If you love rollercoasters, you've probably already been to Mr. Coker's wonderful site. If you haven't, I suggest you check it out! It's a great source of ride reviews, news, links to other coaster sites, and even rumors.
Now, about how my wife helped me: Dispite my fear of rollercoasters, I had developed a recent obsession with them. This obsession, I think, centered around the fact that all of these people were going on these rides that would drop from tremendous heights, and they were actually happy about it! How could this be? I just couldn't understand how they did it. Everyone I would talk to who actually rode the rides would say: "Just go on it. It's fun." And I, the dedicated chicken that I am, would naturally chuckle and reply "Not in a million years."
One day, for Cathy's birthday, we decided we were going to bite the bullet and ride all the rides at Paramount's Carowinds (she was a chicken too, at that time). Top Gun is rather small, even for an inverted coaster, but, with a first drop of around a hundred feet, it was the biggest coaster I had yet seen, and I was terrified of it.
So we get up into the line and, because it's the beginning of the season, we're able to just get right on it. So I got right on it. Ok, that's a lie. I backed out. So, Cathy says, "Well, I want to ride some rides today, so if you're not going on it, then I'll just go on it by myself." I considered for a moment how this was going to make me look as both a husband and a man and then I said: "Ok. You go on it by yourself."
So, she rode it, even though she was afraid. When she got off, I still didn't want to ride it, but she eventually coaxed me on. If it wasn't for her I don't think I would have gotten over my fear. I didn't get over it after the first one. It still took several rides for me to beat it, but I am so glad I did.
Top Gun is a very smooth steel coaster. It is amazingly smooth. And you really do feel like you are flying while you execute all kinds of maneuvers in small scale that pilots themselves actually do. The only thing I really didn't like about this ride is the mist in the underground tunnel. Took my breath away for a second every time. Maybe it's nice in the summer, I don't know.
There are six inversions of different types on this coaster, and they are all wonderful. The speed is decent, around 60 m.p.h. I think, and the ride itself is a very good length of time for a coaster. This coaster, while no longer the best I have experienced, will always hold a special place for me.
4 stars
--David