Air first opened in 2002 (That WAS air right), and during construction known as SW5. It was the first B&M Flying Coaster ever built, and was recieved as either a slow or boring ride, or just pure brilliance. It may look Slow and boring (due to height and noise restriction), but looks can be very decieving... apparently. Discuss it, Hate it, Love it...

Not the best coaster in the park, but a good ride, especially going round that bend on your back and then rolling back straight into the tunnel.

I dont like air much....flying coaster??? more like hanging coaster. They could have had at least 1 loop. THAT would have been dead fun!

I've been on Air twice. The second time I thought I was going to be sick (that was more to do with the fish and chips I'd had before hand). IMO I think it's a really good ride, worst bit is at the end when you have to wait for the next people to go so you're just hanging there (spitting).

I'm not too keen on Air. It's forceless and kinda bores me, I also don't like it's pace much.

Air is great because on my first time it was a completely new experience! But now, every time I go it has huge queues!

air is fun because it was a completely new experience when created, but I hate how the q's get soo big for just an ok ride 6/10

Air no longer gets queues, I went to Alton during the Hullabaloo event and it weas running on 1 train but still had no queue!I've never queued for Air, it's not really had a queue since it's first year My favourite UK Ride (Stealth a close second) 10/10

I've been to alton towers 3 times since the opening of air. I've only seen air on very busy days but I suppose thats down to the fact that the first two times I visited were airs openeing year where I heard the q was extremely long , but luckuly I had fast pass. The 3rd time was on a school trip a few years ago and school trips before the summer are always packed. Shame the air reliability aint to good from what I've seen. But the time that I did get on air I remember feeling as if it were a really smooth ride and a lot of fun. May not be one of the most thrilling in the park but it sure is fun and different to anything else I've ridden.8/10.

Air no longer gets queues, I went to Alton during the Hullabaloo event and it weas running on 1 train but still had no queue!

Everytime I've visited alton, air has a longish queue. Usually air and spinball are busiest when I see them! When I went on hullabaloo event, it was 2 trains and a 30min queue.

Air no longer gets queues, I went to Alton during the Hullabaloo event and it weas running on 1 train but still had no queue!I've never queued for Air, it's not really had a queue since it's first year 10/10

It is still the parks second longest queue to be honest (spinball wins because its poor throughput) It does still get queues, Hullabaloo wouldn't really count for a whole season as its quiet anyway.

Shame the air reliability aint to good from what I've seen.

LOL, during Hullabaloo it broke down with me on!It really hurts when you're hanging, face-down for 30 minutes!

And why would you base the whole popularity of a ride on one off peak day?

I went on it 3 times yesterday and it was about our second shortest queue of the day,...Oblivion being the shortest.But it was my first time on it and I thought it was amazing! Definitely my favorite at alton towers!

I don't know if anyone can help me but I have a bit of a problem.Each time I ride Air, I'm not sure what happens, but it's like I'm about to pass out. Everything starts to go black and I have to really struggle to stop it from happening. When I get off I feel really sick and have to sit down for about half an hour. It's really irritating because I love air and don't want to have to stop riding it! It never happened on any other ride before but I noticed that last time I went to Thorpe, it started to happen on Vortex and also on Kumba at Busch Gardens, Florida.Anyone got any ideas on this???

I don't know if anyone can help me but I have a bit of a problem.Each time I ride Air, I'm not sure what happens, but it's like I'm about to pass out. Everything starts to go black and I have to really struggle to stop it from happening. When I get off I feel really sick and have to sit down for about half an hour. It's really irritating because I love air and don't want to have to stop riding it! It never happened on any other ride before but I noticed that last time I went to Thorpe, it started to happen on Vortex and also on Kumba at Busch Gardens, Florida.Anyone got any ideas on this???

Well I'm not sure about Air. But it sounds like a black out, when there are moments of intense g's (g-forces). There is a temporary reduction in blood flow and therefore a shortage of oxygen to the brain. This leads to lightheadedness or a "black out". Vortex is pretty intense at the bottom of the swing, as for Kumba I haven't been on it but I presume that is the same case.It's not unusual. I've experienced it on the Revolution at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, but that's the only one.Does this happen on the 'fly to lie' inversion particularly on Air?

Funnily enough I was trying to work out where it happens on Air and I'm pretty sure thats exactly where it happens.I did think maybe I lifted my head away from the head rest automatically on that part and that was causing it until it happened on Vortex.This is probably a silly question but could it cause me any injury at all???

Prolonged exposure to G-Force induced black-outs could cause internal bleeding of the brain and eyes [/gory] , but you'd have to be subdued to about 6-8G for that to happen, and no Flying Coaster ever exceeds 4G because of the body's position being more vulnerable when it's spread out.I'm sure that unless you manage to be 'blacked-out' constantly for a long period of time you're perfectly safe; you're probably just experiencing a mild/strong head-rush that most people seem to get if they're stationary for too long and then they start to move very abrubtly. You can get head-rushes from standing up too quickly, listening to really loud music through head-phones and leaning your head backwards and after a while swinging it back into it's original position too quickly. They basically mean that your head wasn't being supplied with a lot of oxygen because you didn't need it - you were stationary, and all-of-a-sudden your body's blood supply immediately wakes up and the 'rush' you get is your head being re-oxygenated.So basically, try and move about whilst going up the lift, talk to someone, think about what you're having for tea tonight; do anything that keeps your brain working because then the blood-supply will maintain itself and hopefully you won't black-out. [/smarty pants]

Thanks for the advice!I have been really worried that I wouldn't be able to ride Air again!I'll have to go on Vortex next weekend and try your tips on there Mr Hicks to see if it'll work :)Thanks

I'm one of the lucky ones - I always get a top swing whenever I go on Vortex But I've found that if you hold your breath before you swing fowards, you're less likely to black-out.

I have had one blackout on Nemesis at Alton. I think it was on the downward helix before the zero G roll.

Sometimes, Colossus' main loop gives me blackouts.

Well I'm not sure about Air. But it sounds like a black out, when there are moments of intense g's (g-forces). There is a temporary reduction in blood flow and therefore a shortage of oxygen to the brain. This leads to lightheadedness or a "black out".

This temporary reduction in blood flow, it comes back pretty fast yeah? And I don't think blackouts can affect your health or life expectation?

I'm one of the lucky ones - I always get a top swing whenever I go on Vortex But I've found that if you hold your breath before you swing fowards, you're less likely to black-out.

Sometimes you get a side swing on vortex - any advice for that?

Absolutly awesome ride Apart from the time when I gashed my leg on the bit where they strap ur legs in :(And the general stench of sweat from the seat yuck

And I don't think blackouts can affect your health or life expectation?

They can if you constantly experience them and for long periods of time, its more red-outs that you should be worried about though because its a rush of blood to the brain, which can kill you pretty damn quickly.

Ive never felt ill after riding this :S how comes it makes some people go then??

I love Air, but along with Spinball Whizzer it attracts some of the longest queues in the park, on my last trip I queued 80 minutes for the ride. I'm starting to wonder how low the capacity would actually be without the (amazing) dual loading stations...