For a roller coaster inversion called Boomerang, see Cobra roll

Boomerang is a model of roller coaster

Roller coaster

The roller coaster is a popular amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. LaMarcus Adna Thompson patented the first coasters on January 20, 1885...

 built by Vekoma

Vekoma

Vekoma Rides Manufacturing B.V. is a roller coaster and thrill ride designer with its facilities based in the Netherlands. The company was founded in 1926 by Hendrik op het Veld under the name "Veld Koning Machinefabriek" and had first manufactured agricultural machinery and mining equipment...

, and named after the hunting implement

Boomerang

A boomerang is a flying tool with a curved shape used as a weapon or for sport.-Description:A boomerang is usually thought of as a wooden device, although historically boomerang-like devices have also been made from bones. Modern boomerangs used for sport are often made from carbon fibre-reinforced...

 based on the traditions of the Indigenous Australians

Indigenous Australians

Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....

. The first Boomerang began operation in 1984 at Rafaela Padilla in Puebla, México (which has since been moved to Six Flags México

Six Flags México

Six Flags México is an amusement park owned by Six Flags Inc. and the only Six Flags park operating in Latin America. It is located in the Tlalpan forest and borough, on the southern edge of Mexico City, Mexico. Six Flags México has become one of the most important theme parks in Mexico and the...

), and it has become one of the most repeated roller coaster designs in the world, with 41 Boomerangs operating , another two "Standing But Not Operating" or in storage, and one currently under construction. An additional 9 amusement park

Amusement park

thumb|Cinderella Castle in [[Magic Kingdom]], [[Disney World]]Amusement and theme parks are terms for a group of entertainment attractions and rides and other events in a location for the enjoyment of large numbers of people...

s have operated this design, but the roller coaster has since been demolished or dismantled and sold to another park.

Design and Ride Experience

The Boomerang consists of a single train with seven cars, capable of carrying 28 passengers. The ride begins when the train is pulled backwards from the station and up the first lift hill by a catchcar. After being released, the train passes through the station, enters a Cobra roll element (referred to as a boomerang by the designers), and then travels through a vertical loop

Loop (roller coaster)

The generic roller coaster vertical loop is the most basic of roller coaster inversions. Specifically, the loop refers to a continuously upward-sloping section of track that eventually results in a complete 360 degree circle. At the top-most piece of the loop, riders are completely inverted.-...

. After being pulled up a second lift hill, the train is released to head backwards through each inversion once more, making the total amount of inversions per ride six. The train slows down as is passes through the station backwards, and then comes to a complete stop in the station. This coaster model is popular among Six Flags

Six Flags

Six Flags Entertainment Corp. is the world's largest amusement park corporation based on quantity of properties and the fifth most popular in terms of attendance. The company maintains 14 properties located throughout North America, including theme parks, thrill parks, water parks and family...

 and PARC Management

PARC Management

PARC Management, LLC is an operations company based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. which operates various parks, attractions, recreation and entertainment venues throughout North America.-History:...

 amusement parks in the United States, but it has appeared at amusement parks around the world.

Boomerang coasters have occasionally stalled

Stall (roller coaster)

A roller coaster is said to have stalled, a roll back, saddle, or valleyed if it is unable to complete the course because of energy loss. This can be caused by friction between the track and wheels, or in the wheel bearings. Weather can also cause a coaster to valley...

, often in the Cobra Roll element. As a precaution, many Boomerang coasters, are built with an access platform just under the Cobra Roll/Boomerang element.

Variant designs

There are three main design variants based on the Boomerang layout, all of which are produced by Vekoma.

Invertigo

The first variant of the Boomerang is the Invertigo. While retaining the same layout as the Boomerang, the Invertigo has inverted track, turning it into an inverted roller coaster

Inverted roller coaster

An inverted roller coaster is a roller coaster in which the train runs under the track with the seats directly attached to the wheel carriage. This latter attribute is what sets it apart from the older suspended coaster, which runs under the track, but "swings" via a pivoting bar attached to the...

. Each car has two rows of seats that are back-to-back, so the riders in the back row of each car would be facing those in the front of the trailing car. The first Invertigo, HangOver at Liseberg, was supposed to open in 1996 with a new LIM or LSM lift. However, development problems delayed the ride's opening to 1997, and the design was remade to include a traditional chain lift like the original Boomerang.

Giant Inverted Boomerang

The second design is known as both the Giant Inverted Boomerang and the Super Invertigo. While maintaining a similar layout to the Boomerang, the track is again inverted, and the size of the ride is increased. The track is 270 feet (82.3 m) longer, the two lift hills are almost 80 feet (24.4 m) taller, and both hills are vertical. The track also crosses over, with the station underneath the vertical loop. The train has 8 cars, with the four seats of each car arranged in a chevron. As of 2011, four Giant Inverted Boomerangs operate, and one is currently under construction. The ones that operate currently are Déjà Vu at Six Flags Magic Mountain

Six Flags Magic Mountain

Six Flags Magic Mountain is a theme park located in Valencia, California north of Los Angeles. It opened on Memorial Day weekend on May 30, 1971 as Magic Mountain, by the Newhall Land and Farming Company. In 1979, Six Flags purchased the park and added the name Six Flags to the park's title. In...

 (Now closed to be moved to Six Flags New England

Six Flags New England

Six Flags New England , formerly Riverside Amusement Park, is a Six Flags theme park, named for the New England region, in which it is located. Located off of Massachusetts State Route 159, Six Flags New England is located less than from the major City of Springfield, Massachusetts, in the nearby...

 where it will operate as Goliath), Aftershock at Silverwood Theme Park (Previously located at Six Flags Great America

Six Flags Great America

Six Flags Great America is a Six Flags theme park in the Chicago metropolitan area, located in Gurnee, Illinois. It first opened in 1976 as Marriott's Great America. Six Flags purchased the park from the Marriott Corporation in 1984, making it the seventh park in the chain...

 as Déjà Vu), Stunt Fall at Parque Warner Madrid

Parque Warner Madrid

Parque Warner Madrid is a theme park located 25 km southeast of Madrid, Spain, in the municipality of San Martín de la Vega...

, and Sky Mountain at Mirabilandia (Previously located at Six Flags Over Georgia

Six Flags Over Georgia

Six Flags Over Georgia is a theme park located west of Atlanta, in unincorporated Cobb County. Opened in 1967, it is the second park in the Six Flags chain, after the original opening in 1961 in Texas....

 as Déjà Vu). In late 2010, the first Vekoma Giant Inverted Boomerang to have been built brand new in about ten years was announced. It will reside at Jinjiang Action Park. Its name is currently Mountain Peak.

Junior Boomerang

In late 2010, Vekoma announced that they would be manufacturing a Junior Boomerang. The prototype opened in Drayton Manor Theme Park

Drayton Manor Theme Park

Drayton Manor Theme Park is a theme park, resort & zoo in the grounds of the former Drayton Manor, near Tamworth in Staffordshire, England.Drayton Manor is best known because it is a theme park and zoo which attracts around 1.4 million people a year. The attraction has a wide selection of rides set...

 as Ben 10 - Ultimate Mission

Ben 10 - Ultimate Mission

Ben 10 - Ultimate Mission is a steel junior boomerang roller coaster at Drayton Manor Theme Park. The park officially announced the ride in December 2010. The ride will be a prototype steel Vekoma Junior Boomerang roller coaster. The ride features one lift hill driven by wheels that releases the...

 in April 2011. Unlike the other Boomerang roller coasters a Junior Boomerang does not feature any inversions but it still has a similar shuttle

Shuttle roller coaster

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...

 design. The ride has two end spikes and generally a figure-8 design in the layout.

External links

• Listing of Boomerang roller coasters at RCDB
• Listing of Invertigo roller coasters at RCDB
• Listing of Giant Inverted Boomerang roller coasters at RCDB
• Detailed Technical Article about Boomerang Roller Coasters