Bird? Plane? It's Superman Coaster at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
A first-of-its-kind vertical roller coaster debuting at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom will take riders through a pair of twists, a towering heart-line roll and a non-inverting loop.
Dubbed Superman Ultimate Flight, the custom Premier Rides launch coaster at the Northern California park combines a unique blend of elements.
Superman Ultimate Flight starts with an electromagnetic launch that pushes the coaster through a neon-lined tunnel and partially up a vertical spike before the train barrels backward through the tunnel again and up another vertical spike.
After racing through the tunnel a third time at speeds reaching 62 mph, the train navigates a 180-degree twist as it again climbs the first vertical spike to the ride's highest point.
At the top, trim brakes slow the train before it heads into a heart-line roll at 150 feet in the air. The slow-moving barrel roll offers plenty of hang time with only a lap bar restraint holding riders in place.
Final days of construction on Superman Ultimate Flight
Another trim brake just before the first drop dangles riders over the edge of the second spike before the train dives down another 180-degree vertical twist that leads into a non-inverting loop. The non-inverting loop twists twice at the top keeping the car upright at all times.
Upon exiting the loop, the train zips once again through the tunnel and up the initial spike before rolling back into the station.
The vertical layout of the 863-foot-long track allows Superman Ultimate Flight to sit on an extremely compact footprint.
Among its many innovative elements, the one-of-a-kind coaster will also hold the title for tallest inversion west of Mississippi for its 150-foot-tall heart-line roll.
A flag waves atop the 150' tall heart-line roll; the Premier Ride was
designed and built in the USA
Superman Ultimate Flight joins a number of Six Flags coasters referencing the DC Comics superhero, including Superman: Escape from Krypton (Six Flags Magic Mountain), Superman: Ride of Steel (Six Flags New England and Six Flags America), Bizarro (Six Flags Great Adventure and Six Flags New England) and Superman el Ultimo Escape (Six Flags Mexico).
The Superman Ultimate Flight ride at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom will replace Pandemonium, a spinning coaster that debuted in 2008 as Tony Hawk's Big Spin.
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