Demon Drop

Last updated
Demon Drop
Demon Drop at Dorney Park 02.jpg
Demon Drop at Dorney Park
Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom
StatusOperating
Opening dateJuly 8, 2010
ReplacedKrazy Kars
Cedar Point
StatusRelocated to Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom
Opening date1983
Closing dateNovember 1, 2009
Replaced byOcean Motion - Relocation within park.
Ride statistics
Attraction type Freefall
Manufacturer Intamin
Model1st Generation Freefall
Height131 ft (40 m)
Drop60 ft (18 m)
Speed55 mph (89 km/h)
Vehicles6
Riders per vehicle4
Height restriction48 in (122 cm)
RestraintsOver-the-shoulder restraints

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.

Contents

History

Demon Drop Cedar Point Demon Drop with sign in view (4070443603).jpg
Demon Drop

Demon Drop debuted at Cedar Point in 1983. [1] On October 21, 2009, Cedar Point officials announced that Demon Drop would be relocated to Knott's Berry Farm for the 2010 season. [2] In November of that year, ride pieces similar to Demon Drop were spotted at Dorney Park. On December 2, 2009, it was announced that Demon Drop would not be relocated to Knott's Berry Farm. Instead, it would be relocated to Dorney Park. It officially opened at Dorney Park on July 8, 2010. [3]

Ride description

Demon Drop cars being loaded Cedar Point Demon Drop cars in station (4070477873).jpg
Demon Drop cars being loaded

The ride can accommodate up to four riders, and consists of three main sections: the boarding station, the lift tower, and the brake run. Riders are loaded into a gondola near ground level at the station and secured with an over the shoulder harness. The gondola then moves backwards horizontally to the rear base of the lift tower and climbs vertically to the top of the tower. After reaching the top, it slides forward and hangs over the drop track for a few moments until the car is suddenly released, dropping riders 60 feet (18 m). Riders experience g-forces from deceleration as the car enters a pull-out curve which transitions the vertical fall into a horizontal brake run. Riders face upward toward the sky as the gondola rolls through the brake run. After stopping, a mechanism swings the top of the car down, and the gondola moves in reverse at down a 45-degree angle to another track, where it returns to an upright position and returns to the station. [4]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Launched roller coaster</span> Modern form of roller coaster

The launched roller coaster is a modern form of roller coaster. A launched coaster initiates a ride with high amounts of acceleration via one or a series of linear induction motors (LIM), linear synchronous motors (LSM), catapults, tires, chains, or other mechanisms employing hydraulic or pneumatic power, along a launch track. This mode of acceleration powers many of the fastest roller coasters in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wild Thing (Valleyfair)</span> Roller coaster in Shakopee, Minnesota

Wild Thing is a hypercoaster located at Valleyfair. It is an out and back roller coaster with more than one mile (1.6 km) of track. Its first hill is 207 feet (63 m) with a 60 degree drop, and the roller coaster reaches speeds of up to 74 mph (119 km/h). Wild Thing's height was set by the Federal Aviation Administration due to the nearby presence of Flying Cloud Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wicked Twister</span> Defunct roller coaster

Wicked Twister was an inverted roller coaster located at Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio, United States. Designed by Werner Stengel, it was a second-generation, double-twisting Impulse model manufactured by Intamin. Wicked Twister opened as the tallest and fastest inverted coaster in the world on May 5, 2002. It was retired by the park on September 6, 2021, closed on September 7, and gave over 16 million rides during its lifetime.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steel Force</span> Steel roller coaster at Dorney Park

Steel Force is a steel roller coaster located at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom in Allentown, Pennsylvania. At 5,600 feet (1,700 m) in length, Steel Force is the eighth-longest steel coaster in the world as of 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hydra the Revenge</span> Floorless coaster in Pennsylvania, US

Hydra the Revenge, or simply Hydra, is a steel Floorless Coaster at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard, the coaster opened to the public on May 7, 2005. Hydra was built on the site of the former wooden coaster Hercules, which was closed and demolished at the end of the park's 2003 season. The ride's name comes from the Greek story where Hercules battled the Lernaean Hydra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Talon (roller coaster)</span> Inverted roller coaster at Dorney Park

Talon is an inverted roller coaster located at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M) and designed by Werner Stengel at a cost of $13 million, Talon opened to the public in 2001 and was marketed as the tallest and longest inverted coaster in the Northeast. It stands 135-foot (41 m) tall, reaches a maximum speed of 58 mph (93 km/h), and features four inversions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thunderhawk (Dorney Park)</span> Roller coaster

Thunderhawk is a wooden roller coaster with an out-and-back layout located at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Originally opening as The Coaster in 1924, Thunderhawk is the oldest operating roller coaster in the Cedar Fair chain, and one of the oldest in the world still in operation. It was manufactured by Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters (PTC) and designed by Herbert Paul Schmeck.

Hercules was a wooden roller coaster located at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Manufactured by the Dinn Corporation and designed by Curtis D. Summers, the roller coaster opened to the public on May 6, 1989. It set a world record for the longest drop on a wooden coaster at 151 feet (46 m), surpassing the previous record of 147 feet (45 m) set by American Eagle at Six Flags Great America in 1981. Hercules was the third wooden coaster to be constructed at the park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom</span> Amusement park in Pennsylvania

Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom is an American amusement and water park located in Dorneyville, Pennsylvania, outside Allentown. Owned and operated by Six Flags Entertainment Corporation, the park features 64 rides, including eight roller coasters, several thrill rides and kiddie rides, and a waterpark, Wildwater Kingdom, with 19 water rides.

This is a summary of notable incidents that have taken place at amusement parks, water parks, or theme parks that are currently owned or operated by Six Flags. This list is not intended to be a comprehensive list of every such event, but only those that had a significant impact on the parks or park operations, or are otherwise significantly newsworthy. The term incidents refers to major accidents, injuries, or deaths that occur at a park. These incidents were required to be reported to regulatory authorities due to where they occurred. They usually fall into one of the following categories:

  1. Negligence on the part of the guest, such as refusal to follow specific ride safety instructions.
  2. A guest deliberately breaking park rules.
  3. A guest's known, or unknown, health issues.
  4. Negligence on the part of the park, either by a ride operator or maintenance staff.
  5. Negligence on the part of the attraction's manufacturer
  6. An Act of God or a generic accident that is not a direct result of an action or inaction on anybody's part.
<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dive Coaster</span> Roller coaster model

The Dive Coaster is a steel roller coaster model developed and engineered by Bolliger & Mabillard. The design features one or more near-vertical drops that are approximately 90 degrees, which provide a moment of free-falling for passengers. The experience is enhanced by unique trains that seat up to ten riders per row, spanning only two or three rows total. Unlike traditional train design, this distinguishing aspect gives all passengers virtually the same experience throughout the course of the ride. Another defining characteristic of Dive Coasters is the holding brake at the top of the lift hill that holds the train momentarily right as it enters the first drop, suspending some passengers with a view looking straight down and releasing suddenly moments later.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turbo Drop</span> Model of tower-based amusement ride

Turbo Drop is a model of tower-based amusement ride manufactured by S&S - Sansei Technologies, similar to the company's Space Shot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freefall (ride)</span> Type of amusement ride

The Freefall is an amusement ride developed by Giovanola and marketed throughout the world by Swiss company, Intamin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silver Bullet (Knott's Berry Farm)</span> Inverted roller coaster

Silver Bullet is a western-themed steel inverted roller coaster designed by Bolliger & Mabillard located at Knott's Berry Farm, an amusement park in Buena Park, California. The $16 million roller coaster was announced on December 1, 2003 and opened on December 7, 2004. A first rider auction was also held where people would bid on seats to be the first riders. The track is approximately 3,125 feet (952 m) long and the lift hill is about 146 feet (45 m) tall. The ride lasts two minutes and thirty seconds and features six inversions including a vertical loop, cobra roll, zero-g roll, and two corkscrews.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Possessed (roller coaster)</span> Launched roller coaster at Dorney Park

Possessed is an inverted impulse launched roller coaster located at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Manufactured by Intamin and designed by Werner Stengel, the roller coaster originally debuted at Six Flags Ohio amusement park as Superman: Ultimate Escape on May 5, 2000. After Cedar Fair purchased the park and restored its Geauga Lake name in early 2004, the coaster was immediately renamed Steel Venom. The ride closed in 2006 and was moved to Dorney Park. It reopened in 2008 briefly under the name Voodoo, and was renamed Possessed for the 2009 season. The model is identical to five other impulse coaster installations at other amusement parks. A larger version called Wicked Twister was located at Cedar Point until its closure in September 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Invertigo (roller coaster)</span> Dutch designed roller coasters

Invertigo is the name of an inverted shuttle roller coaster model developed and manufactured by Dutch company Vekoma. Four roller coasters based on this model were built, with the first installation opening in 1997 as HangOver at Liseberg amusement park located in Sweden. Three of the four are still in operation. Invertigo is designed as an inverted variation of their traditional Boomerang model, which first appeared in 1984. Invertigo's seat configuration is also a departure from its predecessor, in that riders sit back-to-back, resulting in all rows facing one another with the exception of the first and last.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teststrecke</span> Steel roller coaster

Teststrecke, meaning Test Track in German, is a portable steel roller coaster owned by the German showman partnership Meyer & Rosenzweig. It was imported from Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom in 2008 and mostly tours in Germany, with occasional visits to the Netherlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Impulse roller coaster</span> Form of roller coaster manufactured by Intamin

An Impulse roller coaster is a form of a launched inverted roller coaster manufactured by Intamin. The first Impulse roller coaster appeared in Japan, and the ride type has since evolved to include four specific layouts, three of these varieties being built in the United States. It uses LIMs to launch a train out of the station and up a vertical spiral. The train then falls backward, is powered again through the station, and heads up a back tower. The train then falls forward, and continues in this fashion for a total of 2½ cycles per ride. On the final forward launch, with a slightly reduced speed, the train is sent up the front tower, and brakes then deploy on the launch track. The train then slows down and heads back into the station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WindSeeker</span> Swing ride at several Six Flags parks

WindSeeker is a 301-foot-tall (92 m) swing ride at several Six Flags parks. The rides are Wind Seeker models manufactured by Mondial. They opened for the 2011 season at Canada's Wonderland in Ontario, Cedar Point and Kings Island in Ohio, and Knott's Berry Farm in California. Carowinds in North Carolina and Kings Dominion in Virginia opened their WindSeekers in 2012. The first four each cost US$5 million, while the remaining two each cost $6.5 million. Cedar Fair relocated the Knott's Berry Farm WindSeeker to Worlds of Fun in 2014, where it reopened as SteelHawk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dominator (ride)</span> Thrill ride

Dominator is a thrill ride located at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom in Allentown, Pennsylvania. It was manufactured by S&S Power and opened on May 8, 1999.

References

  1. Chavez, Jon (October 21, 2009). "Demon Drop to be moved from Cedar Point". The Blade. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  2. Cedar Point (21 October 2009). "Cedar Point Demon Drop ride on the move". Blog.cleveland.com. Retrieved 2012-02-24.
  3. "Dorney Park Unveils 'Demon Drop' in Allentown, Pennsylvania". Blog.partycentersoftware.com. 2010-07-09. Archived from the original on 2014-01-02. Retrieved 2012-02-24.
  4. "Demon Drop Photo Gallery". The Point Online. Archived from the original on January 2, 2014. Retrieved January 1, 2014.