This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations .(August 2010) |
Speed of Sound | |
---|---|
Previously known as La Via Volta (2000-2010) | |
Walibi Holland | |
Location | Walibi Holland |
Park section | Play Ground |
Coordinates | 52°26′26″N5°46′05″E / 52.440630°N 5.768123°E |
Status | Operating |
Opening date | April 22, 2000 |
General statistics | |
Type | Steel – Shuttle – Boomerang |
Manufacturer | Vekoma |
Designer | Vekoma |
Model | Boomerang |
Lift/launch system | Chain Lift Hill |
Height | 116.5 ft (35.5 m) |
Length | 935 ft (285 m) |
Speed | 47 mph (76 km/h) |
Inversions | 3 inversions. Each completed both forwards and backwards. |
Duration | 1:48 |
Max vertical angle | 56° |
Capacity | 760 riders per hour |
G-force | 5.2 |
Height restriction | 48 in (122 cm) |
Trains | Single train with 7 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 28 riders per train. |
Fast Lane available | |
Single rider line available | |
Speed of Sound at RCDB |
Speed of Sound is a steel Boomerang roller coaster in Walibi Holland. It was manufactured by Vekoma and opened on April 22, 2000 as La Via Volta. [1] It was open until 2007 when the park announced it would be shut down. That year, the train was sold to Pleasurewood Hills in England and now operates on Wipeout and the track remained in place at Walibi World. On 30 January, Walibi Holland announced that the La Via Volta will reopen in 2011, with a new style train from Vekoma under the name of Speed of Sound. P&P Projects was responsible for the design and build of this new attraction. [2] Walibi Holland announced that it held a competition to win tickets for the opening of the roller coaster on April 6, 2011 [3]
Once riders have boarded and the train cleared for dispatch, it is dragged backwards out of the station by a catch car to the top of a hill in an enclosed tube, before being released and passing back through the station and through the three inversion elements. At the other end, it is raised up a lift hill before being released to travel backwards along the same track. Block brakes in the station reduce its speed, with the train passing through and rising slightly up the first hill, before rolling back to the station where it is brought to a full stop before being driven to the dispatch position and unloaded.
A synchronized on-board music track plays through speakers in the cars.
A flying roller coaster is a type of roller coaster meant to simulate the sensations of flight by harnessing riders in a prone position during the duration of the ride. The roller coaster cars are suspended below the track, with riders secured such that their backs are parallel to the track.
A lift hill, or chain hill, is an upward-sloping section of track on a roller coaster on which the roller coaster train is mechanically lifted to an elevated point or peak in the track. Upon reaching the peak, the train is then propelled from the peak by gravity and is usually allowed to coast throughout the rest of the roller coaster ride's circuit on its own momentum, including most or all of the remaining uphill sections. The initial upward-sloping section of a roller coaster track is usually a lift hill, as the train typically begins a ride with little speed, though some coasters have raised stations that permit an initial drop without a lift hill. Although uncommon, some tracks also contain multiple lift hills.
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.
Boomerang is a model of roller coaster manufactured and designed by Vekoma, a Dutch manufacturer. The roller coaster model name is from the hunting implement based on the traditions of the Indigenous Australians. As of January 2023 there are 55 Boomerangs operating.
The Suspended Looping Coaster is a model of steel inverted roller coaster built by Dutch manufacturer 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.
Nighthawk is a steel flying roller coaster located at Carowinds. Constructed by Vekoma, it is located in the Thunder Road section of the park. The roller coaster originally opened as Stealth at California's Great America on April 1, 2000. In 2003, Paramount Parks decided to relocate the roller coaster to Carowinds. It reopened as Borg Assimilator – the first coaster in the world to be themed to Star Trek – on March 20, 2004. After Cedar Fair purchased Carowinds in 2006, Paramount themes were soon removed from the park, and the ride was renamed Nighthawk. It is one of only two Flying Dutchman models still in existence from Vekoma, the other being Batwing at Six Flags America.
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.
Firehawk was a flying roller coaster located at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio. Manufactured by Vekoma, it originally opened as X-Flight at Six Flags Worlds of Adventure on May 26, 2001, billed as the Midwest's first and only flying roller coaster. Cedar Fair purchased Worlds of Adventure in 2004 and began efforts to downsize the park. X-Flight was relocated to Kings Island following the 2006 season, where it reopened as Firehawk on May 26, 2007.
Xpress: Platform 13 is a steel roller coaster at Walibi Holland in Biddinghuizen, Netherlands which was launched as Superman The Ride in April 2000. The name was changed to Xpress in the season of 2005, and Xpress: Platform 13 in 2014. It was the first LSM-coaster in Europe.
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.
Goliath is a steel roller coaster located at the Walibi Holland theme park in Biddinghuizen, Dronten in the Netherlands. It was described as "the fastest, highest and longest coaster in the Benelux", since 2021 both these records belong to Kondaa in Walibi Belgium. It was mainland Europe's second Intamin "Mini Hyper Rollercoaster", so named as the ride is styled on the larger ride, but with a lower maximum height of 47 metres (154 ft). The train travels at speeds of up to 107 kilometres per hour (66 mph) along 1,214 metres (3,983 ft) of track.
Project 305 is a steel roller coaster located at Kings Dominion in Doswell, Virginia, United States. Manufactured by Intamin, the ride opened to the public as Intimidator 305 on April 2, 2010. Themed to racing, the coaster was originally named after the late NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt, who was commonly known as "The Intimidator". It is located in the Jungle X-Pedition section of the park near Anaconda on the former site of the Safari Monorail ride. Standing at 305 feet (93 m) tall and reaching speeds up to 90 mph (145 km/h), it is the second giga coaster to be built in North America, following Millennium Force at Cedar Point. The $25-million investment was the most expensive of any ride in park history and the 14th coaster to debut at the park.
Kumbak is a Dutch amusement ride manufacturing company. In addition to manufacturing its own rides, the company primarily specialises in changing existing rides and attractions, originally made by other manufacturers.
Wildfire is a wooden roller coaster at Kolmården Wildlife Park located in Kolmården, Sweden. Manufactured by Rocky Mountain Construction, the roller coaster is both the fastest wooden coaster in Europe, and second tallest wooden coaster in the world. Throughout the 2-minute ride, trains travel through three inversions and twelve airtime hills, whilst reaching speeds of up to 115 kilometres per hour (71 mph).
Hyperion is a steel roller coaster located at Energylandia in Zator, Poland. The ride was manufactured by Swiss manufacturer Intamin and opened on 14 July 2018. It is themed to a fictional mission to Saturn's moon Hyperion and reaches a height of 77 metres (253 ft), has a maximum speed of 142 kilometres per hour (88 mph), and features several hills and banked turns. As of 2021, Hyperion is the tallest, fastest, and longest roller coaster in Poland as well as the tallest roller coaster with an inversion.
Formuła is a steel launched roller coaster at Energylandia in Zator, Poland. It was the first Space Warp Launch Coaster built by Dutch manufacturer Vekoma and opened on 25 June 2016. It has a height of 24.7 metres (81 ft), reaches a maximum speed of 79.2 kilometres per hour (49.2 mph), has a track length of 560 metres (1,840 ft), and features three inversions.
Mystic is a steel roller coaster located at Walibi Rhône-Alpes in Les Avenières, France. The coaster marked the park's 40th anniversary as well as a headlining part of a decade-long, €25 million investment plan. The coaster was manufactured by Gerstlauer and traverses a total 1,886.5 feet (575.0 m) of track both forwards and backwards, at a top speed of 52.8 mph (85.0 km/h).
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.
Fønix is a steel roller coaster at Fårup Sommerland in Blokhus, North Jutland, Denmark. The coaster was announced on June 23, 2021, and opened to become Denmark's tallest and fastest. Fønix represents a DKK 100 million investment, the largest in the park's 46-year history with the second largest only being DKK 44 million on Orkanen in 2013. Fønix was designed and manufactured by Vekoma, and features 3 inversions - including the world's first "stall loop" element - as well as 14 airtime moments.