Is this a real video? Tower or Terror-No Seatbelts

[KandD]

I've seen this video before and it puzzles me! I don't understand how it could be "real" considering all of Disney's safety precautions but on the other hand I don't see how the guys could fake this. It looks real to me.

 

[Alesia]

I don't really see how someone could fake this video?

Does anyone have any theories how the video is doctored? Not disputing its lack of authenticity, just trying to understand the mechanics.

I've seen this video before and it puzzles me! I don't understand how it could be "real" considering all of Disney's safety precautions but on the other hand I don't see how the guys could fake this. It looks real to me.

It's not that difficult - it just takes some specialized software and a lot of practice using it. This is a good example of how what you see isn't always what's actually there.

Why would anyone fake this though? I don't know, people concern me.

Probably as a joke. Or just practicing his video editing skills. I doubt there is any nefarious reason.

 

[Robo]

I hope this is fake. If it turns out not to be, that guy is real stupid. Why would anyone fake this though? I don't know, people concern me.

Probably as a joke. Or just practicing his video editing skills. I doubt there is any nefarious reason.

Look up the term "viral video."

These videos are generally "outrageous," so that they generate a lot of hits (viewing.)

Some find that their videos (and, therefore, themselves) can become "famous" for the vaulted "15 minutes."

We're viewing the video and talking about it here, right now.
And, this is not the first time it's been discussed on this board.

THAT'S how and why it "works."

 

[Finally08]

I guess the amount of floating he does is believable to me...I *remember* the ride when it had lap bars and I use to catch serious air.

Last trip I rode with my heavy dslr camera on my neck. Every time we dropped the camera rose in front of my face, it almost came off my head at one point because the strap floated so high.

Should have gotten a photo of that...lol.

 

[mesaboy2]

My understanding is that the elevator car is not merely dropped, but actually pulled downward. If that is the case, any unsecured objects and idiots would not float, but impact the ceiling of the car.

 

[larryz]

It's been posted and discussed several times before.

It's a flat-out fake.

The ride's motion does not create that kind of "weightlessness."

I understand how it could have been faked, and based on other peoples' reactions around them, I'd agree that it was -- until closer inspection.

One of the frames from the :53 second block shows, very clearly, a seat belt pulled across the seat, with two bare, hairy legs in front being elevated off the floor. Regardless of whether or not the individual was flying up out of his seat (which, based on my experience, seems entirely possible to me), this idiot had clearly pulled his seat belt across and sat on it. Any trips up and down the shaft unsecured like that are indeed, dangerous. If you listen toward the end of the video, the operator berated the idiot and offered all the "good" riders a re-ride due to the truncated trip.

Jamie and Adam would give this a "plausible."

 

[Robo]

My understanding is that the elevator car is not merely dropped, but actually pulled downward. If that is the case, any unsecured objects and idiots would not float, but impact the ceiling of the car.

Not so much.

The speed at which the car is pulled down can be just enough to create a slow "lifting"
of things riding in it, in relation to the car's motion.

Think of that "light" feeling that you get in a standard high rise elevator that is beginning its descent from a high floor.
You don't lift off the floor and hit the ceiling, but you do get a bit "lighter" for an instant.

Now, increase that speed only a percentage.
You don't have to hit the ceiling, just get some "lift-off."

 

[StalkerX]

Jamie and Adam would give this a "plausible."

I would love to see them test this........Wonder if there are any other Disney Myths that they could do?

Back on topic: I have to say unless otherwise proven, this does seem pretty legit. I've rode ToT more times than I can remember. Back in the Lap Bar days, I got air.........Who knows really, but I'd say it's real. Idiotic, but real.

 

[larryz]

I would love to see them test this........Wonder if there are any other Disney Myths that they could do?

That WOULD be a great show -- Disney myths! And the ToT segment would be a highlight, as long as Carrie is the test subject... screaming is always worth a few ratings points!

 

[Tlou]

You'd be surprised at the stupid crap kids do... and the actually safety of thrill rides when they do it.

One time at Cedar Point when I was 16 I noticed the lap bar was REALLY loose, and I was able to stand up... So, of course I stood up for nearly the entire ride, but never once felt like I was going to fly out or anything.

As for this video... a bit of floating would be easy on ToT, especially if he gave himself a little boost by hopping right as the the elevator moved downwards. It would be controlled because the motion is simply up and down. I wouldn't expect him to move any other direction.

 

[Robo]

It's not that the guy could not be lifted from his seat that is in question.
It's for how LONG he is "floating" and in what WAY he is "floating."

Think back to how LONG you can feel the lift happening in the ToT elevator car.

The elevator's maximum travel in the "drop shaft" is about 130 feet.

The entire Hotel tower building is a maximum of 190-some feet, including the roof section.
The outer sliding doors (top-most stopping point of the elevator) are much farther down than that.
The exit floor of the ride (one floor below grade) is actually below the "drop section," so, that's not included in the vertical "drop area" either.

So, let's take the very "best/worst case" of a 13-story (give or take) drop.

To reach "zero G" (weightless, but not "rising") would require the elevator to be moving down at 32 feet per second, and INCREASING that speed by that same rate... every second thereafter

Second 1: 20 feet dropped-acceleration (not quite the full 32 feet that first second)
Second 2: 80 feet dropped -weightless and slight floating is achieved.
Second 3: 120 feet dropped- still floating with no deceleration.
Second 4: Person is dead due to elevator hitting the floor of the shaft.
So, THAT's no good.

Let's try again:

Second 1: 20 feet dropped -acceleration (not quite the full 32 feet that first second)
Second 2: 80 feet dropped -weightless
Second 3: 120 feet dropped- deceleration to stop.
Second 4: We've stopped safely this time.

Let's say I'm wrong... REALLY wrong... 50% wrong...

In the worst/best-case, given the physical limitations of the (relatively) small vertical distance...
guests could likely only experience a light lifting for about 1.5 seconds, or so.

I think that's about right, as I recall from my (literally) dozens and dozens of rides on the attraction.

None of the high in the car freely-floating for 2+ seconds, or so, that we see in the video would be possible.

BTW, where's the LIGHT coming from for those 2 seconds where he is ALREADY floating?

 

[chartle]

It's not that the guy could not be lifted from his seat that is in question.
It's for how LONG he is "floating" and in what WAY he is "floating."

Think back to how LONG you can feel the lift happening in the ToT elevator car.

The elevator's maximum travel in the "drop shaft" is about 130 feet.

The entire Hotel tower building is a maximum of 190-some feet, including the roof section.
The outer sliding doors (top-most stopping point of the elevator) are much farther down than that.
The exit floor of the ride (one floor below grade) is actually below the "drop section," so, that's not included in the vertical "drop area" either.

So, let's take the very "best/worst case" of a 13-story (give or take) drop.

To reach "zero G" (weightless, but not "rising") would require the elevator to be moving down at 32 feet per second, and INCREASING that speed by that same rate... every second thereafter

Second 1: 20 feet dropped-acceleration (not quite the full 32 feet that first second)
Second 2: 80 feet dropped -weightless and slight floating is achieved.
Second 3: 120 feet dropped- still floating with no deceleration.
Second 4: Person is dead due to elevator hitting the floor of the shaft.
So, THAT's no good.

Let's try again:

Second 1: 20 feet dropped -acceleration (not quite the full 32 feet that first second)
Second 2: 80 feet dropped -weightless
Second 3: 120 feet dropped- deceleration to stop.
Second 4: We've stopped safely this time.

Let's say I'm wrong... REALLY wrong... 50% wrong...

In the worst/best-case, given the physical limitations of the (relatively) small vertical distance...
guests could likely only experience a light lifting for about 1.5 seconds, or so.

I think that's about right, as I recall from my (literally) dozens and dozens of rides on the attraction.

None of the high in the car freely-floating for 2+ seconds, or so, that we see in the video would be possible.

BTW, where's the LIGHT coming from for those 2 seconds where he is ALREADY floating?

As a bit of extra data to the drop. The drop is exaggerated by the car being accelerated down faster than 32 feet per second squared so there is even less time for the drop if it was just allowed to drop naturally.

 

[Robo]

As a bit of extra data to the drop. The drop is exaggerated by the car being accelerated down faster than 32 feet per second squared so there is even less time for the drop if it was just allowed to drop naturally.

Yup.

That's why I had "Second 2" pegged at 80 feet.

But, its just a very, very rough estimate to show that there's not a lot of vertical area vs. TIME to play with.

There must be a very long vertical area/time element of rather slow deceleration, or you'd have guests biting their tongues off and/or snapping necks due to the sudden slamming stop.

Sorry to be so blunt, but there are physical limitations in these things.

Again, where is the LIGHT coming from for the video camera that would last long enough to illuminate the whole car... AND have us see the guy already floating?

 

[larryz]

Yup.

But, its just a very, very rough estimate to show that there's not a lot of vertical area vs. TIME to play with.

Again, where is the LIGHT coming from for the video camera that would last long enough to illuminate the whole car... AND have us see the guy already floating?

The light is from the open doors on different floors.

Again, the seatbelt is fastened under him. His feet are NOT on the floor or the seat, and his body is relatively centered over the seat -- not propped up on the seat back.

I, too, have experienced serious air time on this ride, in both the lap bar and seatbelt eras. I've floated coins, sunglasses, hats and a camera. There's about 3 seconds of air on the longest drops.

I've also been practically mugged by ladies sitting on either side of me, and I'm pretty sure it was out of sheer terror rather than any other motivation. But that's another story...

I believe it's plausible, if only for the element of the locked seat belt under the rider.

 

[Robo]

I believe it's plausible, if only for the element of the locked seat belt under the rider.

How would YOU arrange the belt if you were attempting to fake the video?

These guys are likely Cast Members (or certainly ASSISTED by Cast Members.)

The light from the lower doors: If the car was already moving at terminal drop velocity, the light would go by at, say, half a second, if that long. (Think flash bulb.)

Physics.

Wikipedia (not the most reliable source,
but YOU are free find your own reference. )

Ground-based drop facilities...
...at NASA Glenn is the 2.2 Second Drop Tower, which has a drop distance of 24.1 meters.

(about 80 feet.)

Experiments are dropped in a drag shield, in order to reduce the effects of air drag. The entire package is stopped in a 3.3 meter tall air bag, at a peak deceleration rate of approximately 20g...

Humans cannot utilize these gravity shafts, as the deceleration experienced by the drop chamber would likely kill or seriously injure anyone using them; 20g is about the highest deceleration that a fit and healthy human can withstand momentarily without sustaining injury.

 

[larryz]

How would YOU arrange the belt if you were attempting to fake the video?

These guys are likely Cast Members (or certainly ASSISTED by Cast Members.)

The light from the lower doors: If the car was already moving at terminal drop velocity, the light would go by at, say, half a second, if that long. (Think flash bulb.)

Physics.

Wikipedia (not the most reliable source,
but YOU are free find your own reference. )

(about 80 feet.)

I get the numbers, but I've been there -- It really feels plausible.

I've submitted it to Mythbusters -- we'll see if they think it's worthy of Discovery (no pun intended)...

 

[joshsmom]

I get the numbers, but I've been there -- It really feels plausible.

I've submitted it to Mythbusters -- we'll see if they think it's worthy of Discovery (no pun intended)...

I have no opinion about whether this is real or not, but I think it would be SO COOL if Mythbusters would check it out. If nothing else just because something new about Disney would be on TV!!

 

[Finally08]

You'd be surprised at the stupid crap kids do... and the actually safety of thrill rides when they do it.

One time at Cedar Point when I was 16 I noticed the lap bar was REALLY loose, and I was able to stand up... So, of course I stood up for nearly the entire ride, but never once felt like I was going to fly out or anything.

FWIW I am very short. I try to get away with keeping my lap bar loose on EE so that I can stand up on the big drop (I can easily stretch my legs out straight in the car because....they're short). My son now does the same. It's way more fun that way.

 

[chartle]

I get the numbers, but I've been there -- It really feels plausible.

I've submitted it to Mythbusters -- we'll see if they think it's worthy of Discovery (no pun intended)...

I have no opinion about whether this is real or not, but I think it would be SO COOL if Mythbusters would check it out. If nothing else just because something new about Disney would be on TV!!

It would be great but I bet Disney wouldn't allow it. At least they wouldn't let the MB go on the ride and try it out.

One because ABC/Disney and discovery are I think "rival networks" and two, what if its true. WDW has now said they have a "dangerous ride" where their safeguards can easily be bypassed.

 

[larryz]

It would be great but I bet Disney wouldn't allow it. At least they wouldn't let the MB go on the ride and try it out.

One because ABC/Disney and discovery are I think "rival networks" and two, what if its true. WDW has now said they have a "dangerous ride" where their safeguards can easily be bypassed.

I agree ... they'd probably have to build a replica and send Buster up and down it a few times...