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Chang (roller coaster)
Encyclopedia
Green Lantern is a steel Bolliger & Mabillard
stand-up
roller coaster
at Six Flags Great Adventure
. It was originally constructed at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom
in Louisville, Kentucky
in 1997, where it was known as Chang. Upon opening in 1997, it set the world records for this type of coaster in height, drop, speed, length, and number of inversions. It would later be eclipsed by Riddler’s Revenge, which opened at Six Flags Magic Mountain
a year later. The ride was removed in 2009, and debuted at Six Flags Great Adventure in 2011.
, which had opened at Cedar Point
the year before, and would later be eclipsed by Riddler's Revenge, which opened at Six Flags Magic Mountain a year later.
When it opened in 1997, Chang had yellow track and yellow supports. A couple years later, Chang's track was painted lime green and the support columns were painted violet. In early 2006, the track returned to its original yellow, while the supports were painted blue. Six Flags originally announced that the ride would receive a Batman
theme also with T2
. T2 would have been named Batman: The Ride and Chang would have been named Riddler's Revenge, but those plans were later canceled for unknown reasons.
Chang was closed over the weekend of September 19, 2009, and was subsequently removed, as confirmed by local media sources, to expand Splashwater Kingdom. The expansion however, did not come to fruition, as Six Flags
later announced plans to abandon the Kentucky Kingdom property.
. The ride was reportedly going to be moved to Six Flags Great America in 2011, with the park even going through the zoning board to win approval, but those plans were later canceled in favor of a water park expansion. Soon after the announcement of the closure of The Great American Scream Machine
, rumors began to circulate that the ride would be relocated to Six Flags Great Adventure in 2011. Although Six Flags did not confirm any rumors, a "first look" of the park's new ride layout from the Jackson Township zoning board meeting showed up on JTown Magazine's website, and had Chang's layout.
Late on September 15, 2010, the Asbury Park Press
posted an article early, announcing the new ride. The specifications released of the new ride matched those of Chang. It was confirmed that the ride would receive a DC Comics
Green Lantern
theme, to coincide with the Green Lantern movie
due out in 2011. The ride is located in the Boardwalk section of the park. Green Lantern is the third roller coaster to occupy this plot of land, after the Sarajevo Bobsled
- which ran at Great Adventure from 1984 to 1988 prior to being moved to Six Flags Great America
and then The Great Escape & Splashwater Kingdom
- and the Great American Scream Machine, an Arrow Dynamics
looping coaster that had occupied this area from 1989 to 2010. On September 16, 2010, Six Flags officially announced the ride. Based on pictures and videos released, the track and trains of the ride were to be painted green with silver accents, with the supports painted black.In December 2010 footers were poured for the ride, with installation of the track beginning in January 2011. On January 24, 2011 the park posted on its Facebook page a picture of the completed lift hill. On the last day of January 2011, the park added a webcam of the ride construction on Facebook
to allow park fans and roller coaster enthusiasts to watch the progress. By April 1, 2011 all track was in place. All of the track is painted green, with the exception of the vertical loop, which is painted yellow. Originally, the second corkscrew was the track section that was going to be painted yellow, but the decision was made to switch the scheme to the first loop. The loop is painted yellow because green lantern's enemy is parallax who is yellow. Like the previous coaster built on the site, the Great American Scream Machine, the entire infield of the ride is covered with gravel. The coaster also reuses Scream Machine's queue entry plaza building. Green Lantern opened to season pass holders between May 19–21 and it officially opened to the public on May 25, 2011.
Green Lantern is the park's fifth Bolliger & Mabillard
roller coaster, joining Batman: The Ride
, Bizarro, Nitro
, and Superman: Ultimate Flight
. The coaster is also the park's second standup coaster to ever appear at the park, the previous being a smaller scale stand up coaster made by Intamin called Shockwave
operating from 1990 to 1992. Shockwave had also been installed at Six Flags Magic Mountain
and preceded the installation of the Riddler's Revenge at that park as well.
On May 19 the highly anticipated roller coaster opened for a select crowd. Media and families from Children's Miracle Network were there for a sneak preview.
During the month of June 2011 a Parallax cutout with clutching arms that the train passes through was placed at the bottom of the first drop.
Upon leaving the station, the train climbs up the 155 feet (47.2 m) tall lift hill. Along the hill the Green Lantern oath is played on speakers aligning the steps. At the top, the train enters the signature B&M pre-drop before making a slightly banked 180 degree turnaround. After this, the trains drops 144 feet (43.9 m) into a 121.58 feet (37.1 m) tall vertical loop. Coming out of the vertical loop, the track rises up to the right into a 103.83 feet (31.6 m) tall diving loop, hugging the first drop of Superman: Ultimate Flight
. Riders then rise up and into a diving turnaround over the station. Dropping out of the turnaround, the train then enters a right leaning 72 feet (21.9 m) tall inclined loop. The inclined loop elements are unique to the three larger B&M standup coasters: Green Lantern, Mantis, and the Riddler's Revenge. After a small hill the train then rises up to the left into the mid-course brake run
. Dropping out of the brake run, the train enters a right corkscrew, and turns to the right, weaving through the middle of the diving loop. The track then makes a ground hugging left hand turn, entering a low to the ground second right corkscrew. After a right hand turn, the train makes a final 180 degree left hand turn into the final brake run, before advancing back into the station.
The first half of Green Lantern's layout is a mirror image of Mantis
at Cedar Point
, with the exception of being taller and longer. The second half is also similar, but Green Lantern has an additional corkscrew after the mid-course brake run, along with an additional turn around before the final brake run.
Bolliger & Mabillard
Bolliger & Mabillard Consulting Engineers is a roller coaster design consultancy based in Monthey, Switzerland. The company was founded in 1988 by Walter Bolliger and Claude Mabillard, with Bolliger acting as president and Mabillard as vice-president...
stand-up
Stand-up roller coaster
A stand-up roller coaster is a roller coaster designed to have the passengers stand through the course of the ride. These roller coasters are very intense, and generally carry taller height restrictions than other rides.-History:...
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...
at Six Flags Great Adventure
Six Flags Great Adventure
Six Flags Great Adventure is a theme park in Jackson Township, New Jersey, owned by Six Flags Entertainment Corp., the world's largest amusement park corporation...
. It was originally constructed at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom
Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom
Kentucky Kingdom is an amusement park located in Louisville, Kentucky, USA. The park is located on of land which includes a collection of 27 amusement rides and a water park named Splashwater Kingdom...
in Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
in 1997, where it was known as Chang. Upon opening in 1997, it set the world records for this type of coaster in height, drop, speed, length, and number of inversions. It would later be eclipsed by Riddler’s Revenge, which opened 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...
a year later. The ride was removed in 2009, and debuted at Six Flags Great Adventure in 2011.
Chang (1997–2009)
Chang, meaning "long" in Mandarin Chinese, opened at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom on April 4, 1997. Upon opening, it set the world records for this type of coaster in height, drop, speed, length, and number of inversions. All of these records had eclipsed those of MantisMantis (roller coaster)
Mantis is a Bolliger and Mabillard stand-up roller coaster at Cedar Point Amusement Park in Sandusky, Ohio. It had set several stand-up coaster records, including height [], speed [], steepest , and inversions - previously, this had been achieved by Shockwave at Drayton Manor Theme Park, UK...
, which had opened at Cedar Point
Cedar Point
Cedar Point is a 364 acre amusement park located in Sandusky, Ohio, United States on a narrow peninsula jutting into Lake Erie. Cedar Point is the only amusement park with four roller coasters that are taller than...
the year before, and would later be eclipsed by Riddler's Revenge, which opened at Six Flags Magic Mountain a year later.
When it opened in 1997, Chang had yellow track and yellow supports. A couple years later, Chang's track was painted lime green and the support columns were painted violet. In early 2006, the track returned to its original yellow, while the supports were painted blue. Six Flags originally announced that the ride would receive a Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
theme also with T2
T2 (roller coaster)
T² is a steel roller coaster manufactured by Vekoma at Kentucky Kingdom in Louisville, Kentucky. It was the first Vekoma SLC in North America, opening less than a month prior to a slightly-larger clone...
. T2 would have been named Batman: The Ride and Chang would have been named Riddler's Revenge, but those plans were later canceled for unknown reasons.
Chang was closed over the weekend of September 19, 2009, and was subsequently removed, as confirmed by local media sources, to expand Splashwater Kingdom. The expansion however, did not come to fruition, as 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...
later announced plans to abandon the Kentucky Kingdom property.
Green Lantern (2011)
In 2010 pieces reportedly showed up at Six Flags Great AmericaSix 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...
. The ride was reportedly going to be moved to Six Flags Great America in 2011, with the park even going through the zoning board to win approval, but those plans were later canceled in favor of a water park expansion. Soon after the announcement of the closure of The Great American Scream Machine
The Great American Scream Machine (Six Flags Great Adventure)
The Great American Scream Machine was a steel roller coaster located at Six Flags Great Adventure. The 173-foot tall ride was built in 1989 as the fastest looping roller coaster in the world, reaching speeds up to 68 mph...
, rumors began to circulate that the ride would be relocated to Six Flags Great Adventure in 2011. Although Six Flags did not confirm any rumors, a "first look" of the park's new ride layout from the Jackson Township zoning board meeting showed up on JTown Magazine's website, and had Chang's layout.
Late on September 15, 2010, the Asbury Park Press
Asbury Park Press
The Asbury Park Press is a daily newspaper in Monmouth and Ocean counties of New Jersey and has the third largest circulation in the state...
posted an article early, announcing the new ride. The specifications released of the new ride matched those of Chang. It was confirmed that the ride would receive a DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
Green Lantern
Green Lantern
The Green Lantern is the shared primary alias of several fictional characters, superheroes appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The first Green Lantern was created by writer Bill Finger and artist Martin Nodell in All-American Comics #16 .Each Green Lantern possesses a power ring and...
theme, to coincide with the Green Lantern movie
Green Lantern (film)
Green Lantern is a 2011 superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name. The film stars Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, Mark Strong, Angela Bassett and Tim Robbins, with Martin Campbell directing a script by Greg Berlanti and comic book writers Michael Green and Marc...
due out in 2011. The ride is located in the Boardwalk section of the park. Green Lantern is the third roller coaster to occupy this plot of land, after the Sarajevo Bobsled
Alpine Bobsled
Alpine Bobsled is a steel roller coaster of bobsled design. It has been at three places:* From 1984 to 1988, named Sarajevo Bobsled, at Six Flags Great Adventure* From 1989 to 1996, named Rolling Thunder, at Six Flags Great America...
- which ran at Great Adventure from 1984 to 1988 prior to being moved to 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...
and then The Great Escape & Splashwater Kingdom
The Great Escape & Splashwater Kingdom
The Great Escape & Splashwater Kingdom is an amusement and waterpark located in Queensbury, New York. It is advertised as being located in Lake George, New York...
- and the Great American Scream Machine, an Arrow Dynamics
Arrow Dynamics
Arrow Dynamics was a roller coaster and amusement ride design company based in Clearfield, Utah, United States. In 2002, the company went bankrupt but was quickly bought by fellow amusement ride manufacturer S&S Power to form S&S Arrow. During its peak, Arrow Dynamics was responsible for some of...
looping coaster that had occupied this area from 1989 to 2010. On September 16, 2010, Six Flags officially announced the ride. Based on pictures and videos released, the track and trains of the ride were to be painted green with silver accents, with the supports painted black.In December 2010 footers were poured for the ride, with installation of the track beginning in January 2011. On January 24, 2011 the park posted on its Facebook page a picture of the completed lift hill. On the last day of January 2011, the park added a webcam of the ride construction on Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
to allow park fans and roller coaster enthusiasts to watch the progress. By April 1, 2011 all track was in place. All of the track is painted green, with the exception of the vertical loop, which is painted yellow. Originally, the second corkscrew was the track section that was going to be painted yellow, but the decision was made to switch the scheme to the first loop. The loop is painted yellow because green lantern's enemy is parallax who is yellow. Like the previous coaster built on the site, the Great American Scream Machine, the entire infield of the ride is covered with gravel. The coaster also reuses Scream Machine's queue entry plaza building. Green Lantern opened to season pass holders between May 19–21 and it officially opened to the public on May 25, 2011.
Green Lantern is the park's fifth Bolliger & Mabillard
Bolliger & Mabillard
Bolliger & Mabillard Consulting Engineers is a roller coaster design consultancy based in Monthey, Switzerland. The company was founded in 1988 by Walter Bolliger and Claude Mabillard, with Bolliger acting as president and Mabillard as vice-president...
roller coaster, joining Batman: The Ride
Batman: The Ride
Batman: The Ride is a steel inverted roller coaster found in many Six Flags theme parks, as well as other parks around the world, including Six Flags Great America, Six Flags Great Adventure, Six Flags Magic Mountain, Six Flags Fiesta Texas , Six Flags Over Georgia, Six Flags St. Louis, Six Flags...
, Bizarro, Nitro
Nitro (roller coaster)
Nitro is a steel roller coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey. It was opened in the spring of 2001 and at the time was the fastest roller coaster in New Jersey and the tallest on the East Coast of the United States.-The ride:...
, and Superman: Ultimate Flight
Superman: Ultimate Flight
Superman: Ultimate Flight is a steel flying roller coaster manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard. Themed to the popular comic book character, Superman: Ultimate Flight has been installed at three Six Flags theme parks around the United States. Superman: Ultimate Flight simulates flying like the...
. The coaster is also the park's second standup coaster to ever appear at the park, the previous being a smaller scale stand up coaster made by Intamin called Shockwave
Batman: The Escape
Batman The Escape is a steel stand-up roller coaster in storage at Darien Lake Theme Park Resort. Previously it was located at Six Flags Magic Mountain from 1986 until January 1989 ; Six Flags Great Adventure from 1990 until the Labor Day Weekend of 1992 ; and Six Flags AstroWorld from 1994 until...
operating from 1990 to 1992. Shockwave had also been installed 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...
and preceded the installation of the Riddler's Revenge at that park as well.
On May 19 the highly anticipated roller coaster opened for a select crowd. Media and families from Children's Miracle Network were there for a sneak preview.
During the month of June 2011 a Parallax cutout with clutching arms that the train passes through was placed at the bottom of the first drop.
Track and ride experience
Green Lantern is 4155 feet (1,266.4 m) long.Upon leaving the station, the train climbs up the 155 feet (47.2 m) tall lift hill. Along the hill the Green Lantern oath is played on speakers aligning the steps. At the top, the train enters the signature B&M pre-drop before making a slightly banked 180 degree turnaround. After this, the trains drops 144 feet (43.9 m) into a 121.58 feet (37.1 m) tall vertical loop. Coming out of the vertical loop, the track rises up to the right into a 103.83 feet (31.6 m) tall diving loop, hugging the first drop of Superman: Ultimate Flight
Superman: Ultimate Flight
Superman: Ultimate Flight is a steel flying roller coaster manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard. Themed to the popular comic book character, Superman: Ultimate Flight has been installed at three Six Flags theme parks around the United States. Superman: Ultimate Flight simulates flying like the...
. Riders then rise up and into a diving turnaround over the station. Dropping out of the turnaround, the train then enters a right leaning 72 feet (21.9 m) tall inclined loop. The inclined loop elements are unique to the three larger B&M standup coasters: Green Lantern, Mantis, and the Riddler's Revenge. After a small hill the train then rises up to the left into the mid-course brake run
Brake run
A brake run on a roller coaster is any section of track meant to slow or stop a roller coaster train. Brake runs may be located anywhere along the circuit of a coaster and may be designed to bring the train to a complete halt or to simply adjust the train's speed...
. Dropping out of the brake run, the train enters a right corkscrew, and turns to the right, weaving through the middle of the diving loop. The track then makes a ground hugging left hand turn, entering a low to the ground second right corkscrew. After a right hand turn, the train makes a final 180 degree left hand turn into the final brake run, before advancing back into the station.
The first half of Green Lantern's layout is a mirror image of Mantis
Mantis (roller coaster)
Mantis is a Bolliger and Mabillard stand-up roller coaster at Cedar Point Amusement Park in Sandusky, Ohio. It had set several stand-up coaster records, including height [], speed [], steepest , and inversions - previously, this had been achieved by Shockwave at Drayton Manor Theme Park, UK...
at Cedar Point
Cedar Point
Cedar Point is a 364 acre amusement park located in Sandusky, Ohio, United States on a narrow peninsula jutting into Lake Erie. Cedar Point is the only amusement park with four roller coasters that are taller than...
, with the exception of being taller and longer. The second half is also similar, but Green Lantern has an additional corkscrew after the mid-course brake run, along with an additional turn around before the final brake run.