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 rollercoasters in the world.
Katun is a steel inverted roller coaster at the Mirabilandia amusement park, Savio, outside Ravenna, Italy. It is the longest inverted roller coaster in Europe. The coaster stands 164 feet (50 m) tall, has a track length of 3,937 feet (1,200 m), a top speed of 65 mph (105 km/h) and six inversions:
Speed: No Limits is a roller coaster at Oakwood Theme Park, Pembrokeshire, UK. It is a Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter and contains a 90° chain lift hill and a 97° first drop. This drop gave it a five way record tie for the steepest roller coaster drop between itself, Rage, Fahrenheit, SpongeBob SquarePants Rock Bottom Plunge, Vild-Svinet and Typhoon. The ride was installed by Ride Entertainment Group, who handles all of Gerstlauer's operations in the Western Hemisphere.
The Legend is a wooden roller coaster at Holiday World & Splashin' Safari in Santa Claus, Indiana, United States. It was designed and built beginning in 1999 by the now defunct Custom Coasters International, with the help of designers Dennis McNulty and Larry Bill; it opened on May 6, 2000. The Legend is themed after Washington Irving's short story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and mimics the frightful ride Ichabod Crane took as he was chased through the woods by the Headless Horseman. The Legend has been consistently ranked among the world's top twenty-five wooden roller coasters at the Golden Ticket Awards, which are presented annually by Amusement Today magazine.
Mystery Mine is a steel roller coaster located at Dollywood amusement park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Manufactured by Gerstlauer, the Euro-Fighter model is heavily themed as a haunted mining operation from the 19th century. The roller coaster was Dollywood's largest single investment in the park's history at the time, costing $17.5 million to construct. A large portion of the track is located indoor, where the ride utilizes a series of special effects. It was the first Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter installation in the United States and had the steepest drop of any coaster in North America at the time of its opening. The ride was installed by Ride Entertainment Group, who handles all of Gerstlauer's operations in the Western Hemisphere.
Eurostar is the world's largest portable inverted roller coaster. Eurostar was designed by Oscar Bruch, who had created and/or operated many portable coasters including Alpina Bahn, Looping Star and Thriller. The inverted coaster was becoming increasingly popular in the mid-1990s, having been introduced to the theme park market by Bolliger & Mabillard. However, B&M were reluctant to attempt a travelling model and so Eurostar was designed by Werner Stengel from a rough layout designed by Bruch. Aspects of the ride were built by many companies from across Europe, under the directorship of the Swiss ride firm Intamin.
The Euro-Fighter is a type of steel roller coaster developed by Gerstlauer. First launched in 2003, the trademark feature of the roller coaster is its beyond-vertical drop, which reaches an angle greater than 90 degrees. Although the majority of Euro-Fighters are custom designed for each installation, every design so far has included the trademark drop. A number of different track elements are possible, including vertical loops, diving loops and barrel rolls. Almost all Euro-Fighter models have a vertical chain-driven lift hill, although LSM launch systems are also available.
Saw – The Ride is a steel roller coaster located at Thorpe Park in Surrey, England. Manufactured by Gerstlauer, the Euro-Fighter model opened to the public 14 March 2009 as the steepest freefall roller coaster in the world, with a drop angle of 100 degrees. It is themed to the Saw film franchise, featuring an enclosed dark section and queue theming which makes numerous references to the film series as well as actual props used in the films and other Saw related media.
Mumbo Jumbo is a roller coaster which opened to the public on 4 July 2009 at Flamingo Land Resort, UK. Mumbo Jumbo is situated in the Lost Kingdom section of the park and has orange supports and black tracks.
Takabisha is a Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter steel roller coaster located at the Fuji-Q Highland theme park in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, Japan. It is famous for having a drop angle of 121° – the former steepest coaster in the world before being replaced by TMNT Shellraiser at American Dream in New Jersey. The Japanese name Takabisha translates to "high-handed" or "domineering" in English. The name is a pun, in that the three kanji in the name literally mean "high fly car".
El Loco is a model of steel roller coaster manufactured by S&S Worldwide. The rides are characterised by a vertical or beyond-vertical drop, tight corners and abnormal banking. As of November 2013, there are six El Locos operating around the world.
Van Helsing's Factory is a steel enclosed roller coaster at the Movie Park Germany amusement park in Bottrop, Germany. The Gerstlauer dark ride opened in June 2011 as a replacement for the defunct Gremlin Invasion ride.
Huracan is a steel roller coaster at Belantis amusement park in Leipzig, Germany. Huracan is one of two Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter model roller coasters in Germany, the other being Fluch von Novgorod.
The Oath of Kärnan is a steel roller coaster at Hansa-Park, located in Sierksdorf, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Manufactured by Gerstlauer, the roller coaster is one of three full-circuit hypercoasters with inversions in Europe. The 1,235-metre (4,052 ft) long roller coaster, which has a rail height of 73 metres (240 ft), a fall height of 67 metres (220 ft) and a speed of up to 127 kilometres per hour (79 mph) is with Silver Star the fourth highest roller coaster in Europe after Shambhala, Hyperion and Red Force.
HangTime is a steel roller coaster at Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, California. The Infinity Coaster was manufactured by Gerstlauer on the former site of Boomerang and Riptide. On opening, it had the steepest drop on a rollercoaster in California, at 96°. HangTime was also marketed by the park as the first Dive Coaster in California. It opened on May 18, 2018.
The TMNT Shellraiser is a steel indoor roller coaster at Nickelodeon Universe amusement park, within the American Dream Meadowlands shopping and entertainment complex, at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States. The roller coaster is a Euro-Fighter model manufactured by Gerstlauer, and themed to the 2012 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles television series. It is the steepest roller coaster in the world with a vertical drop of 121.5 degrees. The TMNT Shellraiser has the same layout as Takabisha at Fuji-Q Highland in Japan, a previous record holder for world's steepest roller coaster.
Wakala is a steel family roller coaster located at Bellewaerde near Ypres, Belgium. The coaster pays heavy homage to the Kwakwakaʼwakw natives of the Canadian Pacific Northwest. It is manufactured by Gerstlauer and is targeted at families, with two lift hills, a meandering layout, and a vertical spike rollback element.
Pégase Express is a steel family launched roller coaster at Parc Astérix in Plailly, France. The coaster opened to the public on June 11, 2017. It travels both forwards and backwards throughout the layout.
