Blue Hawk (roller coaster)

Last updated
Blue Hawk
Previously known as Ninja (1992–2015)
Kamikaze (1989–1991)
BlueHawk SFOG 1.jpg
Blue Hawk in 2016
Six Flags Over Georgia
Coordinates 33°45′56″N84°33′01″W / 33.7656°N 84.5503°W / 33.7656; -84.5503
StatusOperating
Opening dateMarch 1, 1992 (1992-03-01)
Conko's Party Pier
Coordinates 38°59′20″N74°48′14″W / 38.989°N 74.804°W / 38.989; -74.804
StatusRemoved
Opening date1989 (1989)
Closing date1991 (1991)
Blue Hawk at Conko's Party Pier at RCDB
General statistics
Type Steel
Manufacturer Vekoma
ModelMK-1200 (Custom)
Track layoutTwister
Lift/launch system Chain lift hill
Height122 ft (37 m)
Drop109 ft (33 m)
Length2,742 ft (836 m)
Speed52 mph (84 km/h)
Inversions 5
Duration1:20
Max vertical angle48°
Capacity1300 riders per hour
G-force 4.0
Height restriction48 in (122 cm)
Trains2 trains with 7 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 28 riders per train.
Fastpass availability icon.svg Flash Pass Available
Blue Hawk at RCDB

Blue Hawk is a steel roller coaster located at Six Flags Over Georgia. Designed by Vekoma, Blue Hawk was originally built for Conko's Party Pier in New Jersey, where it was known as Kamikaze. It was relocated to Six Flags Over Georgia in 1992 as Ninja, and was the tallest roller coaster in the park at that time. In 2016, Six Flags announced that the ride would be renovated and renamed, with members of the public voting on the ride's new name.

Contents

History

Hunt's Pier in Wildwood, New Jersey purchased and installed this roller coaster, naming it Kamikaze, in 1989. [1] Kamikaze was purchased by Six Flags and relocated to Six Flags Over Georgia, where it was given the new name Ninja. Ninja was placed in the park's Cotton States section and sits roughly where Z-Force was previously located prior to its removal after the 1990 season, opening to the public on March 1, 1992. [2]

The ride received extensive work in 2016 and did not open with the park for its new season. The ride was repainted with blue track and gray supports. Following rider complaints of a rough ride and low attendance as Ninja, Blue Hawk’s track was inspected and repaired as needed to improve smoothness, and the trains were replaced with two new models featuring soft vest restraints instead of the previous over-the-shoulder harnesses. [3] Park guests were invited to vote for one of three potential new names for the ride—American Eagle, Air Commander or Blue Hawk. [3] After more than 6,000 votes were cast, voters selected Blue Hawk as the new name, followed by American Eagle and Air Commander. [3] The renovated ride is themed to the American military and re-opened to guests on June 9, 2016. [3]

Track layout

One of Blue Hawk's new trains BlueHawk SFOG 2.jpg
One of Blue Hawk's new trains

Blue Hawk uses two 28-passenger trains, each with seven cars carrying four passengers in two rows of two seats. Riders are held in place using vest-style restraints. [3] As Blue Hawk departs the station, it turns to the right, dropping slightly before another right turn to start up the 122-foot-tall lift hill. Upon cresting the lift, the roller coaster dives downward to the right before swooping up into the first major element, a two-inversion butterfly. Exiting the butterfly, the train enters a wide-radius 270-degree curve to the left, setting up the third inversion, a reverse sidewinder.

Blue Hawk climbs a gentle slope before making a U-turn to the left and entering its final element, a double corkscrew. After completing the final inversion, the train banks to the left and passes very close to the station and under the reverse sidewinder, then turns right prior to entering the main brake run. The train exits the brakes and makes a final U-turn to the right to set up the return to the station.

Prior to renovation, the coaster was featured as Walley World's "Velociraptor" in the 2015 film Vacation.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roller coaster</span> Rail-based amusement park ride

A roller coaster is a type of amusement ride employing a form of elevated railroad track that carries passengers on a train through tight turns, steep slopes, and other elements designed to produce a thrilling experience. Trains consist of open cars connected in a single line, and the rides are often found in theme parks around the world. Roller coasters first appeared in the 17th century, and LaMarcus Adna Thompson obtained one of the first known patents for a roller coaster design in 1885, based on the Switchback Railway which opened a year earlier at Coney Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inverted roller coaster</span> Type of roller coaster

An inverted roller coaster is a type of steel roller coaster in which the train runs under the track with the seats directly attached to the wheel carriage. Riders are seated in open cars, letting their feet swing freely. The inverted coaster was pioneered by Swiss roller coaster manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard in the early 1990s with the development of Batman: The Ride, which opened at Six Flags Great America on May 9, 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stand-up roller coaster</span> Type of roller coaster

A stand-up roller coaster is a roller coaster where passengers aboard a train stand throughout the course of the ride. The first manufacturer to employ the format was TOGO, a Japanese company that converted two traditional roller coasters in 1982 to stand-up configurations. Arrow Dynamics followed suit in the United States the following year with their own conversion. The first roller coaster designed from the ground up as a stand-up coaster was King Cobra, built by TOGO, which opened at Kings Island in 1984. Intamin and Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M) have also designed stand-up models beginning in the 1990s, with the latest opening in 2023 as Pipeline: The Surf Coaster in SeaWorld Orlando.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great American Scream Machine (Six Flags Great Adventure)</span> Defunct steel roller coaster

Great American Scream Machine was a steel roller coaster located at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson Township, New Jersey. The 173-foot-tall (53 m) ride opened in 1989 as the tallest and fastest looping roller coaster in the world, reaching a maximum speed of 68 mph (109 km/h). It was designed by Ron Toomer and manufactured by Arrow Dynamics, which built two other coasters with similar layouts – Shockwave at Six Flags Great America and Viper at Six Flags Magic Mountain. Great American Scream Machine featured seven inversions including a batwing and double corkscrew. Records set by the ride were succeeded by Viper the following year in 1990. It operated until July 2010 and was replaced by a stand-up roller coaster, Green Lantern, in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twisted Colossus</span> Roller coaster at Magic Mountain

Twisted Colossus is a steel roller coaster located at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California. Originally designed and built by International Amusement Devices, the roller coaster opened as Colossus, a dual-tracked roller coaster, on June 29, 1978. It was the tallest and fastest wooden roller coaster in the world and the first with two drops greater than 100 feet (30 m). Colossus became well known after appearances in film and television, including the box-office hit National Lampoon's Vacation and the made-for-TV movie Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park. For 19 years, it was the park's main attraction until the opening of Superman: The Escape.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suspended Looping Coaster</span> Type of roller coaster

The Suspended Looping Coaster is a model of steel inverted roller coaster built by Vekoma. There are at least 39 different installations across the world. The minimum rider height requirement is 130 centimetres. Vekoma is now marketing a Suspended Thrill Coaster as a successor to the Suspended Looping Coaster. The Odyssey is the largest, fastest and tallest SLC ever built at Fantasy Island in the UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Viper (Six Flags Darien Lake)</span> Steel roller coaster at Six Flags Darien Lake

Viper is a steel roller coaster located at Six Flags Darien Lake amusement park in Darien, New York, United States. Built by the newly-formed Arrow Huss, the ride opened in 1982 as the first roller coaster in the world to feature five inversions, surpassing Carolina Cyclone at Carowinds which featured four. Viper retained the inversions record until Vortex opened at Kings Island in 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Batman: The Dark Knight (roller coaster)</span> Roller coaster at Six Flags New England

Batman: The Dark Knight is a steel floorless roller coaster designed by Bolliger & Mabillard located in the Gotham City section of Six Flags New England. The roller coaster has 2,600 feet (790 m) of track, reaches a maximum height of 117.8 feet (35.9 m) and features five inversions. The coaster was released to the public on April 20, 2002. In 2008, the ride's name was changed to Batman: The Ride to avoid confusion with Six Flags New England's installation of The Dark Knight Coaster that was planned to be built at the park, but after the project was cancelled, the ride's name reverted to Batman: The Dark Knight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ninja (Six Flags St. Louis)</span> Roller coaster

Ninja is an Arrow Dynamics/Vekoma steel roller coaster located in the Studio Backlot section of Six Flags St. Louis in Eureka, Missouri. It was originally built for and located at Expo 86 in Vancouver, British Columbia, operating as Scream Machine from May to October 1986. It began operating as Ninja at Six Flags St. Louis in 1989. The coaster was started by American manufacturer Arrow Dynamics, but when Arrow fell into bankruptcy during construction, it was sold to Dutch manufacturer Vekoma, who finished it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">T3 (roller coaster)</span> Defunct roller coaster

T3 (stylized as T3; pronounced "T-three", "T-cubed", or "Terror to the third power") was an inverted roller coaster located at Kentucky Kingdom in Louisville, Kentucky. The Suspended Looping Coaster model manufactured by Vekoma originally opened as T2 on April 8, 1995. Following the amusement park's closure in 2009 due to financial difficulties, the ride sat idle for several years. Under new park ownership, the roller coaster was refurbished and renamed T3, which reopened to the public as T3 on July 3, 2015. The ride closed permanently following the 2022 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shockwave (Six Flags Great America)</span> Defunct roller coaster

Shockwave was a roller coaster manufactured by Arrow Dynamics at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois. Standing 170 feet (52 m) tall and reaching speeds of 65 miles per hour (105 km/h), it opened in 1988 as the world's tallest and fastest looping roller coaster with a record-breaking seven inversions: three vertical loops, a boomerang, and two regular corkscrews. Shockwave was closed in 2002 and has been dismantled.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Texas Giant</span> Roller coaster at Six Flags Over Texas

New Texas Giant is a steel roller coaster located at Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington, Texas. It originally opened as Texas Giant, which was the tallest wooden coaster in the world when it debuted in 1990. Manufactured by Dinn Corporation and designed by Curtis D. Summers, Texas Giant operated for nearly two decades and was highly-ranked in Amusement Today magazine's annual Golden Ticket Awards. The ride's popularity declined over the years as it gained a negative reputation for increasing roughness.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poltergeist (roller coaster)</span> Roller coaster at Six Flags Fiesta Texas

Poltergeist is a steel roller coaster located at Six Flags Fiesta Texas in San Antonio, Texas. Designed by Werner Stengel and manufactured by Premier Rides, the roller coaster opened to the public on May 28, 1999. Its track was fabricated by Dynamic Structures and Intermountain Lift, Inc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goudurix</span> Amusement ride

Goudurix is a steel roller coaster located in Parc Astérix in France. The Vekoma-built ride jointly held the European record for the greatest number of inversions upon its opening in 1989. The record was lost in 1995 to Dragon Khan in Spain. It is one of only two coasters in the world to feature a butterfly element. In 2007, following the release of the animated movie Asterix and the Vikings, Viking theming was added to the station and nearby rides, in the form of a wooden Viking longboat. Goudurix is located in the back-west of the park, near the Tonnerre 2 Zeus. The ride was repainted to a yellow and red track with grey supports color scheme from its previous white and yellow track with blue supports. It is one of the park's main attractions, along with the Tonnerre 2 Zeus, OzIris and Trace du Hourra rollercoasters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goliath (Six Flags Fiesta Texas)</span> Steel inverted roller coaster

Goliath is an inverted roller coaster located at Six Flags Fiesta Texas in San Antonio, Texas, United States. Designed by Werner Stengel and Swiss manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard, Goliath initially opened in 1995 at an amusement park in Japan, it then operated at Six Flags New Orleans until Hurricane Katrina caused the parks abandonment in 2005 and removal of Goliath to Six Flags Fiesta Texas where it has operated since 2008. It stands at a height of 105 feet (32 m), reaches a maximum speed of 50 mph (80 km/h), and features multiple inversions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dare Devil Dive</span> Steel roller coaster in Georgia

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flight of Fear</span> Enclosed launched roller coaster

Flight of Fear is the name of two identical enclosed roller coasters located at Kings Island and Kings Dominion amusement parks. Built and designed by Premier Rides, they were the world's first launched roller coasters to feature linear induction motor (LIM) technology. Both locations opened as The Outer Limits: Flight of Fear on June 18, 1996, originally themed after The Outer Limits TV series that began airing in 1995 as a revival of the original 1960s series. Paramount's licensing rights to the TV show eventually expired without renewal, and all references to The Outer Limits were removed from the ride and its name in 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valravn (roller coaster)</span> Roller coaster at Cedar Point

Valravn is a steel roller coaster at Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio. Built and designed by Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M), it is the first Dive Coaster model in the Cedar Fair chain of parks and opened on May 7, 2016, as the tallest, fastest, and longest of its kind in the world. It remains the tallest, sharing its height record with Yukon Striker at Canada's Wonderland. Valravn is also the first Dive Coaster to use B&M's vest-style, over-the-shoulder restraints and the third Dive Coaster overall to open in the United States. The installation marked the hundredth roller coaster from B&M, dating back to the company's founding in 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Batman: The Ride (Six Flags México)</span> Roller coaster

Batman: The Ride is a steel inverted coaster at Six Flags Mexico that has been operating since 2000. It is a standard Vekoma Suspended Looping Coaster model themed to the famed Batman franchise, and was part of Premier Park's massive renovation in 2000.

References

  1. "Kamikaze (Dinosaur Beach)". RCDB.com. Retrieved 2011-08-12.
  2. "Blue Hawk (Six Flags Over Georgia)". rcdb.com. Retrieved 2016-05-25.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Six Flags to rename renovated coaster 'Blue Hawk'". mdjonline.com. Marietta Daily Journal. 2016-05-19. Retrieved 2016-05-25.