Boomerang
Specific Type: Boomerang
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Opening in 1989 at Six Flags Over Texas, Flashback is a standard Vekoma Boomerang coaster, but with trains from Arrow Dynamics. When the coaster opened, it became the parks sixth coaster, joining the wooden “racing” coaster, Judge Roy Scream (1980), and the parks four other steel coasters, the steel bobsled La Vibora (1987), Runaway Mine Train (1966),Mini Mine Train (1969), and the looping Schwarzkopf Shock Wave (1978) coaster. The ride is located at the very edge of the park, along the outer edge of the “Goodtimes Square” section of the park. The original paint scheme consisted of red track and black supports, but was changed in 2001 when the ride was repainted pink and teal. The station and queue area for the ride are quite small, and the station is decked out with in pink, teal, and white, matching the coasters pink and teal paint scheme.
Fastforward over two decades and the coaster has moved on to sister park Six Flags St. Louis, Now known quite simply as Boomerang. Announced it was closing in September, along with long time neighbor the Texas Chute Out, the ride was removed just a month later and sent packing. At its new home, the coaster becomes the ninth in the park’s lineup, joining along with such giants as Boss (2000), the recently overhauled Mr. Freeze Reverse Blast (1998), and the park’s most recent addition, American Thunder (2008). Boomerang replaces the area once occupied by the Water Street Cab Company bumper car ride in the Illinois section of the park, sporting a new orange and green color scheme. The ride itself, like any other boomerang coaster, starts with a slow pull backwards up a 116.5 foot lift hill. Once the train is released, it plummets back down through the station, before pulling up into a tight, fast Cobra Roll, pulling as much as 5 G’s before rocketing into a vertical loop and up the reversing spike. As the train ascends the second spike, the lift engages, pulling it to the top before the “flashback” occurs and the train is released once again through the course, only this time in reverse. Now the train careens backwards first through the vertical loop, then through the cobra roll, putting some intense forces on unprepared riders. The train then flies backwards through the station, braking along the way, and rolls partially up the original spike again before being slowed as it falls back into the station. Like most other older boomerangs, the ride can be quite rough at times, and head-banging is nearly inevitable, but also like any boomerang, the experience on this compact coaster clone is a short, but intense journey. |
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