On July 24, 2014, Holiday World unveiled that a new steel roller coaster would be added to the park's ride lineup for the 2015 season.[1] The Wing Coaster model, to be called Thunderbird, would become the park's first major steel coaster, as well as the first launched coaster with a wing design in the United States.[1] It was described as having four inversions including a 140-foot-tall (43m) Immelmann loop, 125-foot-tall (38m) vertical loop, a zero-g roll, and an in-line twist.[2] Another notable aspect mentioned during the unveiling was the pre-show that happens prior to launch, which consists of fog, lighting, and sound effects to simulate a thunderstorm.[2]
The track and supports began arriving at the park the following week.[3] By October, the first two inversions were topped off.[4] The new trains were on display during the 2014 IAAPA Expo.[5] The track layout construction was completed by early December 2014.[6]
Thunderbird officially opened to the public on April 25, 2015. It has been marketed by the park as having the tallest vertical loop of any wing coaster in the world, and the first launched wing coaster in the United States.[7]Prairie Farms Dairy released an ice cream flavor called "Thunderbird" to advertise the new ride, consisting of vanilla ice cream with caramel and roasted pecans.[8]
Ride experience
After loading in the station, the train moves forward and stops. Mist blows in front of the train and thunder sounds as the train launches from 0 to 60 miles per hour (97km/h) in 3.5 seconds by linear synchronous motors. The train immediately goes into a 140 feet (43m)Immelmann loop. After the first element, the train then goes down its first drop into a 125 feet (38m) vertical loop.[9] After the vertical loop, the train crosses over the valley between The Voyage's second and third hills, goes through an overbanked turn, and then an overbanked elevated spiral in the mirrored direction. The train then goes through a zero-g-roll parallel to The Voyage. After several curves next to The Voyage's triple-down drop and spaghetti bowl, the train dips down into a barn (which is the keyhole) where it then curves left back into the barn by doing an inline twist, crossing over The Voyage's underground tunnels. Once the inline twist ends the train enters the brake run. From the brake run, the track makes a right turn to another set of brakes before entering the station. One cycle of the ride lasts about 1 minute and 18 seconds.
Characteristics
Location
Thunderbird's first two inversions.
Thunderbird is located in the Thanksgiving theme section of the park along with The Voyage and it runs parallel and crosses over The Voyage twice: after the vertical loop and during the inline twist.[9]
PGAV Destinations is the theming designer for Thunderbird. The designers took the Thunderbird name and coaster design and created a visual theme of the legendary bird’s powerful flight through farms and forests of southern Indiana.[10]
Thunderbird operates with two open-air steel and fiberglass trains, each with five cars of four seats each, with two on each side of the track. Each train holds 20 riders and the ride has a capacity of about 1,140 riders per hour. Because the seats are on the side of the track, a cantilevered steel arm is used to support the wings.[14]
Track
Thunderbird's steel track is 3,035 feet (925m) long and the tallest part of the ride is the first inversion, an Immelmann loop at 140 feet (43m).
Launch system
Every launch requires 2.5 megawatts of power, with the energy being stored in electric generators with two massive 24,000-pound flywheel assemblies.[15] The launch system mechanics are located in a separate building known as Will Power. The name came from the park's former president Will Koch, who died in 2010.[16]
↑ Weatherwax, Dave; Streetman, Jonathan (April 25, 2015). "Thunderbird: Out To Launch". Dubois County Herald. Archived from the original on August 11, 2024. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
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