What's a cred? And what's with all the Batman rides? A few answers to some questions you might have...

Before I put up my first trip report, it occurred to me that a lot of you reading this might not have a clue what I'm talking about, as there's a lot of references to coaster terminology and such, which is only really known in the coaster community. There's also a few other things you might notice that you'll be unsure of which I'm going to touch on here to give you a few pointers.

First up, below is a glossary of terms that you'll see mentioned in my blog, compiled by the folks over at CoasterForce.com:

http://www.coasterforce.com/coasters/glossary

Also, you'll notice a lot of rides named after Superman, Batman and the like at the parks owned by the Six Flags chain of parks. This is down to brand recognition. Simply put, names like Superman and Batman are iconic, and are used to great effect to advertise and sell a ride to the public. Some of the rides are identical, some are completely different. But the selling points remain the same. This also goes for some of the parks owned by Cedar Fair, which are licensed to use the Peanuts characters such as Snoopy, Charlie Brown, etc etc, Six Flags has 12 parks in North America, and Cedar Fair also has 12, so there's lots of identical or similar rides with shared or similar names.

Batman: The Ride at Six Flags Great America, has been replicated in five other Six Flags properties. And the name has been used on other attractions in other parks in the Six Flags chain.

Superman; Ultimate Flight opened at Six Flags Over Georgia in 2002, and was replicated (with some modifications to the ride's loading station) at Six Flags Great America and Six Flags Great Adventure. (Six Flags Great America ride pictured).

Finally, you'll hear me mentioning loads of manufacturers on this trip. I'll touch on these as we go along, but you'll learn fairly quickly who, in my opinion, makes good rides and who doesn't. Whilst maintenance also plays a big factor, especially as a ride ages, there are some companies which do a better job than others.

But enough talk. On to the rides... coming up very soon!