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Stealth (roller coaster)
Encyclopedia
Stealth is a steel roller coaster
built by Intamin of Switzerland
. The coaster is located in the Amity Cove area of Thorpe Park
in Surrey
, England
, UK and opened in 2006. The ride reaches a maximum height of 62.5 m (205 ft). When the ride opened in 2006 it previously accelerated from 0-80 mph in 2.3 seconds, but in 2007 the ride's acceleration was upgraded and became capable of accelerating to 80 mph in 1.9 seconds. For the start of the 2010 season, the trains were upgraded and stripped of weight to enable it to accelerate from 0-80 mph in 1.8 seconds. It is the fastest accelerating and also the tallest launch coaster in the UK.
At the base of the top hat on each side, G-forces of up to 4.7G are produced. The coaster is thought to have cost £12 million to manufacture and construct.
These restraints use a locking system (rather than a ratchet) which allows them to be pulled down to any position; when locked, they can move down to any position but not up. In contrast, a ratchet-based restraint only locks at each notch, and will often be too loose or uncomfortably tight. Stealth's restraints are also held down by a belt in case the main locking system fails. In order to speed up loading, riders are asked to secure their own restraints if they are able to.
This restraint system is identical to many Intamin Launch coasters, including Kingda Ka
.
Computer sensors are placed under the track along the ride to check the acceleration of the train each ride. A computer takes the average of these readings (for the previous five rides) to calculate whether the train is going too fast/slow and adjust the force to launch the train dependant on this. Newton's second law is used for this calculation, so one cause of roll back can be due to uneven balances of weight each ride. If the mass is large before and then a smaller mass the second ride, then there is more chance of roll backs.
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...
built by Intamin of Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. The coaster is located in the Amity Cove area of Thorpe Park
Thorpe Park
Thorpe Park is a theme park located in Chertsey, Surrey, England, UK. It was built in 1979 on the site of a gravel pit which was partially flooded, the intention of creating a water based theme for the park. The park's first large roller coaster, Colossus, was added in 2002...
in Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, UK and opened in 2006. The ride reaches a maximum height of 62.5 m (205 ft). When the ride opened in 2006 it previously accelerated from 0-80 mph in 2.3 seconds, but in 2007 the ride's acceleration was upgraded and became capable of accelerating to 80 mph in 1.9 seconds. For the start of the 2010 season, the trains were upgraded and stripped of weight to enable it to accelerate from 0-80 mph in 1.8 seconds. It is the fastest accelerating and also the tallest launch coaster in the UK.
At the base of the top hat on each side, G-forces of up to 4.7G are produced. The coaster is thought to have cost £12 million to manufacture and construct.
Seat Restraints
Stealth's restraint system consists of a thick, rigid lap bar and two thin, flexible over-the-shoulder restraints. Because the over-the-shoulder portions of the restraint are not rigid, the hand grips are mounted to the lap bar.These restraints use a locking system (rather than a ratchet) which allows them to be pulled down to any position; when locked, they can move down to any position but not up. In contrast, a ratchet-based restraint only locks at each notch, and will often be too loose or uncomfortably tight. Stealth's restraints are also held down by a belt in case the main locking system fails. In order to speed up loading, riders are asked to secure their own restraints if they are able to.
This restraint system is identical to many Intamin Launch coasters, including Kingda Ka
Kingda Ka
Kingda Ka is a roller coaster located at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey, USA. It is the world's tallest roller coaster, and was the world's fastest until Formula Rossa opened in November 2010. The train is launched by a hydraulic launch mechanism to in 3.5 seconds. At the end of...
.
Ride Experience
Once the train has been locked, checked and the catch car has attached, an American accented voice announces "Place your heads back, face forwards, hold on tight and brace yourself." The announcer repeats his message as five red lights turn on one by one, before shouting "Three, two, one, GO, GO, GO!" The lights turn green and the train then accelerates to 80 mph in 1.9 seconds, climbs the top hat, turning 90 degrees to the right, then descends the top hat element, through another 90 degree turn, before climbing the second hill (Bunny Hop) producing a moment of apparent weightlessness then smoothly brought to a stop by the magnetic brakes. The train then returns to the station via a U-turn.Roll Backs
As with many Intamin Launch Coasters, Stealth is said to have stalled or experienced a 'roll back' if it is unable to complete the course because of energy loss. Although very infrequent, roll backs can be caused by friction between the track and wheels, or in the wheel bearings. Weather can also cause a coaster to rollback. Roller coaster trains run slower in cold weather, so much so that many parks actually heat the trains prior to opening on cool days.Computer sensors are placed under the track along the ride to check the acceleration of the train each ride. A computer takes the average of these readings (for the previous five rides) to calculate whether the train is going too fast/slow and adjust the force to launch the train dependant on this. Newton's second law is used for this calculation, so one cause of roll back can be due to uneven balances of weight each ride. If the mass is large before and then a smaller mass the second ride, then there is more chance of roll backs.