Standing But Not Operating, often abbreviated to SBNO, is a term used by roller coaster enthusiasts to describe a ride or attraction that is still assembled, but dormant. It differs from "in storage" in that the ride is still in the park and fully constructed. SBNO rides also differ from rides that are closed for days or weeks, in that SBNO rides are intended to be closed for months or full seasons at a time.
Examples of SBNO
editSBNO rides can be closed for a variety of reasons. It can be because the parks in which they are located are closed; for example, as of July 22, 2008, all rides at Six Flags New Orleans are listed as SBNO due to the park's damage from Hurricane Katrina. [1]
Occasionally, rides become SBNO without any public announcement of their closing, such as Flight of Fear at Kings Dominion during the first four months of the 2006 season. Other rides are SBNO while they are up for sale; Drachen Fire at Busch Gardens Europe was closed for approximately four and a half seasons while its park was trying to sell it. [2]
Rides can also be SBNO while their parks are waiting to complete repairs to them, as was probably the case with Steel Dragon 2000 between 2003 and 2006. [3] The Jack Rabbit wooden coaster at Clementon Amusement Park has been closed due to structural issues. [4] Leap-The-Dips at Lakemont Park was SBNO for similar reasons, until enthusiasts restored the ride. [5]
One of the best known examples of an SBNO roller coaster is Vertigorama at Parque de la Ciudad. [6] While the track is complete, the electrical systems are not. Although built in 1983, it is unknown if the ride will ever be finished. Pattaya Park in Pattaya, Chonburi Province, Thailand, has another curious example of an SBNO roller coaster in an abandoned section of their park. Their coaster, a compressed air-launched reverse freefall coaster whose name is not known to the Roller Coaster DataBase, has been standing since at least 2005 but has never opened. [7]
Incorrect examples of SBNO
editRides with problematic histories such as Batman & Robin: The Chiller at Six Flags Great Adventure do not receive SBNO status for closing down early in a season, or operating unreliably. Rides in year-round parks like X at Six Flags Magic Mountain that are closed for months out of a season also do not qualify. Usually, when a ride is SBNO and the park is still operating, it is not marked on souvenir park maps or navigational signs.
References
edit- ^ Roller Coaster DataBase - Six Flags New Orleans (New Orleans, Louisiana 70129 USA)
- ^ Roller Coaster DataBase - Drachen Fire (Busch Gardens Europe)
- ^ Roller Coaster DataBase - Steel Dragon 2000 (Nagashima Spa Land)
- ^ Roller Coaster DataBase - Jack Rabbit (Clementon Amusement Park)
- ^ Roller Coaster DataBase - Leap The Dips (Lakemont Park)
- ^ Roller Coaster DataBase - Vertigorama (Parque de la Ciudad)
- ^ Roller Coaster DataBase - unknown (Pattaya Park Funny Land)