Vekoma Rides Manufacturing is a Dutch amusement ride manufacturer. Vekoma is a syllabic abbreviation of Veld Koning Machinefabriek which was established in 1926 by Hendrik op het Veld.
A roller coaster inversion is a roller coaster element in which the track turns riders upside-down and then returns them to an upright position. Early forms of inversions were circular in nature and date back to 1848 on the Centrifugal railway in Paris. These vertical loops produced massive g-force that was often dangerous to riders. As a result,the element eventually became non-existent with the last rides to feature the looping inversions being dismantled during the Great Depression. In 1975,designers from Arrow Development created the corkscrew,reviving interest in the inversion during the modern age of steel roller coasters. Elements have since evolved from simple corkscrews and vertical loops to more complex inversions such as Immelmann loops and cobra rolls. The Smiler at Alton Towers holds the world record for the number of inversions on a roller coaster with 14.
Anton Schwarzkopf was a German engineer who founded Schwarzkopf Industries GmbH,a German manufacturer of roller coasters and other amusement rides that were sold to amusement parks and travelling funfairs around the world.
A shuttle roller coaster is any roller coaster that ultimately does not make a complete circuit,but rather reverses at some point throughout its course and traverses the same track backwards. These are sometimes referred to as boomerang roller coasters,due to the ubiquity of Vekoma's Boomerang coaster model.
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.
Werner Stengel is a German roller coaster designer and engineer. Stengel is the founder of Stengel Engineering,also known as Ingenieurbüro Stengel GmbH.
Viper was a steel roller coaster located at Six Flags AstroWorld in Houston,Texas. Manufactured by Anton Schwarzkopf,the Looping Star model opened in 1989. It consisted of a single loop and was demolished with the closing of Six Flags AstroWorld on October 30,2005. It had previously operated at Six Flags St. Louis,where it was known as Jet Scream from 1981 to 1988.
Joyland Amusement Park was a small family-owned traditional amusement park,located in Lubbock,Texas,United States within Lubbock's Mackenzie Park. It typically operated from March to September of each year,opening 6 days a week but only during the evening on weeknights.
The Riddler Mindbender,previously named Mind Bender,is a steel roller coaster located at Six Flags Over Georgia near Atlanta,Georgia. Billed as "the world's first triple-loop roller coaster" when it opened on March 31,1978,Mindbender has maintained its popularity since its opening. In its 30th anniversary season in 2008,Mindbender was ranked #15 by Amusement Today magazine in its annual Golden Ticket Awards,and was one of only two roller coasters built before 1980 on the list;the other was its "fraternal twin," Shockwave,at Six Flags Over Texas.
Scorpion is a steel roller coaster at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay in Tampa,Florida. Built by Anton Schwarzkopf and designed by Werner Stengel,it opened on May 16,1980,as the second roller coaster at the park. The roller coaster was added as part of the newly constructed Timbuktu section during the second-phased opening,being surrounded by the Congo and Nairobi sections. The roller coaster reaches a maximum height of 60.7 feet (18.5 m),with a maximum speed of 41 miles per hour (66 km/h),and a total length of 1,817.6 feet (554.0 m).
Colossus the Fire Dragon,also known as Colossus,or simply Fire Dragon,is a Schwarzkopf double-looping roller coaster that opened at Lagoon Amusement Park in Farmington,Utah in 1983.
Wildfire is a steel roller coaster located at Silver Dollar City in Branson,Missouri. Manufactured by Bolliger &Mabillard,the $14-million ride opened to the public on April 4,2001. It is themed as a flying machine developed by a fictional 1880s Ozark inventor.
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.
Big Blue is a steel looping roller coaster,located at Dalmaland,Croatia,and operating there since 2017. It was formerly located at Loudoun Castle Theme Park in Galston,south-west Scotland,where it was known as Twist n'Shout;operating from 2003 to 2010.
Shuttle Loop is a type of steel launched shuttle roller coaster designed by Reinhold Spieldiener of Intamin and manufactured by Anton Schwarzkopf. A total of 12 installations were produced between 1977 and 1982. These 12 installations have been located in a total of 22 different amusement parks.
Excalibur was a mine train roller coaster at Six Flags AstroWorld in Houston,Texas. Built by Arrow Dynamics,the ride opened in 1972 as Dexter Frebish's Electric Roller Ride, until the name was changed in 1980. At the time of its closure,it was the 2nd oldest roller coaster at the park after Serpent.
Wildcat is a roller coaster manufactured by Anton Schwarzkopf,currently operating at Jolly Roger Amusement Park in Ocean City,Maryland. The ride has also operated at other parks such as Cedar Point and Valleyfair.
Zimerman is a steel looping roller coaster currently operating at Gloria's Fantasyland in Dapitan City,Philippines. The ride,manufactured by Arrow Dynamics,first opened as Revolution at Libertyland in Memphis,Tennessee in 1979. After the 2005 season,the ride was relocated to DelGrosso's Amusement Park,where it sat unused until 2013 until it was moved to Gloria's Fantasyland where it was built for the 2014 season. The ride was officially announced on December 30,2011 as Corkscrew Coaster along with Sling Shot,a drop tower originally located at Gillian's Wonderland Pier that was later renamed to Sky Drop.
The Big Dipper is a wooden roller coaster located at Camden Park in Huntington,West Virginia,United States. Manufactured by National Amusement Devices,the ride opened in 1958 and is both the largest and oldest roller coaster in West Virginia.
