History
Acrophobia is the latest version in a long-running series of attractions designed by Intamin that create the sensation of free fall. The first free-fall towers were, in essence, vertical drop roller coaster rides, although many coaster fans do not classify them as such. One such example was Six Flags Over Georgia's own Free Fall, which was installed in the park in 1983 and removed in December 2006.
The Giant Drop variant improved upon the original free-fall tower in numerous ways, most noticeably in its braking system. Whereas the first-generation towers used standard friction brakes on a horizontal track section to slow down the descending cabins, the Giant Drop uses rare-earth magnets to gently slow the ride vehicle to a stop at the base of the tower. This innovation provided a fail-safe braking system—no electricity is required to create the magnetic forces—and also allowed for a smaller footprint.
The third-generation Gyro Drop tower kept the key innovations of the Giant Drop and added a new twist, literally. The ride's single round gondola would rotate during its ascent, providing a panoramic view of the surrounding countryside prior to the drop back to the ground.
Acrophobia was closed down on June 22, 2007, after an accident occurred on Superman: Tower of Power at Kentucky Kingdom when a 13-year-old girl had both of her feet severed by a faulty cable. [1]
In March 2017, the park announced that the ride would receive a virtual reality experience called "Drop of Doom VR" that opened on the ride on March 11, 2017. [2]
Attraction design & ride experience
Acrophobia is a significant modification to the Gyro Drop model, enough to be marketed as a distinct version, the "Floorless, Tilting Gyro Drop". Instead of being seated on the round ride gondola, riders are fastened into special harnesses that partially resemble large bicycle seats. These harnesses allow the riders' legs to dangle freely, similar to using a parachute; hence, no "floor." As the ride cycle begins, a winch system grabs the gondola and lifts it upwards. Shortly after, the gondola begins to slowly rotate, completing one revolution before reaching the top of the tower. As it approaches the top of the tower, Acrophobia's second innovation is revealed—pneumatic pistons behind the harnesses tilt them outwards roughly 15 degrees past vertical. The intent is to "force" riders to look down and see how high they are. After a short delay, the winch releases the gondola, allowing it to free-fall back to the ground, where an array of braking systems slows it down and eventually allows it to come to a full stop, thus completing the cycle. Acrophobia is just over 200 [3] feet in height, as evidenced by the FAA-mandated red hazard beacon at the top of the tower, although the actual drop height of the ride is approximately 161 feet. The ride cycle begins as the airgates open to allow the riders onto the ride and take their seats on the unit. Once all safety checks have been performed, attendants enter their chained safety zones and give the all clear signal. The Catcher comes down, winches the gondola and begins the ascent to the top of the tower. The 30 seat unit begins to rotate a full 360 degrees as it completes its revolution during the ascent. Once the catcher reaches the top of the tower, the operator teases and sometimes sings to the riders to encourage them to forget about the drop. After a few nerve-wracking seconds the gondola drops to the braking system in less than 3.5 seconds.
Kingda Ka is a retired hydraulically launched steel roller coaster located at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey, United States. Manufactured by Intamin and designed by Werner Stengel, Kingda Ka opened as the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world on May 21, 2005, surpassing Top Thrill Dragster. It was the second strata coaster ever built, exceeding 400 feet (120 m) in height. Both were made with similar designs, although Kingda Ka's layout added an airtime hill on the return portion of the track.
A brake run on a roller coaster is any section of track that utilizes some form of brakes to slow or stop a roller coaster train. There are various types of braking methods employed on roller coasters, including friction brakes, skid brakes, and magnetic brakes. The most common is a fin brake, an alternative name for a friction brake, which involves a series of hydraulic-powered clamps that close and squeeze metal fins that are attached to the underside of a coaster train. Roller coasters may incorporate multiple brake runs throughout the coaster's track layout to adjust the train's speed at any given time.
A drop tower is a type of amusement park ride incorporating a central tower structure with one or more gondolas attached. In a typical modern configuration, each gondola carrying riders is lifted to the top of the tower and then released to free fall back down to ground level. This produces a feeling of weightlessness followed by rapid deceleration. A magnetic braking system, or a variation that relies on pistons and air pressure, is used to safely bring the gondola to a complete stop. One of the earliest drop towers configured as an amusement ride was a parachute ride that debuted at the 1939 New York World's Fair, which was inspired by paratrooper training devices used by the Soviet Union in the 1920s.
The Giant Drop is a drop tower ride located at the Dreamworld theme park on the Gold Coast, Australia. Manufactured by Intamin, the ride was added in December 1998 to the existing Dreamworld Tower which housed the Tower of Terror. For fourteen years, The Giant Drop held the record for the tallest drop tower in the world.
An Accelerator Coaster is a hydraulically launched roller coaster model from Intamin. The model usually consists of a long, straight launch track, a top hat tower element, and magnetic brakes that smoothly stop the train without making contact. The technology was developed by Intamin engineers as an alternative to electromagnetic launch systems, such as the linear induction motor (LIM) and linear synchronous motor (LSM), that are found on earlier launched roller coasters like the Flight of Fear and The Joker's Jinx. Unlike the earlier linear induction motors, the Accelerator Coaster's launch system exhibits constant acceleration and is capable of reaching greater speeds.
The Frisbee is a type of pendulum amusement ride featuring a circular gondola that rotates as it swings back and forth. Riders are seated on the gondola facing inward or outward, depending on the model. On some models, the entire pendulum makes a full 360 degree swing.
Demon Drop is a drop tower amusement ride located at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Designed by Intamin, it is a Freefall model that was originally located at Cedar Point that opened in 1983. It was relocated to Dorney Park following the 2009 season, where it reopened in 2010. It is one of the oldest rides of its kind still in operation.
The Freefall is an amusement ride developed by Giovanola and marketed throughout the world by Swiss company, Intamin.
Drop Tower, formerly known as Drop Zone: Stunt Tower, is the name of five drop tower amusement rides located at Six Flags amusement parks in the United States and Canada. Each installation varies in size and capacity.
Superman: Tower of Power is a drop tower ride currently located at two Six Flags parks, and two former installments at Kentucky Kingdom and Six Flags St. Louis. Two of the four drop towers were manufactured by Intamin, while the Six Flags Over Georgia version was made by Zamperla, and the Six Flags Over Texas version was made by S&S. The installment at Kentucky Kingdom was demolished after an accident that severed a 13-year-old girl's feet. At Six Flags St. Louis, the ride was removed from the park's website in early 2021. Three additional drop towers of the same model by S&S are installed at other Six Flags parks Six Flags New England and Six Flags Fiesta Texas, each known as Scream and one more built at Six Flags Great Escape and Hurricane Harbor known as Sasquatch.
Pitt Fall was a drop tower ride located at Kennywood amusement park in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania. The name of the ride was a pun on the word "pitfall", a type of booby trap, but spelled with two "t"'s in reference to the nearby city of Pittsburgh. When it opened in 1997, it was the tallest drop tower in the world. The ride was manufactured by Intamin and its model is known in the industry as a "Giant Drop".
Dare Devil Dive is a steel roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia. Designed by German company Gerstlauer, Dare Devil Dive is based on the company's Euro-Fighter model, and features a 95-foot (29 m)-tall vertical lift hill, a 95° first drop, three inversions and a top speed of 52 miles per hour (84 km/h). It is also the first Euro-Fighter to debut a new lap-bar restraint system, replacing the more common over-the-shoulder harnesses.
Mäch Tower was a drop tower, located at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, in James City County, Virginia.
Lex Luthor: Drop of Doom is a drop tower located at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California. The ride is integrated onto the existing Superman: Escape from Krypton tower structure.
Falcon's Fury is a free-standing Sky Jump drop tower attraction at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay amusement park in Tampa, Florida, United States. Manufactured by Intamin subsidiary Intaride, the ride reaches a maximum height of 335 feet (102 m), making it North America's tallest free-standing drop tower. Riders experience about five seconds of free fall, reaching a speed of 60 miles per hour (100 km/h). The ride's name was chosen to invoke a falcon's ability to dive steeply at high speed to capture prey.
Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom is a decommissioned amusement ride located at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson Township, New Jersey. The 415 ft (126 m) attraction is attached to the Kingda Ka roller coaster, and opened as the tallest drop tower ride in the world in 2014. It closed in June 2024.
Sky Screamer was a first-generation Intamin Freefall ride at Six Flags AstroWorld in Houston, Texas. Opening in 1983, the ride was closed and dismantled in the late 1990s.
Croc Drop is an SBF Visa drop tower flat ride, which opened in April 2021 at Chessington World of Adventures Resort in southwest London, England, forming part of the park's Forbidden Kingdom section.
The Highlander is a gyro drop tower at Hansa-Park, located in Sierksdorf, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, with a total height of 120 metres (390 ft) to the top and a fall height of 103 metres (338 ft). This made it the world's tallest gyro drop tower and the world's tallest and fastest gyro drop tower with tilting seats at the time of opening. After the 2021 opening of the taller Orlando FreeFall drop tower with a height of 131 m (430 ft), Highlander remains the tallest gyro drop tower in Europe.
Giant Drop is a drop tower ride located at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois, United States. Manufactured by Intamin, the ride opened to the public on April 26, 1997, as part of a three-phase plan for the park's Southwest Territory area. The attraction opened alongside the defunct Dare Devil Dive, a skycoaster attraction, in the County Fair section of the park.
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