Flying Super Saturator

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Flying Super Saturator
Flying Super Saturator.jpg
Carowinds
Location Carowinds
Park section Boomerang Bay
Coordinates 35°06′10″N80°56′35″W / 35.102710°N 80.943053°W / 35.102710; -80.943053 Coordinates: 35°06′10″N80°56′35″W / 35.102710°N 80.943053°W / 35.102710; -80.943053
StatusRemoved
Opening dateApril 1, 2000 (2000-04-01)
Closing dateAugust 2008 (August 2008)
Cost$4,000,000
Replaced by The Flying Cobras
General statistics
Type Steel  Suspended  Family
Manufacturer Setpoint USA
Lift/launch systemChain lift hill
Height42.4 ft (12.9 m)
Length1,087 ft (331 m)
Speed30 mph (48 km/h)
Capacity600 riders per hour
Height restriction44 in (112 cm)
Flying Super Saturator at RCDB

Flying Super Saturator was a water ride and suspended roller coaster at Carowinds amusement park, located in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was the first roller coaster of its kind, allowing riders to dump 4-gallon payloads of water on those Carowinds patrons who venture underneath the coaster's track. The ride also features numerous means for the riders to get wet as well, including water curtains, geysers and numerous ground-mounted water cannons that can be aimed by park guests at passing riders on the coaster. [1] [2] [3] [4]

Contents

Located in Boomerang Bay, a water park section, the ride was manufactured by Setpoint USA and fabricated by Intermountain Lift, Inc. [5] It was only open during the warmer months of May through September. The roller coaster was removed in 2008 to make room for The Flying Cobras, a relocated Vekoma Boomerang from Geauga Lake.

Awards and reception

Setpoint USA, the company that designed and built Flying Super Saturator, was awarded the World Waterpark Association's industry innovation award for their design and creation of the coaster. [6] Two years after the creation of Flying Super Saturator, Setpoint built a similar water-themed roller coaster called Roller Soaker at Hersheypark in Hershey, Pennsylvania. [7] The two roller coasters were the only suspended water-coasters in the United States;[ citation needed ] although Roller Soaker was the only one still operating when it closed in 2012. [8]

Flying Super Saturator reached speeds of 30 mph. After the addition of Afterburn in 1999, the addition of Flying Super Saturator began a several-year-long trend of family-friendly rides that were being built at Carowinds. [9] This trend ended in 2004 with the addition of Nighthawk, and signaled a return to more dramatic thrill rides at the park.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vortex (Carowinds)</span> Steel roller coaster at Carowinds

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Afterburn (roller coaster) Inverted roller coaster at Carowinds

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Flying Cobras</span> Roller coaster at Carowinds

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fury 325</span> Steel roller coaster at Carowinds

Fury 325 is a steel roller coaster located at Carowinds amusement park in Charlotte, North Carolina. Manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard, Fury 325 opened to the public on March 28, 2015. It features a 6,602-foot-long (2,012 m) track that reaches a maximum height of 325 feet (99 m), making it the fifth-tallest roller coaster in the world and the tallest overall among roller coasters that use a traditional chain lift hill. Riders experience speeds of up to 95 mph (153 km/h), winding through high-speed curves and passing over and under the park's main entrance. Beginning in 2016, Fury 325 has consistently ranked as the world's best steel coaster in the annual Golden Ticket Awards published by Amusement Today.

References

  1. "Nickelodeon™ Flying Super Saturator". Carowinds. Archived from the original on September 3, 2008. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
  2. Hudson, Jane Welborn (June 6, 2005). "A pocket guide to summer". The Daily Reflector.
  3. Pressley, Leigh (2007). Insiders' Guide to Charlotte. Guilford, CT: Globe Pequot. pp. 324 pages. ISBN   978-0-7627-4179-3.
  4. Urbanowicz, Steven J. (2002). The Roller Coaster Lover's Companion: A Thrill Seeker's Guide to the World's Best Coasters . New York: Citadel Press. ISBN   0-8065-2309-3.
  5. "Amusement". Intermountain Lift, Inc. July 30, 2011. Archived from the original on November 8, 2014. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
  6. "Setpoint receives Industry Innovation Award for Flying Super Saturator". PRNewswire. October 23, 2000.
  7. Kolus, Howard (May 12, 2002). "Soaking Up The Fun". Lebanon Daily News . pp. 1B, 4B . Retrieved August 26, 2022 via Newspapers.com.
  8. Gleiter, Sue (December 20, 2012). "Hersheypark will replace Roller Soaker with sprayground". The Patriot-News . Archived from the original on April 17, 2022. Retrieved August 17, 2022.