different in an enclosed space with high humidity and little to no moving air? Just because a thermometer measures the actual temperature to be 90*, that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t feel much hotter to the occupants.

 

[Boski]

Well heck lets be honest in the summer time the temp/real feel can easily go over 100 degrees. So even if the cars don't get any warmer than the outside air temp its not gonna be a place you are going to want to be stuck in for a extended amount of time.

 

[Moliphino]

Can we not agree that the measured temperature and the heat index (feels-like temperature) could be wildly different in an enclosed space with high humidity and little to no moving air? Just because a thermometer measures the actual temperature to be 90*, that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t feel much hotter to the occupants.

In my experience, the "feels like" temp while in motion is significantly lower than the actual outside temp. When stopped it feels like the actual outside temp.

 

[Brianstl]

I have doubts about that, early reports were that the temp went up noticeably while stopped. Stopped in the full on summer heat that could easily be an issue.

The videos that had temperature readers on them didn’t show that.

 

[Jax1023]

Can we not agree that the measured temperature and the heat index (feels-like temperature) could be wildly different in an enclosed space with high humidity and little to no moving air? Just because a thermometer measures the actual temperature to be 90*, that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t feel much hotter to the occupants.

Yes, sure. But that’s true of any outdoor space. Like standing in the magic kingdom waiting for a parade.

The coating on these reflect heat, so it’s not like a car. Sure it’s gonna be hot. But it basically gonna be like being outside in the shade. Not significantly hotter

 

[OSUZorba]

I doubt that they’ll be running to the closest Home Depot or ordering from Amazon. They should take the time to choose a product that has good adhesion, won’t wear off easily and is of an appropriate size. Only then will they be able to schedule workers to do the job “overnight”.

I'm sure they either have an in house department or an open contract with a company to make signs and decals. I can get aviation grade decals made within a day from a local shop. There are decal and sign companies in every city and they already know what materials are needed where.

 

[cakebaker]

I think Disney likes to roll the dice sometimes.

Lol I actually think the opposite is true. They are so safety oriented that it reaches the point of insanity at times. We rode in them a couple of weeks ago, it was hot, hot outside and it was actually nice and cool during the ride. It did stop once for a short time and the nice breeze went away so it wasn't as nice, but it definitely did not get near as hot as it was outside. I think I'm more worried about getting cold in cooler months than getting hot in the summer. We got chilled riding it once when it was raining outside.

 

[rteetz]

I think Disney likes to roll the dice sometimes. As in, for the majority of the time the air flow is sufficient, however they know that if it stops for an extended period of time in the summer it would cause a health risk to people in them. But the higher ups feel like (or felt like, might’ve changed their minds after the 3hr debacle) that the risk was low enough that they’d roll that dice. And I believe the current leadership believes if the worse were to happen, they can pixie dust their way out of it, like they’re too big to fail or the consequences wouldn’t be enough to effect the bottom line. Just my opinion.

This isn’t just a roll of the dice. AC has been discussed to the biggest lengths in this thread. It’s not reliable and not common. It was no surprise to those familiar with these systems that Disney didn’t have AC.

 

[North of Mouse]

Actually the cars are not an enclosed space, but lots of ventilation. Also being off the ground - in the air - there usually is a small amount of wind even though not detected on the ground much. We've proved that more than once when dh wanted to fly his drone - the wind would be calm at surface, but as high as even 25-30 ft. would begin to be somewhat evident.

Would think even in summer, yes, it would be hot, but as stated by pp's - no more dangerous than walking around the parks.

 

[UmmGooD]

You would think they would be able to put some sort of simple GPS tracking on each cabin, or as far as that goes, didn't the people needing assistance call from a CELL PHONE? Unless you've turned off the location services, you can track those already. IMHO, it doesn't really add up that they couldn't find the cabin.

GPS on all the cars wouldn't still let them pinpoint the car that has the issue. There might be 4 cars around it and they need to know the exact car. They probably knew the rough proximity already but getting a ladder truck up to the car takes time and if you are off by one or two it doesn't help. The only real way to solve this is to have a number in the car that matches the number outside the car and have the person in the car tell the operator what number they are on.

Also law enforcement and rescue has no access to your GPS location from your phone. That would be an invasion of privacy unless they got a warrant or you gave permission somehow.

When the cabins stop, they really don’t warm up much. It just starts feeling like the outside because the air flow stops. There is no oven effect like a car because of how the cabins are wrapped. If you can’t handle the outside temperature, you probably shouldn’t be headed to the parks.

Can we not agree that the measured temperature and the heat index (feels-like temperature) could be wildly different in an enclosed space with high humidity and little to no moving air? Just because a thermometer measures the actual temperature to be 90*, that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t feel much hotter to the occupants.

I actually talked with my boss about this. He was at WDW last week staying at Art of Animation I think. He used the gondolas a lot and left the day after the incident. From his perspective they do get hotter when stopped but not hotter than if you were standing on the ground. He was delayed in them for 10 minutes or so a couple times and said because they are so high and they are vented from the top to bottom they are not bad. Also the fact you are over the tree lines for the most part gives you a better chance at getting breezes. He said it was significantly better than standing on the ground in the parks where you don't get any breeze. He remembered how hot it was waiting for characters so he said these weren't near as bad.

 

[OSUZorba]

I have doubts about that, early reports were that the temp went up noticeably while stopped. Stopped in the full on summer heat that could easily be an issue.

People don't understand comfort level vs temperature. When the wind goes away, so does the evaporative cooling effect and the convection effect. So it "feels" much warmer, while the actual dry bulb temperature only slowly increases.

The comfort level will quickly drop off, but that doesn't mean it'll also quickly turn into a dangerous heat situation.

I recommend reading up on wet bulb global temperature. Anyone discussing dry bulb is only telling a very small fraction of the story. As a quick illustration, on a hot day, stand in the shade for a bit. Then move and stand in the sun. Does it feel much warmer? Yes? Well the air temperature is exactly the same, but now you are exposed to direct heat transfer via radiation with the sun.

At the end of the day, it is really the comfort level that you feel and is what can cause heat stroke. In the case of the Skyliners though, I think you get a very sharp increase in WBGT after stopping but it should level off and stay just a little worse than sitting in the shade at the same time. The gondolas are very different than a sealed up car.

 

[StacyStrong]

I think Disney likes to roll the dice sometimes. As in, for the majority of the time the air flow is sufficient, however they know that if it stops for an extended period of time in the summer it would cause a health risk to people in them. But the higher ups feel like (or felt like, might’ve changed their minds after the 3hr debacle) that the risk was low enough that they’d roll that dice. And I believe the current leadership believes if the worse were to happen, they can pixie dust their way out of it, like they’re too big to fail or the consequences wouldn’t be enough to effect the bottom line. Just my opinion.

I don’t think that higher ups make the best decisions at all times and I do think they focus a lot on their bottom line. More than they should.

With that said, I absolutely do not think that they gamble with peoples lives at any time.

 

[Spaghetti Cat]

I think people should wear shorts in Florida.