The Gravity Group

Last updated
The Gravity Group
IndustryManufacturing
FoundedJuly 2002 (2002-07)
FounderFormer Custom Coasters International employees
Headquarters,
United States
Area served
Worldwide
Products Roller coasters, roller coaster trains
Divisions Gravitykraft Corporation, Gravity Works, LLC
Website www.thegravitygroup.com

The Gravity Group is a wooden roller coaster design firm based in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. The firm was founded in July 2002 out of the engineering team of the famed but now defunct Custom Coasters International. The core group of designers and engineers at The Gravity Group have backgrounds in civil, structural and mechanical engineering. Their experience comes from work on over 40 different wooden roller coasters around the world. The first coaster designed under the Gravity Group opened as Hades at Mount Olympus Theme Park in 2005. The Gravity Group also designed The Voyage at Holiday World in Santa Claus, Indiana, which opened in May 2006 and is the second-longest wooden roller coaster in the world. These first two accomplishments of the team have been received with great success by both the industry and coaster enthusiasts alike.

Contents

In 2007, The Gravity Group opened Boardwalk Bullet, an intense wooden roller coaster that was built at Kemah Boardwalk and opened as the only wooden coaster in the Greater Houston area. The Gravity Group designed Ravine Flyer II at Waldameer in Erie, Pennsylvania, which was opened at the start of the 2008 season. In 2009, Wooden Coaster - Fireball was opened at Happy Valley in China, becoming China's first wooden roller coaster. In 2011 Quassy Amusement Park opened Wooden Warrior, the company's sixth wooden roller coaster. The Gravity Group was also involved in the rebuilding of Libertyland's Zippin Pippin at Bay Beach Amusement Park in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

In 2008, members of The Gravity Group announced the development of their own wooden coaster trains called Timberliners. They are being produced by Gravitykraft Corporation, a sister company to The Gravity Group. The Gravity Group promotes their trains as the only wooden coaster trains capable of steering through curves, resulting in a more comfortable and maintenance-friendly ride. Timberliners were planned to debut on The Voyage at Holiday World for the 2010 season, but after four years of delays, Holiday World officially cancelled the project on August 16, 2013. However, in 2011, the Timberliners appeared on Wooden Warrior at Quassy Amusement Park in Connecticut and on Twister at Gröna Lund in Sweden, and in 2013 were added to Hades as part of its transformation to Hades 360.

List of roller coasters


As of 2019, The Gravity Group has built 28 roller coasters around the world. [1]

NameModelParkCountryOpenedStatusRef
Hades 360
Formerly Hades
Steel Support Structure Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park Flag of the United States.svg United States2005Operating [2]
The Voyage Steel Support Structure Holiday World Flag of the United States.svg United States2006Operating [3]
Boardwalk Bullet Wood Support Structure Kemah Boardwalk Flag of the United States.svg United States2007Operating [4]
Ravine Flyer II Steel Support Structure Waldameer Flag of the United States.svg United States2008Operating [5]
Wooden Coaster - Fireball Wood Support Structure Happy Valley Shanghai Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China2009Operating [6]
Wooden Warrior Wood Support Structure Quassy Amusement Park Flag of the United States.svg United States2011Operating [7]
Twister Steel Support Structure Gröna Lund Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden2011Operating [8]
Zippin Pippin Wood Support Structure Bay Beach Amusement Park Flag of the United States.svg United States2011Operating [9]
Dauling Dragon Wood Support Structure Happy Valley Wuhan Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China2012Operating [10]
Fjord Flying Dragon Wood Support Structure Happy Valley Tianjin Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China2013Operating [11]
Roar-o-Saurus Wood Support Structure Story Land Flag of the United States.svg United States2014Operating [12]
Time Travel Wood Support Structure Hot Go Park Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China2014Operating [13]
Cú Chulainn Wood Support Structure Emerald Park Flag of Ireland.svg Ireland2015Operating [14]
Switchback Steel Support Structure ZDT's Amusement Center Flag of the United States.svg United States2015Operating [15]
Jungle Trailblazer Wood Support Structure Oriental Heritage Jinan Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China2015Operating [16]
Jungle Trailblazer Wood Support Structure Fantawild Dreamland Zhengzhou Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China2015Operating [17]
Jungle Trailblazer Wood Support Structure Oriental Heritage Wuhu Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China2015Operating [18]
Timber Wood Support Structure Walibi Rhône-Alpes Flag of France.svg France2016Operating [19]
Jungle Trailblazer Wood Support Structure Oriental Heritage Ningbo Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China2016Operating [20]
Jungle Trailblazer Wood Support Structure Fantawild Dreamland Zhuzhou Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China2016Operating [21]
Mine Blower Steel Support Structure Fun Spot America Kissimmee Flag of the United States.svg United States2017Operating [22]
Jungle Trailblazer Wood Support Structure Oriental Heritage Xiamen Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China2017Operating [23]
Oscar's Wacky Taxi Steel Support Structure Sesame Place Flag of the United States.svg United States2018Operating [24]
Wood Express Steel Support Structure Parc Saint Paul Flag of France.svg France2018Operating [25]
Jungle Trailblazer Wood Support Structure Fantawild Asian Legend Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China2018Operating [26]
Kentucky Flyer Steel Support Structure Kentucky Kingdom Flag of the United States.svg United States2019Operating [27]
Wooden Dragon Wood Support Structure Sunac Jinan Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China2021Operating [28]
Leviathan Wood Support Structure Sea World Flag of Australia (converted).svg Australia2022Operating [29]
Bobcat Wood Support Structure Six Flags Great Escape Flag of the United States.svg United States2024Under construction [30]

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References

  1. The Gravity Group - rcdb.com
  2. Marden, Duane. "Hades 360  (Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park)". Roller Coaster DataBase . Retrieved June 12, 2012.
  3. Marden, Duane. "The Voyage  (Holiday World)". Roller Coaster DataBase . Retrieved June 12, 2012.
  4. Marden, Duane. "Boardwalk Bullet  (Kemah Boardwalk)". Roller Coaster DataBase . Retrieved June 12, 2012.
  5. Marden, Duane. "Ravine Flyer II  (Waldameer)". Roller Coaster DataBase . Retrieved June 12, 2012.
  6. Marden, Duane. "Wooden Coaster - Fireball  (Happy Valley Shanghai)". Roller Coaster DataBase . Retrieved June 12, 2012.
  7. Marden, Duane. "Wooden Warrior  (Quassy Amusement Park)". Roller Coaster DataBase . Retrieved June 12, 2012.
  8. Marden, Duane. "Twister  (Gröna Lund)". Roller Coaster DataBase . Retrieved June 12, 2012.
  9. Marden, Duane. "Zippin Pippin  (Bay Beach Amusement Park)". Roller Coaster DataBase . Retrieved June 12, 2012.
  10. Marden, Duane. "Dauling Dragon  (Happy Valley Wuhan)". Roller Coaster DataBase . Retrieved June 12, 2012.
  11. Marden, Duane. "Fjord Flying Dragon  (Happy Valley Tianjin)". Roller Coaster DataBase . Retrieved June 12, 2012.
  12. Marden, Duane. "Roar-O-Saurus  (Story Land)". Roller Coaster DataBase . Retrieved June 12, 2012.
  13. Marden, Duane. "Time Travel  (Hot Go Park)". Roller Coaster DataBase . Retrieved 21 November 2013.
  14. Marden, Duane. "Cú Chulainn  (Tayto Park)". Roller Coaster DataBase . Retrieved 21 November 2013.
  15. Marden, Duane. "Switchback  (ZDT's Amusement Center)". Roller Coaster DataBase . Retrieved 21 November 2013.
  16. Marden, Duane. "Jungle Trailblazer  (Oriental Heritage Jinan)". Roller Coaster DataBase . Retrieved 21 November 2013.
  17. Marden, Duane. "Jungle Trailblazer  (Fantawild Dreamland Zhengzhou)". Roller Coaster DataBase . Retrieved 21 November 2013.
  18. Marden, Duane. "Jungle Trailblazer  (Oriental Heritage Wuhu)". Roller Coaster DataBase . Retrieved 21 November 2013.
  19. Marden, Duane. "Timber  (Walibi Rhône-Alpes)". Roller Coaster DataBase . Retrieved 21 November 2013.
  20. Marden, Duane. "Jungle Trailblazer  (Oriental Heritage Ningbo)". Roller Coaster DataBase . Retrieved 21 November 2013.
  21. Marden, Duane. "Jungle Trailblazer  (Fantawild Dreamland Zhuzhou)". Roller Coaster DataBase . Retrieved 21 November 2013.
  22. Marden, Duane. "Mine Blower  (Fun Spot America Kissimmee)". Roller Coaster DataBase . Retrieved 21 November 2013.
  23. Marden, Duane. "Jungle Trailblazer  (Oriental Heritage Xiamen)". Roller Coaster DataBase . Retrieved 21 November 2013.
  24. Marden, Duane. "Oscar's Wacky Taxi  (Sesame Place)". Roller Coaster DataBase . Retrieved 21 November 2013.
  25. Marden, Duane. "Wood Express  (Parc Saint Paul)". Roller Coaster DataBase . Retrieved 21 November 2013.
  26. Marden, Duane. "Jungle Trailblazer  (Fantawild Asian Legend)". Roller Coaster DataBase . Retrieved 21 November 2013.
  27. Marden, Duane. "Kentucky Flyer  (Kentucky Kingdom)". Roller Coaster DataBase . Retrieved 21 November 2013.
  28. Marden, Duane. "Unknown  (Sunac Jinan)". Roller Coaster DataBase . Retrieved 21 November 2013.
  29. Marden, Duane. "Leviathan  (Sea World)". Roller Coaster DataBase . Retrieved 21 November 2013.
  30. Marden, Duane. "Bobcat  (Six Flags Great Escape)". Roller Coaster DataBase . Retrieved 21 November 2013.