Valravn rising

topey@sanduskyregister.comCedar Point's colossal, dominating, record-breaking Valravn is getting ready to dive into screams.Valravn is a massive dive coaster, featuring a breathtaking 223-foot, 90-degree first drop.It is Cedar Fair's first dive coaster and only the third in the United States. "It is a beast," said Jason McClure, Cedar Point vice-president and general manager."When you see it in person, you get the scale. In true Cedar Point style, it is in your face."It faces Sandusky Bay with its entrance next to the classic Blue Streak.The first look for the public will occur on Cedar Point's opening day May 7.Construction of the coaster began Aug. 14.At the construction site Wednesday, a crew from the Mansfield-based Adena Corporation were busy lifting the Immelmann track high into place. The Immelmann Loop is a wide loop with a twist at the top that inverts the riders.McClure said the Immelmann is named after a WWI maneuver used by fighter pilots, first by pilot Max Immelmann.The 90-degree dive at the first drop will plummet riders at 75 miles per hour to within inches of the ground, eliciting screams of fear before the lifting them back into the air. "It is all about the dive," McClure said.McClure, who has supervised the construction of eight coasters in various amusment parks, said Valravn is not like any other roller coaster. One reason is the behemoth size needed for the complex engineering to deal with the force generated by the ride.Adam Pooch, project manager for Valravn construction, has to know that force as Valravn rises. Because of the height and weight of the ride, crews must pay close attention to how the ride is built. Pooch recalls one day of building Valravn when five cranes were needed to work at once during a complex installation of a large column of the coaster.Pooch, a Castalia native, has climbed about three quarters of the way up Valravn."It is an interesting view before you drop. You see over the Bay out to Lake Erie. You see the beach and as you look to the left you see Top Thrill Dragster," Pooch said.He will be one of the first to ride the coaster before it is opened to the public. "It is going to be fun," Pooch said.The track is wider than any other coaster at Cedar Point to accomodate three wide trains. Each train has three rows seating eight across.The lighting package to be installed will be a spectacular and beautiful feature highlighting Valravn's features and accenting the mammoth scale of the coaster, McClure said.Tony Clark, director of communications at Cedar Point, has riden the other two dive coasters. Front, middle, back — each gives a different experience. His favorite seat, however, was in the back of the coaster train. "It is intense.That is where you get the tickle in the stomach experience," Clark said.The scale of Valravn is a record breaker.Valravn will be the:Tallest dive coaster — 223 feetFastest dive coaster — 75 miles per hourLongest dive coaster — 3,415 feetMost inversions of a dive coaster — 3Longest drop on a dive coaster — 214 feetHighest inversion on a dive coaster — 165 feetValravn allows Cedar Point to claim the most roller coasters taller than 200 feet at one amusement park with five; the most rides at one amusement park with 72 rides; the most steel roller coaster track at one amusement park with 9.9 miles of track, as well as the most roller coaster track at one park at 11.4 miles.Valravn project manager Adam Pooch, a Castalia native, talks about the progress of the ride. Cedar Point hosted various media outlets for a construction update on the park's new roller coaster Valravn on Wednesday, January 20, 2016. See more photos of the ride at sanduskyregister.com and pick up Sunday's Sandusky Register for the full update on construction.A reporter from WTOL 11 Toledo takes video of the Valravn construction on Wednesday. Cedar Point hosted various media outlets for a construction update on the park's new roller coaster Valravn on Wednesday, January 20, 2016.Cedar Point hosted various media outlets for a construction update on the park's new roller coaster Valravn on Wednesday, January 20, 2016. See more photos and video at sanduskyregister.com and pick up Sunday's Sandusky Register for a full update on the new ride.Cedar Point general manager Jason McClure smiles while talking about the park's new ride for 2016 Valravn. Cedar Point hosted various media outlets for a construction update on the park's new roller coaster Valravn on Wednesday, January 20, 2016.