Superman: Ultimate Flight
Encyclopedia
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 Superman character does: facing the ground. In the station, riders board the train sitting down. After the train is locked and checked, the trains are raised into a flying position. After the ride, the seats are lowered into the sitting position for the next round of riders.
for the 2002 season. It opened less than a month after the first Bolliger & Mabillard flying roller coaster, Air
at Alton Towers
in the United Kingdom
. The ride's signature element is its 78 feet (23.8 m)-tall pretzel loop, the first roller coaster in the world to use one. Six Flags ordered two more versions of the attraction for the 2003 season. One version was installed at Six Flags Great America
, and the other was installed at Six Flags Great Adventure
.
The 2003 versions differ slightly from the original in Georgia. The Georgia version features a dual-platform loading station, permitting three trains to be in use at one time. Each train has seven cars, with each car carrying four riders side-by-side in a single row. The newer versions used a more standard single-platform loading station; while only allowing a maximum of two trains in operation, each train had one additional row for a total of eight rows per train.
photographs them. The train climbs back to the top of the element, then enters a 270-degree turn to the left, dropping back through the pretzel loop.
Next, the train passes through two consecutive horseshoe turns, first to the right and then to the left. As the train exits the second horseshoe, it swoops down and begins a 270-degree helix to the right, which leads into the ride's second inversion, an inline twist. After completing the twist, the train reaches the brake run
and a final right-hand turn to return to the station.
, China
, uses the same design as Superman: Ultimate Flight.
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...
flying
Flying roller coaster
A flying roller coaster is a variation of roller coaster meant to simulate the sensations of flight by harnessing riders in a prone position during the duration of the ride. The roller coaster cars are suspended below the track, with riders secured such that their backs are parallel to the track...
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...
manufactured 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...
. Themed to the popular comic book character
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...
, Superman: Ultimate Flight has been installed at three 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...
theme parks around the United States. Superman: Ultimate Flight simulates flying like the Superman character does: facing the ground. In the station, riders board the train sitting down. After the train is locked and checked, the trains are raised into a flying position. After the ride, the seats are lowered into the sitting position for the next round of riders.
Locations
Superman: Ultimate Flight was first installed at Six Flags Over GeorgiaSix 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....
for the 2002 season. It opened less than a month after the first Bolliger & Mabillard flying roller coaster, Air
Air (roller coaster)
Air is a steel flying roller coaster located in the Forbidden Valley area of Alton Towers in Staffordshire, England. The ride was the first flying roller coaster designed by the Swiss manufacturers Bolliger & Mabillard...
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 United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The ride's signature element is its 78 feet (23.8 m)-tall pretzel loop, the first roller coaster in the world to use one. Six Flags ordered two more versions of the attraction for the 2003 season. One version was installed 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...
, and the other was installed 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...
.
The 2003 versions differ slightly from the original in Georgia. The Georgia version features a dual-platform loading station, permitting three trains to be in use at one time. Each train has seven cars, with each car carrying four riders side-by-side in a single row. The newer versions used a more standard single-platform loading station; while only allowing a maximum of two trains in operation, each train had one additional row for a total of eight rows per train.
Track layout
Superman: Ultimate Flight begins as the train turns to the right and begins to climb the 115 feet (35.1 m)-tall lift hill. After cresting the top of the lift hill, the train drops down to the right and prepares to enter the pretzel loop. For the pretzel loop, the train swoops up, then dives down to the ground head-first. At the bottom of the loop, the riders are facing up towards the sky, where the on-ride cameraOn-ride camera
An on-ride camera is a camera mounted alongside the track of a roller coaster, log flume or other thrill ride that automatically photographs all of the riders on each passing vehicle. They are often mounted at the most intense or fastest part of the ride, resulting in humorously distorted...
photographs them. The train climbs back to the top of the element, then enters a 270-degree turn to the left, dropping back through the pretzel loop.
Next, the train passes through two consecutive horseshoe turns, first to the right and then to the left. As the train exits the second horseshoe, it swoops down and begins a 270-degree helix to the right, which leads into the ride's second inversion, an inline twist. After completing the twist, the train reaches the 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...
and a final right-hand turn to return to the station.
Additional versions
Crystal Wings, a flying roller coaster at the Happy Valley amusement park in BeijingBeijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, uses the same design as Superman: Ultimate Flight.