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Dominator (roller coaster)
Encyclopedia
Dominator is a steel
floorless roller coaster
designed by Bolliger & Mabillard
currently operating at Kings Dominion in Doswell, Virginia
. The ride originally operated at Geauga Lake before Cedar Fair announced the park would no longer operate as an amusement park.
Dominator is a notable floorless roller coaster, having the second largest vertical loop
(by diameter) in the world at 135 ft (41.1 m) Only Superman: Krypton Coaster
's loop is larger at 145 ft (44.2 m) It is also the world's longest floorless coaster at 4210 feet (1,283.2 m).
in 2000. The ride was a part of the Six Flags conversion that occurred between 1999 and 2000, transforming the park from Geauga Lake to Six Flags Ohio. This coaster was one of the four coasters built during the conversion (the other three being Steel Venom
(then Superman
: Ultimate Escape), The Villain
, and Beaver Land Mine Ride (then Roadrunner Express)). The ride originally opened on May 5, 2000.
During Six Flags' ownership, the ride was the star attraction of the Gotham City themed area and featured various Batman theming. The seats of the ride's trains had the Batman symbol engraved into the headrests and the station originally had text reading "Bruce Wayne Foundation." The ride was also notable for interacting with the lake numerous times throughout the course.
It is commonly believed that the song called "Chap Stick, Chapped Lips, and Things Like Chemistry" by Canton, Ohio band Relient K
; the line "and I lost my phone to the lake beneath the Batman ride" referenced the ride while it was Batman: Knight Flight.
's S&S
Tower ride of the same name. Themes featuring Batman were removed, which included: melting the Batman symbol off every seat, paving over the Bruce Wayne Foundation text on the station, and renaming the Gotham City section into "Power City." At the end of the 2004 season, Dominator received a brand new illuminated sign.
On September 21, 2007, Cedar Fair announced that Geauga Lake would no longer operate partially as a traditional amusement park, and instead become solely a waterpark, Geauga Lake's Wildwater Kingdom. With that announcement, the rides from the amusement park side began to be relocated to other Cedar Fair properties.
. Track pieces started to arrive at the park the weekend before the announcement.
Dominator is located behind the Berserker flat ride, in the former bus parking lot though with new landscaping. It opened on May 24, 2008 with a new paint job. The supports remained dark blue, but the track is now orange instead of the pale yellow. However, the record-breaking loop is still painted pale yellow.
, standing at 135 feet (41.1 m). Following the loop, riders fly by the waiting area and rise up into a turnaround around the ride's own station. After the turn, riders then head through a cobra roll, which contains two of the ride's five inversions, and then the mid-course brake run. After the brakes, there is a small drop followed by the interlocking corkscrew elements, the last two inversions of the ride. Following the corkscrews, the train encounters the final brake run and comes to a stop.
Steel roller coaster
A steel roller coaster is a roller coaster that is defined by having a track made of steel. Steel coasters have earned immense popularity in the past 50 years throughout the world...
floorless roller coaster
Floorless roller coaster
A floorless roller coaster is a roller coaster with trains that ride above the track and allow the passenger's legs to dangle. It is a fairly new concept in roller coaster design brought forth by manufacturers Bolliger & Mabillard. The first ever floorless coaster debuted in 1999 at Six Flags Great...
designed by 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...
currently operating at Kings Dominion in Doswell, Virginia
Doswell, Virginia
Doswell is an unincorporated community in Hanover County in the Central Region of the U.S. state of Virginia. Originally called Hanover Junction, it was located on the Virginia Central Railroad, which later became part of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad at a crossing of the Richmond,...
. The ride originally operated at Geauga Lake before Cedar Fair announced the park would no longer operate as an amusement park.
Dominator is a notable floorless roller coaster, having the second largest 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.-...
(by diameter) in the world at 135 ft (41.1 m) Only Superman: Krypton Coaster
Superman: Krypton Coaster
Superman: Krypton Coaster is a roller coaster located at Six Flags Fiesta Texas in San Antonio, TX. Designed by Bolliger & Mabillard, it is one of four floorless coasters to open in the year 2000...
's loop is larger at 145 ft (44.2 m) It is also the world's longest floorless coaster at 4210 feet (1,283.2 m).
Six Flags era
Dominator (then known as Batman: Knight Flight) was originally installed at Geauga Lake while it was owned by Six FlagsSix 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...
in 2000. The ride was a part of the Six Flags conversion that occurred between 1999 and 2000, transforming the park from Geauga Lake to Six Flags Ohio. This coaster was one of the four coasters built during the conversion (the other three being Steel Venom
Steel Venom (Geauga Lake)
Steel Venom was a launched inverted shuttle roller coaster designed by Intamin located at Geauga Lake in Aurora, Ohio. The ride opened on May 5, 2000 as a part of the Six Flags conversion of the park from Geauga Lake to Six Flags Ohio/Worlds of Adventure...
(then Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
: Ultimate Escape), The Villain
Villain (roller coaster)
Villain was a wooden roller coaster at the Geauga Lake amusement park in Aurora, Ohio. It was manufactured by the now-defunct Custom Coasters International . The ride opened as a part of the four-coaster expansion Six Flags brought to Geauga Lake between 1999 and 2000. It is a wooden hybrid, which...
, and Beaver Land Mine Ride (then Roadrunner Express)). The ride originally opened on May 5, 2000.
During Six Flags' ownership, the ride was the star attraction of the Gotham City themed area and featured various Batman theming. The seats of the ride's trains had the Batman symbol engraved into the headrests and the station originally had text reading "Bruce Wayne Foundation." The ride was also notable for interacting with the lake numerous times throughout the course.
It is commonly believed that the song called "Chap Stick, Chapped Lips, and Things Like Chemistry" by Canton, Ohio band Relient K
Relient K
Relient K is an American rock band formed in 1998 in Canton, Ohio by Matt Thiessen, Brian Pittman, and Matt Hoopes during the band's junior year in high school and their time at Malone University...
; the line "and I lost my phone to the lake beneath the Batman ride" referenced the ride while it was Batman: Knight Flight.
Geauga Lake era
When Cedar Fair bought the park, Cedar Fair did not own the rights to D.C. Comics characters, which is why the ride was renamed to Dominator. The new name is shared with fellow Cedar Fair park Dorney ParkDorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom
Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom is an American amusement and water park located in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The park features nine roller coasters, other adult and children's rides, and a waterpark, Wildwater Kingdom....
's S&S
S&S Power
S&S Worldwide is a company known for its pneumatically powered amusement rides and roller coaster designing.-History:S&S Worldwide was founded by Stan Checketts as S&S Sports, Inc. S&S Sports manufactures bungee jumping and trampoline equipment. S&S Sports was sold in 1996...
Tower ride of the same name. Themes featuring Batman were removed, which included: melting the Batman symbol off every seat, paving over the Bruce Wayne Foundation text on the station, and renaming the Gotham City section into "Power City." At the end of the 2004 season, Dominator received a brand new illuminated sign.
On September 21, 2007, Cedar Fair announced that Geauga Lake would no longer operate partially as a traditional amusement park, and instead become solely a waterpark, Geauga Lake's Wildwater Kingdom. With that announcement, the rides from the amusement park side began to be relocated to other Cedar Fair properties.
Kings Dominion era
On October 23, 2007, it was announced that the Dominator would be relocated under the same name to sister park Kings Dominion in Doswell, VirginiaDoswell, Virginia
Doswell is an unincorporated community in Hanover County in the Central Region of the U.S. state of Virginia. Originally called Hanover Junction, it was located on the Virginia Central Railroad, which later became part of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad at a crossing of the Richmond,...
. Track pieces started to arrive at the park the weekend before the announcement.
Dominator is located behind the Berserker flat ride, in the former bus parking lot though with new landscaping. It opened on May 24, 2008 with a new paint job. The supports remained dark blue, but the track is now orange instead of the pale yellow. However, the record-breaking loop is still painted pale yellow.
Layout
Dominator starts off with a short, twisted U-turn toward the 161-foot-tall lift hill. Once the train apexes the top of the lift, riders speed down a 148 feet (45.1 m) drop into one of the world's tallest vertical loopsLoop (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.-...
, standing at 135 feet (41.1 m). Following the loop, riders fly by the waiting area and rise up into a turnaround around the ride's own station. After the turn, riders then head through a cobra roll, which contains two of the ride's five inversions, and then the mid-course brake run. After the brakes, there is a small drop followed by the interlocking corkscrew elements, the last two inversions of the ride. Following the corkscrews, the train encounters the final brake run and comes to a stop.