How to Build a Backyard Rollercoaster (for less than $500)

In this video I speak with the man who literally wrote the book(s) on backyard rollercoasters: Paul Gregg. Check out my sponsor Brilliant for a really fun way to learn! www.Brilliant.org/NightHawk
I'm calling this a 'how to' video, but really it's deeper than that. This is a dive into what it takes to design a backyard rollercoaster. I took a lot of inspiration for the style of this video from Destin at Smarter Every Day. Let me know if you'd like to see more of this type of video on my channel!
Paul Gregg is a retired aerospace engineer who I spent the day with learning about his backyard rollercoasters. His rollercoasters are designed and tested to the same standards as airplanes, which is incredible considering the materials to build them are available at any hardware store. Paul has made backyard rollercoasters accessible to anyone with basic tools and a yard to work in.
Visit Paul Gregg's KZbin channel here: / psg20101
You can find Paul's books and other information about building your own rollercoaster on his website: backyardrollercoasters.org/
This was a very ambitious video to film as it was the first on my channel that required significant travel expenses. It's thanks to viewers like you supporting me on Patreon that I'm able to continue making videos and strive to constantly improve them. Thank you so much for your support, and a special thanks to my top Patrons: Enzo Breda Lee & TheBackyardScientist!
/ nighthawkprojects
Thanks for watching!
-Ben

[@smartereveryday]

I've never thought about the neck whip but it makes a lot of sense!

[@Nighthawkinlight]

Thanks Destin! Yeah it gets even more interesting if you go through a loop where your head goes past the radius.

[@qwertyasdf66]

I'd kind of assumed that head closer to the middle would be better because it's not moving because I never thought of the issue with transitioning to and from it.

[@TheMrMKultra]

@@Nighthawkinlight That would mean changing the acceleration from one direction to the opposite direction in an instant, wouldn't it? That sounds like a horrible thing to experience!

[@Nighthawkinlight]

@@TheMrMKultra Yep, that's exactly right.

[@nathonizamboni875]

Full scale coasters have a similar problem when they suddenly change banking. Taller riders heads will whip much harder than shorter riders as the train enters/exits the banking change.

[@fkoobsen]

Constructive criticism: The 360 camera shouldn’t be your allrounder. Hard to watch for a long time. The video is great tho :)

[@Nighthawkinlight]

It's really tough to film a video like this with a regular camera. I'm not sure I have the skill to have done it without someone else there to film for me. The 360 camera gave me the ability to get the job done by myself. Maybe someday this channel will make enough money to hire an assistant and I won't have to mess with such things. I appreciate the feedback though! I may be able to tone down the 360 feel if I make another video like this by managing the footage differently.

[@thepichner]

Agreed, the video was unwatchable to me as someone who gets motion sickness easily. I made it to the 3 minute mark before i had to stop it.

[@zachcoldwell7978]

Tripod? Or maybe a shout out. "Hey, Patreon folks, I'll be in (insert name of city) and need a hand with a camera for a day. Anyone available?"

[@doggfite]

@@Nighthawkinlight Yeah, it was hard for me to watch as well. As far as using a different camera, I would have preferred to have had the stuff being talked about in frame and not distorted versus the both of you and whatever object being in frame at all times.

[@MrMaxwell]

NightHawkInLight could you ask Destiny from SED how he does his interviews

[@theCodyReeder]

Woly shoot dood! That’s awesome!

[@Nighthawkinlight]

Thanks Cody!

[@alexwalker8422]

That's a lot less like than I would expect for you Cody.

[@imalimabeanyay]

It’s coooooody and shame on mans putting pressure

[@Mocha-Latte]

Haven’t seen you in a while my guy

[@luckyhero2517]

Imagine if this becomes how he moves things around chicken hole base

[@OverTaxed42Long]

"How an object accelerates through a radius." That just made a lot of things click for my understanding of principles of physics. Cool.

[@marciaosullivan3200]

Physics I just words- a chemist who knows nothing but fysics

[@nunliski]

How the fuck did that that weird phrase help you learn something?

[@OverTaxed42Long]

@power equipment I know velocity can't change due to change in direction. It will slow from any change in direction.

[@alphaforce6998]

@power equipment Did anyone say that? Nope. Acceleration = change in velocity over time. Your head stops/slows then speeds up - this happens. The mechanism for causing the acceleration is not relevant to the fact that acceleration happens.

[@forcesightknight]

Check out Nascar for that principal.

[@Nighthawkinlight]

Paul Gregg is an incredible guy with a staggering wealth of knowledge and experience in engineering and related disciplines. As Paul speaks about the topics of his expertise, he does so all while maintaining an admirable humility which I hope you get a sense of in this video. Make no mistake, Paul is an expert, but also a kid at heart. My favorite kind of person. Check out Paul's website and KZbin channel through the links in the video description.

[@MrMilarepa108]

Man I love the work and thought you put in your videos. The model is just great, thanks for that. I mean I knew about jerk, but I learned because you applied it in w new context for me. RIght on!

[@foxman8344]

Absolutely amazing information and very educational. I'd recomend not using that fish eye lens so much though. Made my eyes bug out a lot. lol

[@wix118]

You look like a very young Ted Cruz

[@wix118]

@@UN-intelligent because statically 7/10 of those kids are living in dirt huts or crowded citys and have to spend more time surviving than getting an education

[@kronostime8146]

Great video and thank you for the explanation on the stress on taller people on rollercoasters.

[@swr1240]

2 things that fascinated me the most: 1: how the camera doesn't show its own support stick. 2: the way the guy pronounces the H in every "wh" word.

[@kirkc9643]

I hadn't noticed #1 until I read your comment. It's really weird!

[@perreterecon]

Al L not sure if a blind spot of the two 180 cameras that make the 360 degrees, or it was a softwarw thing.

[@alext9067]

I don't see any other comments on this. And I was wondering the same thing. Does everyone else know how that's happening? Or maybe they didn't notice? WTF? PS. I Googled the shit out of it and found only that it works. I really can't contribute an explanation.

[@chrisakaschulbus4903]

@@alext9067 first i thought he was holding some kind of remote and the camera was on a drone or robot arm :D

[@lcmiracle]

Have you watched other 360 videoes? I remember theres one from a guy who wind suits, where he stuch the camera on his helmet with a stick. You can't see the stick in the video however because it is in the blind spot. You can see his helmet however, so it looks as if the camera's floating on top of his head. I know 360 cameras are basically 2 wide angle lens cameras back-to-back. So the stuffs at the top and bottom are the least clear and distorted.

[@olaroll3799]

Regarding the comments on the 360 camera distortion: It shouldn't be too difficult to correct this in whatever video editor you use. Plus it looks to be a common problem, so there's loads of tutorials for various software. Some good keywords for a google search would be "fisheye distortion removal" and "360 camera dewarping"

[@SuperDinoAsa]

I just wanted to say that I love this video style. You didn’t confine him to a chair and just interview him, but you were able to have him explain stuff and actually walk around and show it. It also really made me feel like I was there and that he was explaining it to me too. Awesome video!

[@LiLi-or2gm]

Wow, how very, very cool!! Paul seems like a genuinely cool guy- and what a grandfather!! I bet the grandkids are always begging to go see him!

[@mikaeluhl]

"there's 104 days of summer vaccation"

[@thexbadxseed5051]

I thought there would be a lot more phineas and ferb jokes in the comment section

[@mikaeluhl]

@@thexbadxseed5051 right? Me too

[@pranavthoppay8643]

Phineas And Ferb Will Be Masters

[@traceymixon4824]

More like a whole year

[@alexanderip1003]

spend at least a week in summer camp and you would suffer PTSD due to Toxic Counselors, unbearable camp songs (the moose that drinks juice, swimming pool song,), insurmountable activities (Arts and crafts and sports games only), jerry built camp game equipment (chairs being used as goal posts and underhand throwing), no food (requiring packed lunches) tyrannical camp rules and boundaries (storage room is reserved for Counselors only). I had to comment as most of my summers were never spent on amusement parks

[@JPRTonundFilmstudio]

omg! Ever since I was a child I always had this one dream, that my father would build a rollercoaster for me in the backyard! I then got excited when he brought home some wood! In the end, it turned out to just be some kind of a shade thing... Gotta have to show it to him and try to convince him to try it again xD

[@runforitman]

I absolutely love when people care a lot about safety Not just throwing it together But thinking about how to make sure it doesn't hurt anyone

[@firsty8056]

Its been about 2 years since i uploaded my only 2 videos about my coaster project for my kids. Watching this i really really wanna get my health sorted so i can go back and actually finish it off for them. Thanks for giving me the kick up the backside!!

[@azertycraftgaming]

That's why we use heartline and teardrop shaped loops when building rollercoasters nowadays. Excellent video!!!

[@TiagoTiagoT]

What's heartline?

[@DmdMixZ]

@@TiagoTiagoT a heartline roll is basically a barrelroll with such an offset, that the coaster isn't turning around your head but around your heart instead. That way the force is reduced. If the roll turns around the track axis, then the G-Forces in the Head area are incredibly high, on the other hand when the roll turns around the head axis then the force on the track will be incredibly high. The Heartline roll is kind of the happy medium and therefore making for a much more pleasant ride while still providing the same thrill

[@ZsomborZsombibi]

Two years later: - Kids, we're gonna visit Grandpa this weekend. - Daddy, this time I wanna step on Moon first!

[@alphaforce6998]

Let's hope you teach your children to be a bit wiser than believing the delusional nonsense of the 1960s fake "moon landing" hoax... let alone the general outer space hoax.

[@admiralmudkip9836]

@@alphaforce6998 lol

[@gizmogamingmore8881]

@@alphaforce6998 lets teach you to be a bit wiser than believing the nonsense that nobody has landed on the moon and that outer space is fake I bet you are a flat earther

[@ZapNstuff]

Oh boy were you wrong…

[@lorenzorivas5670]

@@alphaforce6998 bruh🤣 I think you forgot to take your crazy pills

[@PaulGreggBYRC]

To add a little more thought on the acceleration issue, these small coasters of mine have much smaller track dip radius of curvature than a professional roller coaster, so it's a concern for me if I have a taller person ride. But, professional roller coasters have much larger track radius of curvature in dips, so the effect is much less pronounced. I believe professionals design to what is called the "heartline" first, which is a 3D path your chest/head takes through space, then they design the track offset from that 3D spline.

[@chriscampbell2235]

Paul Gregg awesome designs and idea. But I imagine your insurance company hates you.

[@Razor_Crest]

Dear Paul Gregg, I’m commenting to your comment from two years ago about how you have a backyard roller coaster. I’m interested in building one over the summer. I was wondering if you could give me some tips on how to get started and things to know before building. If you could help me that would be great. Thanks!

[@PaulGreggBYRC]

@@Razor_Crest A lot of basic information is in videos on my channel. I also wrote two ebooks available on my website.

[@Razor_Crest]

@@PaulGreggBYRC Thank you so much!

[@thesubmatrix]

This is absolutely fascinating, thank you for showing this off!!!

[@FinlayDaG33k]

Paul: "I wanna build a rollercoaster in our backyard" Wife: "no." Paul: "I'll make it safe" Wife: "no." Paul: "you can ride on it?" Wife: "..." Wife: "Ok fine."

[@oddentertaining6234]

You have to ask your wife for permission?

[@FinlayDaG33k]

@@oddentertaining6234 Do I even have a wife?

[@MrHans818]

LOL

[@dynamicworlds1]

@@oddentertaining6234 if you're going to build a semi-permanent thing that's going to take up a huge chunk of the backyard you presumably jointly own/rent, yes, that needs to be a mutually agreed on decision. Marriage aside, that's the kind of thing you should even talk about with a roommate before doing to respect the shared space. If you're pulling $500 from joint funds, even more so. It's the kind of thing they should say "yes" to unless they have a good reason, but it's also not the kind of thing you should do without speaking about it.

[@matteo1462]

That’s why you don’t get a wife

[@baassie123]

I love people with passion SO much. It's so incredible to hear their stories and how or why they did something. Amazing work!

[@IBtehOmar]

I've been watching this channel for years now and its one of the reasons i got into science. Thank you for uploading quality content.

[@crimsonhalo13]

Accelerating a birb through a radius has expanded my awareness of engineering.

[@Advoko]

Great info! Thank you!

[@Cayden12345678]

I always love seeing a new video by you on my feed can always rely on learning something new in a way that keeps me wanting to learn more. awesome video!

[@nickykoel1041]

Just today I rediscovered your channel! Glad to see your channel grew a lot! Been watching your videos since you've hit 1000 subs, so seeing your journey to 1.5 mil, so proud to see one of my favorite youtubers back when I was young doing so great! Wish you all the best!

[@whatahowl1]

Thank you for the video this is one of the best I have seen in a long time...

[@realcygnus]

Cool ! That dude is something else. A hell of a project.

[@nealsonf]

That is absolutely amazing about the explanation of " the jerk" in the coaster. That makes so much sense as explained with your example! Thank you!

[@agoogleuser9025]

I just realized that this channel has been my childhood and has been an inspiration for my engineering passion. Thank you so much for that.

[@Burningnewt]

The sensation of jerk is also why no rollercoasters have perfectly circular loops, as the g force from a circular loop is much more likely to snap the spine and kill the rider

[@Nighthawkinlight]

Yep, modern coasters use a clothoid loop

[@AnttiBrax]

Let me save everyone some time. 😂 ffden-2.phys.uaf.edu/211_fall2002.web.dir/shawna_sastamoinen/Clothoid_Loop.htm

[@Flyineddy]

Actually there are a few (modern) rollercoasters that have a (near) perfectly circular loop. However coasters with these loops tend to have a lot of “hangtime” by going very slowly through the top of the loop. That and having a large enough radius is how they keep the g-forces in check. One example of a rollercoaster with a (very) circular loop is Copperhead Strike at Carowinds.

[@mineyvoid1308]

@@Flyineddy Schwarzkopf coasters also have some pretty circular loops.

[@Flyineddy]

@@mineyvoid1308 Indeed. Especially the loops of the Schwarzkopf Thriller (AKA "Zonga", "Tsunami" and "Texas Tornado").

[@MrJoeman1987]

I agree with everyone who mentioned how disconcerting the 360 camera made this video. But aside from that it was great content.

[@scurrytom]

Great! As a mechanical engineer, I loved the technical talk. And Paul is inspiring... just ran across thisvideo, and now I want to make a coaster!

[@Coltography]

Was looking through my subs just yesterday hoping you would upload one soon!! The patience is always worth it, absolutely love the effort put into this. Another amazing video!

[@Nighthawkinlight]

Thank you!

[@NexGenSlayer]

This was really cool! Not an engineer by trade, but I love learning more about engineering, physics, and its practical applications! :)

[@RobertEchten]

So the question is: Will you be making one for yourself?

[@Nighthawkinlight]

Time will tell. Paul certainly makes it easy

[@pahom2]

Yeah with the loop and give the wifes mom a ride

[@UN-intelligent]

@@pahom2 the problem with the loop is space constraints he may have. It would need a good amount of velocity starting the loop to carry a grown person through. The loop would need to be significantly larger in radius also. That's why most coasters with loops go 40+mph and not 20-25mph. He could easily make a gravity coaster that had one but it would be a very short ride if all he had the room to do was drop to velocity to get through it.

[@pahom2]

To legally decapitate wifes mom many engineers would go to an effort of building faster track

[@Lettuce2.]

Mom can I have $500

[@austinsomeone]

Great educational video! I learned some stuff I never expected to learn while watching this. I like the model you used to explain the acceleration of your head during a loop.

[@howardwalker1952]

Thanks ... Whilst watching this I had a smile on my face the whole time... so cool in every way

[@twocvbloke]

Be honest, you built a scale model for the bird, didn't you? :P

[@dynamicworlds1]

Does a creature that can fly really need a roller coaster? I expect I'd find roller coasters quite boring if I could fly.

[@hsterts]

@@dynamicworlds1 I can imagine that birds would love to roll around despite that. If we could inherently fly, they'd honestly feel as trivial as walking or running.

[@krallegamer1643]

See you guys in about 4 years, when this is gonna be recommended for everyone!

[@asprywrites6327]

One year here.

[@hauntedmalk]

Almost an exact estimation. Just about half a year off.

[@Geclxpt]

​@@hauntedmalkyes

[@Mr_2N2]

That's actually almost exact lol😂

[@kalebcrosby8293]

This was In my recommended

[@oddjobbob8742]

I had never thought about building my own roller coaster until now. But I am going to seriously cogitate on that now!! Thank you!!

[@Rokynutz]

So awesome to see your videos buddy. Been with you since APC and your Pyro videos. Thank you.

[@electronicsNmore]

I've heard of that guy. Awesome video!

[@kimtate4946]

.

[@kimtate4946]

Goog

[@kimtate4946]

My I ey

[@JackDecker63]

Now this would be great for a TED talk. Especially if he brought one of his roller coaster on stage.

[@SpartanONegative]

That's what I'm talking about!! Awesome thanks for sharing with us ✌️

[@agnosjr]

Just plain simply AWESOME!!! Thank you for sharing. Cheers!!!

[@gopro2027]

When I was a kid I would design backyard rollercoasters in my notebook from time to time. I used to watch youtube videos of them all the time and loved them. This video would have been my bible if it came out 10 years ago.

[@user-nx2vw3du3o]

Never too late!

[@vickanis2234]

Im just over here trying to figure out how the selfie stick is invisible

[@plasmawoof5250]

Same

[@snowboard_coach]

Insta360 One X with invisible selfie stick

[@alanowa123]

Camera know where selfie stick is at all times. It knows it because it knows where it isn't. By subtracting where it is from where it isn't it can make selfie stick invisible.

[@emusaurus6669]

two lenses images stitch together and cover it

[@maevemahon9897]

Vic Kanis the one blind spot is the mount

[@yPrimeape]

I saw a documentary on rollercoasters years ago. All it said about the first loop, which was a perfect circle, was that it was painful. Seemed very counter intuitive and left me wondering since. Greatly appreciate this video.

[@AnthonyGonzalez-sb8rz]

Thank you for all your videos! You'd made me a smarter person! You have a way of making your projects So easy to understand..

[@alfepalfe]

Whtas next building an exact replica of the Saab 35 Draken that you can acutually fly for $10 Ok on a more serious note this vid is amazing

[@IaCthulhuFthagn]

Nah, you are thinking of PeterSripol ^^

[@alfepalfe]

@@IaCthulhuFthagn Oh yeah wrong youtuber

[@metallicarchaea1820]

Builds rollercoaster in the backyard. Phineas and Ferb: *ALLOW US TO INTRODUCE OURSELVES*

[@thecapitalg]

yeah lol

[@kerzwhile]

Excellent Vid!! As usual!! You were one of my first subscriptions ever Way Back!!

[@kr00m]

Great vid, thanks for sharing Paul.

[@EthanAllred1]

CHILDHOOD DREAM material! My wife tells me that I should make one all the time!!👌

[@bunnyman6321]

Did you make one?

[@maoravni4203]

The 2D cart is a great design as you may store the kids on a shelf after they are done riding!

[@philhines]

This is brilliant, thank you so much for this video!

[@IamCrass]

I love that you knew my answer to the first question. And yes I will consider this.

[@TSBoncompte]

me: damn is land expensive i wish i could have a yard NHIL: hold my beer

[@Leonardokite]

And yet another awesome lesson in physics while having more fun than a man should have! PS: Dang, I hate it when I experience "jerks" ROFLOL......

[@JBA512]

Clicked for cool backyard coaster Got that plus a surprisingly interesting video. Great job with that demonstration really made it easy to understand visualized like that

[@grantmccollum4499]

This is a wonderful and detailed video. Thanks 😀

[@glenngriffon8032]

Saw the bird, knew an ad was coming, didn't care - BIRDY!

[@secondswell]

At 6' 7" rollercoasters destroy my neck and if it's one of those coasters that have pads on both sides of your head it turns your head into a bell Clapper.

[@scurrytom]

Yep! Now I understand why my head gets the living crap beat out of it!

[@BlackBeardGames]

My guy, this is some top quality content. Keep it up!

[@BullYote]

I’m jealous! What a great grandfather, I mean how cool is that! ❤ it!

[@_Forbes_]

1:08am and I’m watching backyard rollercoaster videos 😩

[@RubsNL]

The use of a wide angle lens and image stabilisation was pretty nauseating through much of this video

[@gorillaau]

We needed to watch it using the proper viewer that takes out the fisheye and image stitching

[@pewpandagamermom]

I love that you got to visit with Paul Gregg!

[@Matt100space]

Loved the new type of content! Awesome work.

[@TheMati117]

This was totally unexpected

[@nicolasgarcia9659]

Me: can we go to Disneyland Mom: we have Disneyland at home Disneyland at home:

[@GuyInc0gnit0]

Awesome video! I learned a lot! This deserves many more viewers!

[@zerodamonsta942]

I love videos like this where I can geek out over the physics and engineering.

[@donovanwisdom310]

The invisible selfie stick makes it look like he's holding Bob Dole's pen.

[@smartkidzlearning9256]

“Dad I wanna ride a rollercoaster.” “ easy way or hard way?” “Hard way.” “Okay give me 450$ and a year”

[@anedde7179]

Anyone else watching this during quarantine and wishing you had this?

[@davidlong2691]

Good tips on painted PVC/ABS for UV resistance, I could see that being valuable information for PVC greenhouses as well!

[@harterism]

Me: mom I wanna go to Six Flags Mom: we have six flags at home Six flags at home:

[@inthefade]

The fisheye lens makes it hard to understand the geometries of the shapes we're looking at, which is a bit frustrating for a video about engineering. Really cool video though.

[@sportsygirl8]

That red cart reminded me of Verbolten at Busch Gardens Williamsburg! That is awesome I never knew about the head thing with loops and also just riding a roller coaster in general...WOW!

[@peasy1719]

This was a fantastic video, thank you!

[@guywiththeheadphones]

I would have never guessed that I'd see a young ted cruz telling me how to build a roller coaster.

[@user-nx2vw3du3o]

Ryan Gosling Cruz :P

[@ryanfowlow8034]

Now I just need a house, and a wife willing to let me build a roller coaster. And a wife..

[@dac518]

Should get some self esteem

[@ZoltanHercules]

Great vid. You know it’s a great explanation when you can take a very complex subject and explain it clearly and concisely so that the average Joe can legitimise and process what’s being divulged. Also, you have the youngest looking face, most elaborate wedding ring and a pretty cool bird!

[@derrick_builds]

Thanks for the videos. The bird at the end is strange but I'm getting use to it showing up. Have a good day .

[@tatertotgaming863]

What am i doing here i dont even have a yard

[@arinroy002]

Backyard Rollercoaster Tycoon

[@basyoni95]

Watching from Egypt, Love you man.

[@neobaggins3718]

360 cameras are so good for stuff like this. It means no crew is needed, and the host isn't distracted trying to get a good angle (or is minimally distracted) that and the interviewee isn't intimidated or distracted by the presence of a large camera.

[@Sacapuntas69]

All my grandfather did for me was make me cut the grass!

[@Verlisify]

I would definitely not have a part that loops under itself

[@dexobj]

Thank you for building us a model while explaning the "jerk" effect. It made so much easier to visualize.

[@hypehockey2502]

I’m about to build my 2nd coaster!! This video inspired me over 1 year ago!

[@bunnyman6321]

How did your coaster build go?

[@TheGamer.4310]

The real phineas and ferb

[@nielsdaemen]

Please don't film with a fisheye lens anymore, I want to be able to see if something is straight or curved. Still a really great video though!

[@elliothooker7991]

Really professional video I love it!

[@ViewFromTheCheapSeats]

Excellent video. Thank you!

[@Vodska101]

I also built a roller coaster in my backyard In minecraft

[@Z64sports]

How many extension cables did you need?

[@sirensandrailroadsofoklaho9285]

Zach the Sports Guy press read more

[@fightlikabrave]

Wow, its so inexpensive that you'll have plenty left over for the emergency room bill!

[@jannikheidemann3805]

You don't need that with proper safety engineering.

[@tajhayes7841]

I just LOVE INNOVATION & the CREATIVE minds behind it all!! KUDO'S 2 PAUL GREGG 4 his INSPIRATIONS, LOVE THIS GUY!!