SheiKra
Encyclopedia
SheiKra is a Bolliger and Mabillard diving machine
roller coaster
at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. It is situated in the Stanleyville section of the park. SheiKra was the first dive machine roller coaster in North America. It is tied with Goliath
at Six Flags Over Georgia
as the second tallest roller coaster in the southeast. SheiKra first opened in May 2005 and was converted to a floorless roller coaster
two years later on June 16, 2007, following the opening of its sister coaster Griffon
at Busch Gardens Williamsburg that year. The name SheiKra is derived from a shikra
, an Asian-African hawk
that is known to dive straight down for its prey.
SheiKra is the first vertical-drop Bolliger and Mabillard (B&M) diving machine
in the United States, and the first roller coaster with a true 90-degree vertical drop, a feature made possible with the use of specially developed spring-loaded wheels to ensure the train's fixture to the track during its descent. The previous two B&M diving machines (Oblivion
at Alton Towers
and Diving Machine G5
at Janfusun Fancyworld
) utilized standard wheel designs and therefore have only near-vertical drops of 88.8 degrees, despite being marketed as vertical-drop roller coasters. SheiKra is also the first diving machine to include an inversion (in this case, an Immelmann Loop).
The other six B&M diving machines are Oblivion
at Alton Towers
in the UK, Diving Machine G5
at Janfusun Fancyworld
in Taiwan, Griffon
at its sister park Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Dive Coaster
at Chimelong Paradise and Diving Coaster at Happy Valley Shanghai, both in China, and Krake at Heide Park
in Germany.
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At 10:30 am Wednesday, January 31, 2007, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay Executive Vice President and General Manager Dan Brown, Vice President of Design and Engineering Mark Rose, and Busch Entertainment Corporation Corporate Vice President of Sales & Marketing Joe Couceiro officially announced on a webcast teleconference with media outlets the floorless conversion of SheiKra and details about the conversion.
According to the press release and teleconference, the last day to experience SheiKra before the conversion would be Memorial Day, May 28, 2007. On May 29, SheiKra closed until June 16, 2007, when it reopened with new floorless hardware.
This conversion was most likely sparked by August Busch III
explaining to coaster enthusiasts about "looking at engineering taking that floor out" of SheiKra and asking if it would make the ride better, worse, or the same. Everyone who was asked replied saying it would make the ride better. Video of this event can be seen on YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DGXN8zFGoI, and is dated back to August 2006.
During the three weeks that the ride was closed, the trains received their floorless upgrade. The new trains make use of original hardware already used on the existing trains. The wheels, bogies, seats, and harnesses were removed and then reinstalled on new floorless chassis. This time was also used for loading new programs into the ride's computer systems for floorless operation as well as extensive testing to make sure all of the ride's safety systems were working correctly, and training of employees on ride operation and what to do in an emergency situation should the ride come to a stop and guests needed to be escorted off the ride.
, mostly radio winners, that were allowed to be "the first to ride floorless SheiKra". The media event was followed by a special party that was thrown for the media and VIPs in SheiKra's honor to welcome the new version of the ride to Busch Gardens. The floorless version of SheiKra was met with wide praise.
, a B&M diving machine coaster which features a 205-foot vertical drop, the second tallest dive coaster in the world behind the Dive Coaster at Happy Valley (213 feet). Griffon
also features two separate Immelmann inversions, a second 87-degree 130-ft drop, and a splashdown. It is the first diving machine that utilizes a floorless train with three rows of 10 seats each. On the park's website, three videos that introduce the details of the ride are available.
Dive roller coaster
The Diving Machine is a model of roller coaster manufactured by Swiss company Bolliger and Mabillard. It is distinguished from other roller coasters by its vertical drop and wide shuttle trains.-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 Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. It is situated in the Stanleyville section of the park. SheiKra was the first dive machine roller coaster in North America. It is tied with Goliath
Goliath (Six Flags Over Georgia)
Goliath is a hyper coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia. Designed by Bolliger & Mabillard and opened in April 2006, Goliath reaches a height of , and a top speed of . Its of track is spread out over an site...
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 the second tallest roller coaster in the southeast. SheiKra first opened in May 2005 and was converted to a 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...
two years later on June 16, 2007, following the opening of its sister coaster Griffon
Griffon (roller coaster)
Griffon is a Bolliger & Mabillard diving machine roller coaster at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. On opening, it was the tallest of its kind in the world at . Griffon originally had two other potential names — "IronEagle" and "Voltare" — before Busch Gardens decided on the name "Griffon". Griffon has...
at Busch Gardens Williamsburg that year. The name SheiKra is derived from a shikra
Shikra
The Shikra is a small bird of prey in the family Accipitridae found widely distributed in Asia and Africa where it is also called the Little Banded Goshawk. The African forms may represent a separate species but have usually been considered as subspecies of the Shikra...
, an Asian-African hawk
Hawk
The term hawk can be used in several ways:* In strict usage in Australia and Africa, to mean any of the species in the subfamily Accipitrinae, which comprises the genera Accipiter, Micronisus, Melierax, Urotriorchis and Megatriorchis. The large and widespread Accipiter genus includes goshawks,...
that is known to dive straight down for its prey.
Ride layout
After passengers leave the station, they climb a 47-degree 200-foot lift hill. The train then makes a U-turn and approaches the holding brake, which suspends the train for about 6 seconds on the precipice of the sheer 90-degree drop before releasing it to plummet down and into an Immelmann loop. After the Immelmann, the train takes an upward turn into the mid-course brake run before the second drop, which is at 81 degrees. The train then navigates a wide turnaround and swoops down into a water brake-splashdown area before heading up through a final helix into the brake run.SheiKra is the first vertical-drop Bolliger and Mabillard (B&M) diving machine
Dive roller coaster
The Diving Machine is a model of roller coaster manufactured by Swiss company Bolliger and Mabillard. It is distinguished from other roller coasters by its vertical drop and wide shuttle trains.-History:...
in the United States, and the first roller coaster with a true 90-degree vertical drop, a feature made possible with the use of specially developed spring-loaded wheels to ensure the train's fixture to the track during its descent. The previous two B&M diving machines (Oblivion
Oblivion (roller coaster)
Oblivion is a steel roller coaster located at Alton Towers in England. The ride opened as the world's first vertical drop roller coaster in March 1998 amidst a large publicity campaign. The ride has a height restriction of 1.4 metres...
at Alton Towers
Alton Towers
Alton Towers is a theme park and resort located in Staffordshire, England. It attracts around 2.7 million visitors per year making it the most visited theme park in the United Kingdom. Alton Towers is also the 9th most visited theme park in Europe...
and Diving Machine G5
Diving Machine G5
Diving Machine G5 is a roller coaster located at Janfusun Fancyworld in Taiwan. The ride was built in 2000 by Swiss manufacturers Bolliger & Mabillard and was the second Diving Machine model to be built, the first being Oblivion at Alton Towers in the United Kingdom...
at Janfusun Fancyworld
Janfusun Fancyworld
Janfusun Fancyworld is an amusement park located on the island of Taiwan, Republic of China near the city of Douliu. It features a movie theater and costume shops. There is a water park section of Janfusun where you can enjoy a Hawaiian-like stage and many water rides...
) utilized standard wheel designs and therefore have only near-vertical drops of 88.8 degrees, despite being marketed as vertical-drop roller coasters. SheiKra is also the first diving machine to include an inversion (in this case, an Immelmann Loop).
The other six B&M diving machines are Oblivion
Oblivion (roller coaster)
Oblivion is a steel roller coaster located at Alton Towers in England. The ride opened as the world's first vertical drop roller coaster in March 1998 amidst a large publicity campaign. The ride has a height restriction of 1.4 metres...
at Alton Towers
Alton Towers
Alton Towers is a theme park and resort located in Staffordshire, England. It attracts around 2.7 million visitors per year making it the most visited theme park in the United Kingdom. Alton Towers is also the 9th most visited theme park in Europe...
in the UK, Diving Machine G5
Diving Machine G5
Diving Machine G5 is a roller coaster located at Janfusun Fancyworld in Taiwan. The ride was built in 2000 by Swiss manufacturers Bolliger & Mabillard and was the second Diving Machine model to be built, the first being Oblivion at Alton Towers in the United Kingdom...
at Janfusun Fancyworld
Janfusun Fancyworld
Janfusun Fancyworld is an amusement park located on the island of Taiwan, Republic of China near the city of Douliu. It features a movie theater and costume shops. There is a water park section of Janfusun where you can enjoy a Hawaiian-like stage and many water rides...
in Taiwan, Griffon
Griffon (roller coaster)
Griffon is a Bolliger & Mabillard diving machine roller coaster at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. On opening, it was the tallest of its kind in the world at . Griffon originally had two other potential names — "IronEagle" and "Voltare" — before Busch Gardens decided on the name "Griffon". Griffon has...
at its sister park Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Dive Coaster
Vertical Coaster
Dive Coaster is a Floorless Diving Machine roller coaster operating at Chimelong Paradise in China. It is built by Swiss coaster manufacturers Bolliger & Mabillard...
at Chimelong Paradise and Diving Coaster at Happy Valley Shanghai, both in China, and Krake at Heide Park
Heide Park
The Heide Park Resort is a theme park in Soltau, Lower Saxony. With an overall area of over 850,000 m², it is one of the biggest German amusement parks and the biggest in Northern Germany....
in Germany.
Ride elements
- 200-foot 45-degree chain lift hill
- 195-foot 90° drop
- 140-foot-tall Immelmann
- 138-foot 81° drop
Floorless conversion
According to the press release and teleconference, the last day to experience SheiKra before the conversion would be Memorial Day, May 28, 2007. On May 29, SheiKra closed until June 16, 2007, when it reopened with new floorless hardware.
This conversion was most likely sparked by August Busch III
August Busch III
August Anheuser Busch III is the great-grandson of Anheuser-Busch founder Adolphus Busch and was the company's Chairman until November 30, 2006...
explaining to coaster enthusiasts about "looking at engineering taking that floor out" of SheiKra and asking if it would make the ride better, worse, or the same. Everyone who was asked replied saying it would make the ride better. Video of this event can be seen on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DGXN8zFGoI, and is dated back to August 2006.
Conversion process
The area most affected by the conversion is the station. In the weeks leading up to the May 29 closure, the drop-out floor hardware was installed. The installation occurred at night, leaving the ride to operate normally throughout the day.During the three weeks that the ride was closed, the trains received their floorless upgrade. The new trains make use of original hardware already used on the existing trains. The wheels, bogies, seats, and harnesses were removed and then reinstalled on new floorless chassis. This time was also used for loading new programs into the ride's computer systems for floorless operation as well as extensive testing to make sure all of the ride's safety systems were working correctly, and training of employees on ride operation and what to do in an emergency situation should the ride come to a stop and guests needed to be escorted off the ride.
Floorless train unveiling
On Tuesday, April 24, 2007, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay Executive Vice President and General Manager Dan Brown announced and unveiled the first converted train for SheiKra, http://floridathrills.net/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=2707 alongside Vice President of Design and Engineering Mark Rose and Director of Park Operations Mike Patrick, as well as various marketing personnel. Included was the unveiling of a countdown clock displaying the "Countdown to America's First Dive Coaster going Floorless June 16th."Media Day
On June 15, 2007, SheiKra opened to invited media outlets and special VIPsVery Important Person
A Very Important Person, or VIP is a person who is accorded special privileges due to his or her status or importance.Examples include celebrities, heads of state/heads of government, major employers, high rollers, politicians, high-level corporate officers, wealthy individuals, or any other...
, mostly radio winners, that were allowed to be "the first to ride floorless SheiKra". The media event was followed by a special party that was thrown for the media and VIPs in SheiKra's honor to welcome the new version of the ride to Busch Gardens. The floorless version of SheiKra was met with wide praise.
Reopening Day
On Saturday, June 16, 2007, SheiKra reopened to pass holders for a preview hour between 8 am and 9 am. At 9 am, SheiKra opened to all the public. Within the hour the queue line was full, causing ride employees to set up a temporary queue out of barricades outside the main queue line.| Golden Ticket Awards: Best Steel Coaster | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 |
| Ranking | |||||||
Counterpart
At sister park Busch Gardens Williamsburg, there is another dive coaster, GriffonGriffon (roller coaster)
Griffon is a Bolliger & Mabillard diving machine roller coaster at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. On opening, it was the tallest of its kind in the world at . Griffon originally had two other potential names — "IronEagle" and "Voltare" — before Busch Gardens decided on the name "Griffon". Griffon has...
, a B&M diving machine coaster which features a 205-foot vertical drop, the second tallest dive coaster in the world behind the Dive Coaster at Happy Valley (213 feet). Griffon
Griffon (roller coaster)
Griffon is a Bolliger & Mabillard diving machine roller coaster at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. On opening, it was the tallest of its kind in the world at . Griffon originally had two other potential names — "IronEagle" and "Voltare" — before Busch Gardens decided on the name "Griffon". Griffon has...
also features two separate Immelmann inversions, a second 87-degree 130-ft drop, and a splashdown. It is the first diving machine that utilizes a floorless train with three rows of 10 seats each. On the park's website, three videos that introduce the details of the ride are available.
In the media
- "Ojos AsiOjos Así"Ojos Así" is a song in Spanish by Colombian singer Shakira, and was released as the fourth single from her album ¿Dónde Están los Ladrones? on July 23, 1999. Today, "Ojos Así" is one of Shakira's most successful songs of her career...
" by ShakiraShakiraShakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll , known professionally as Shakira , is a Colombian singer who emerged in the music scene of Colombia and Latin America in the early 1990s...
is the unofficial song of SheiKra. - SheiKra was featured in an episode of the Discovery ChannelDiscovery ChannelDiscovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
show Build It Bigger. - A film titled SheiKra 3D, formerly titled SheiKra: The Ride 3D, is an upcoming documentary based on the roller coaster. The film is scheduled for release on May 21, 2012, the 7th year anniversary of the ride's opening. The film will be produced by Cataract Films, who also plans this to a first in a franchise of roller coaster documentaries.
See also
- GriffonGriffon (roller coaster)Griffon is a Bolliger & Mabillard diving machine roller coaster at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. On opening, it was the tallest of its kind in the world at . Griffon originally had two other potential names — "IronEagle" and "Voltare" — before Busch Gardens decided on the name "Griffon". Griffon has...
- Diving Machine
- Floorless roller coasterFloorless roller coasterA 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...
External links
- SheiKra On-Ride Video (Full POV; Quicktime, 36 Megs)
- SheiKra On-Ride/Off-Ride Music Video
- SheiKra Construction Photos
- Official Site
- YouTube video August Busch III asking coaster enthusiasts about a floorless SheiKra before anything was announced
- Floorless Webcast Announcement And Press Release
- Photo Gallery of the Floorless Train and Unveiling Ceremony