Specific Type: Flying Coaster
|
While there has been a number of coasters in the Six Flags chain bearing the Superman name which have opened in the recent years - Superman: the Escape, Superman: Ride of Steel,Superman: Ultimate Escape, Superman: Krypton Coaster and Superman: the Ride- Six Flags over Georgia opened a new coaster on April 6th, 2002 that deserves the Superman dubbing more than anything that has gone before. Crafted by Bolliger and Mabillard of Switzerland,Superman: Ultimate Flight is the first coaster of it's kind in the Southeastern United States to put riders prone to the track, following Vekoma's three 'flying' coasters - Stealth[now known asNighthawk] on the west coast, X-Flight in the Midwest and Batwing near the nation's capitol. The flying coaster also joins B&M's Aerial Inversion Ride which debuted at England's Alton Towers earlier in the year as the company's first giant leap into the prone position. But the Georgia Superman ride boasts more flying time and more below-track maneuvers than any flying coaster that went before. In addition, the Superman: Ultimate Flight also introduces a new type of inversion to the world dubbed the 'Pretzel Loop' in which riders loop-the-loop from the top down, head first.
To get into the Superman position from below the track, B&M have specially designed rider-cradles which are boarded in a sitting position, then mechanically raised to become prone to the red and yellow track above. After takeoff from one of two 'split' loading stations (similar to those used on X-Flight and Batwing), the flight starts out with a 90-degree curve and then the trip up to a 15-story altitude. At last, Superman impersonators get their wings. The Ultimate Flight gets to the good stuff with the first dive, heading down 100 feet and curving 135 degrees to buzz over the queuing line below. Soaring up over Georgia, the course continues with the one-of-a-kind inversion mayhem of the Pretzel Loop, the train climbing to a height of 76 feet before diving downwards in a reverse-type loop. Climbing back to 7-story altitudes and exiting the Pretzel, the track swerves around in a left-hand curve heading back through the center of the inversion. Diving underneath the final brake run section, riders fly through a highly-banked 180-degree curve before diving back to the ground. Meandering through another banked U-turn, the ride makes its way back under the final track section to enter a short tunnel. Exiting the tunnel, the track banks to a near 90-degree angle and sends passengers around an upwards Carousel Curve spiraling around straight into a final 360-degree Heartline Roll and then onto the brake run. If you've ever wanted to fly like Superman, make your way to Six Flags over Georgia and experience the flight of your life on Superman: Ultimate Flight! |
©1998-2016 COASTER-net.com, All Rights Reserved.
