Superman: Krypton Coaster

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Superman: Krypton Coaster
Superman SFFT.jpg
Six Flags Fiesta Texas
Location Six Flags Fiesta Texas
Park section DC Universe
Coordinates 29°35′43″N98°36′36″W / 29.595150°N 98.609991°W / 29.595150; -98.609991
StatusOperating
Opening dateMarch 11, 2000 (2000-03-11)
Cost$20 million
General statistics
Type Steel  Floorless Coaster
Manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard
Designer Werner Stengel
Model Floorless Coaster - Custom
Track layout Terrain
Lift/launch system Chain lift hill
Height183 ft (56 m)
Drop168 ft (51 m)
Length4,025 ft (1,227 m)
Speed70 mph (110 km/h)
Inversions 6
Duration2:35
Max vertical angle58[ citation needed ]°
Capacity1600 riders per hour
G-force 3.8[ citation needed ]
Height restriction54 in (137 cm)
Trains3 trains with 8 cars. Riders are arranged 4 across in a single row for a total of 32 riders per train.
Fastpass availability icon.svg Flash Pass available
Superman: Krypton Coaster at RCDB

Superman: Krypton Coaster is a steel roller coaster located at Six Flags Fiesta Texas amusement park in San Antonio. Manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard, the Floorless Coaster model opened to the public in 2000 as one of the first of its kind in the world. The well-received ride held the title for the world's tallest vertical loop (145 feet) from its opening until 2013. Superman: Krypton Coaster stands 168 feet (51 m) tall and reaches a maximum speed of 70 mph (110 km/h).

Contents

History

In 1999, Six Flags Great Adventure spent $42 million on new attractions including a prototype Floorless Coaster by Bolliger & Mabillard, Medusa. [1] The immediate popularity of the ride, [2] led to Six Flags Fiesta Texas to announce plans to install a Floorless Coaster in 2000; [3] Superman: Krypton Coaster was announced on November 1, 1999. [4] The announcement of the $20 million roller coaster was a part of a wider multimillion-dollar expansion of Six Flags Fiesta Texas. [5]

At the time of the ride's announcement, construction had already begun on unused land bordered by quarry walls and an irrigation pond. [5] [6] The initial plans for the ride specified it would have seven inversions including a 114-foot-tall (35 m) vertical loop and a 96-foot-tall (29 m) dive loop. [6] Following the ride's announcement, the design was altered to remove the dive loop and increase the size of the vertical loop to 145 feet (44 m). [7] [8] This saw Superman: Krypton Coaster obtain the record for the world's tallest vertical loop when it officially opened to the public on March 11, 2000. [7] It held the title for 13 years until the addition of Full Throttle at Six Flags Magic Mountain in 2013. [8]

On March 6, 2010, Six Flags Fiesta Texas offered exclusive ride time on Superman: Krypton Coaster to help celebrate the ride's 10th anniversary. [9] On June 22, 2013, Superman: Krypton Coaster lost the title of having the world's tallest vertical loop when Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California opened Full Throttle, which features a 160-foot-tall (49 m) vertical loop, 15 feet (4.6 m) taller than the loop on Superman: Krypton Coaster. [8] [10] [11] [12]

On March 3, 2016, Six Flags announced that the roller coaster would be one of several rides at various Six Flags parks to feature a VR system. Riders have the option of wearing a Samsung Gear VR headset, powered by Oculus to create a 360-degree, 3D experience while riding. It is themed to Superman saving a city from Lex Luthor's Lex Bots who are causing chaos with an anti-gravity ray. [13]

Characteristics

The ride's vertical loop and mid-course helix Superman Krypton Coaster vertical loop.jpg
The ride's vertical loop and mid-course helix

Statistics

The 4,025-foot-long (1,227 m) Superman: Krypton Coaster stands 183 feet (56 m) tall. [7] With a top speed of 70 miles per hour (110 km/h), the ride ties with Iron Rattler as the fastest roller coaster at Six Flags Fiesta Texas. [7] [14] The ride features six inversions including a 145-foot-tall (44 m) vertical loop, a Spriling Camelback (also known as a zero-g roll), a 78-foot-tall (24 m) cobra roll and two Flatspins, similar to acorkscrew. [7] [8]

Trains

Superman: Krypton Coaster operates with three floorless trains. Each train seats 32 riders in eight rows of four. This gives the ride a theoretical hourly capacity of 1600 riders per hour. [7] The open-air trains feature seats which leave riders' legs dangling above the track. Riders are restrained with over-the-shoulder restraints. [5] As the trains are floorless, the station has a retractable floor for safe boarding. [6]

Ride experience

Superman: Krypton Coaster's initial plunge over the quarry wall FiestaTexas3.jpg
Superman: Krypton Coaster's initial plunge over the quarry wall

After riders have boarded and the station floor is retracted, the train makes a left turn out of the station. This leads directly to the 183-foot-tall (56 m) chain lift hill. Followd by a fairly level 180 degree turn to the right above the quarry wall. This leads into a 168-foot (51 m) drop off the quarry wall directly into the 145-foot-tall (44 m) vertical loop. With the quarry wall on the track's right, the train climbs to the top of the wall and passes through a 360 degree clockwise helix. After dropping from the quarry wall again, the train enters the Sprialing Camelback (zero-g roll), where riders experience a feeling of weightlessness, then through a 78-foot-tall (24 m) cobra roll. Exiting the cobra roll, the train makes a left hand ascent, then veers right as it approaches the quarry wall and enters block brakes. the train dives to the right and enters a set of interlocking Flatspins (corkscrews). After passing through the second Flatspins, the train makes a right hand turn, and rises into the final brake run before returning to the station. [7] [15] [16]

Reception

Prior to launch, General Manager of Six Flags Fiesta Texas John Odum stated Superman: Krypton Coaster was "the big-league ride we have really needed". He stated the design of the ride, which interacts with the quarry wall, would make a thrilling ride: "being that close to the wall there is a good sense of speed". [5] In May 2000, two months after Superman: Krypton Coaster opened, it was reported that the park was "off to a flying start" for the season. [17] Six Flags Fiesta Texas officials stated the ride proved popular in its first year of operation. [18]

In Amusement Today's annual Golden Ticket Awards, Superman: Krypton Coaster was ranked in the top 50 steel roller coasters numerous times since its opening. It peaked at position 24 in 2002, [19] before it dropped to 50 in 2008 [20] and rose again to 38 in 2011. Since then, it has not ranked on the Golden Ticket Awards' list of top 50 steel coasters. [21]

Golden Ticket Awards: Top steel Roller Coasters
Year20002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019
Ranking [22] 36 [23] 24 [19] 25 [24] 27 [25] 33 [26] 33 [27] 36 [28] 50 [20] 44 [29] [30] 38 [21] [31] [32] [33] [34] [35] [36] [37] [38]

Related Research Articles

A steel roller coaster is a type of roller coaster classified by its steel track, which consists of long steel tubes that are run in pairs, supported by larger steel columns or beams. Trains running along the track typically rely on wheels made of polyurethane or nylon to keep each train car anchored to the track. The introduction of tubular steel drastically changed roller coaster innovation, allowing for greater speeds, higher drops, and more intense elements such as inversions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Superman – Ride of Steel</span> Steel roller coaster

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Six Flags Fiesta Texas</span> Amusement park in San Antonio, Texas

Six Flags Fiesta Texas, formerly known simply as Fiesta Texas, is an amusement park in San Antonio, Texas, United States. It opened on March 14, 1992, in the La Cantera master-planned development and district as the first business in that development. Spanning 200 acres (81 ha), the park was originally built to become a destination musical show park with its focus on the musical culture of the state of Texas. The park was purchased by Time Warner in 1995, and branded as a Six Flags park for the 1996 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Floorless Coaster</span> Type of roller coaster

A Floorless Coaster, commonly known as a Floorless Roller Coaster, is a type of steel roller coaster manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard where riders sit with no floor underneath them, allowing their feet to swing freely just above the track. Development of the Floorless Coaster model began between 1995 and 1996 with Medusa at Six Flags Great Adventure opening on April 2, 1999, making it the world's first Floorless Roller Coaster. Floorless Roller Coasters also tend to have 3 to 7 inversions incorporated in the layout of the coaster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Riddler's Revenge</span> Roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kumba (roller coaster)</span> Ride at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montu (roller coaster)</span> Ride at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Medusa (Six Flags Great Adventure)</span> Steel floorless roller coaster

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Superman: Ultimate Flight</span> Roller coasters at three Six Flags parks

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kraken (roller coaster)</span> Ride at SeaWorld Orlando

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

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Viper (Six Flags Magic Mountain)</span> Steel roller coaster

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iron Rattler</span> Steel roller coaster in San Antonio

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Griffon (roller coaster)</span> Steel roller coaster in Virginia

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goliath (Six Flags Fiesta Texas)</span> Steel inverted roller coaster

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mr. Freeze (roller coaster)</span> Roller coasters at two Six Flags parks

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Full Throttle (roller coaster)</span> Roller coaster at Magic Mountain

Full Throttle is a launched roller coaster located in Six Flags Plaza at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California. Designed and manufactured by Premier Rides, the ride opened to the public on June 22, 2013. It featured the world's tallest vertical loop of 160 feet (49 m) when it opened, a record that was surpassed in 2016 by Flash at Lewa Adventure in Xianyang, China. Its top hat element is also unique in the way it is situated on top of a vertical loop. It is the only roller coaster to have track on the bottom and top of a vertical loop.

References

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Preceded by World's Tallest Vertical Loop
March 2000 – June 2013
Succeeded by