X-Flight (Six Flags Great America)
Encyclopedia
X-Flight is a steel
Wing Rider roller coaster
currently under construction at Six Flags Great America
in Gurnee, Illinois
. The 3000 feet (914.4 m) long ride will feature barrel rolls and high-speed drops when it opens in 2012.
One of the most adrenaline-pumping moments on the ride would be an extreme fly-through where the coaster speeds straight toward a structure, before making a last-minute vertical flip to fit through a keyhole cutout.
Great America President Hank Salemi said X-Flight would add to the park’s tradition of introducing coasters and other compelling rides.
“The coaster’s train actually looks like a plane with seats suspended on either side of the track,” Salemi said. “It’s like nothing you have ever experienced before.”
Gurnee Mayor Kristina Kovarik said she’s excited about the X-Flight plans and hopes it bolsters village coffers. She said the fact X-Flight would be the first of its kind in the country bodes well for the village’s tourism industry and the tax revenue that comes from it.
“If you haven’t been there (to Great America) for years, you have a reason to come back,” Kovarik said.
Gurnee officials noted in the village’s latest budget documents that Great America is one of parent company Six Flags Entertainment Corp.’s most profitable operations, and added new features to its Hurricane Harbor water park this season.
Most of Gurnee’s 3 percent amusement tax revenue comes from Great America visitors, with projections for the 2011-12 fiscal year at a little beyond $2 million. Village officials say they are in constant contact with park management and monitor Great America, which has been operating since a June 2009 bankruptcy filing by the parent company mostly to restructure debt.
In addition to the amusement tax, Gurnee collects a 5 percent hotel tax and a 2 percent resort fee, along with a 1 percent food and beverage tax. Those sources are projected to bring Gurnee slightly more than $3.1 million in the 2011-12 budget season ending April 30.
(footers) for the coaster, that can range from 30 feet (9.1 m)-80 feet (24.4 m) into the ground.
Wing Rider roller coaster. Each train will feature 8 cars which each seat 4 people in a single row. Riders will be seated in pairs on either side of the track with nothing above or below them.
The ride will begin with a chain lift hill out of the station
. Upon reaching the top of the 120 feet (36.6 m) lift hill, the track inverts riders before they then dive down through a large half loop in a similar fashion to a diving loop. The train will then enter a zero-g roll followed by a dive under a building and into an immelmann. After exiting the immelmann, the track will turn approximately 180 degrees to the right and enter a second zero-g roll. A sharp left turn will then be followed by an inline twist which will weave through a keyhole gap in an air traffic control tower
. The ride will conclude with a tight right hand turn into a set of block brakes. A second set of brakes is located after a 180 degree turn to the left. These will lead directly back into the station.
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...
Wing Rider roller coaster
Wing Rider roller coaster
A Wing Rider is a type of steel roller coaster where pairs of riders sit on either side of a roller coaster track.-History:The Wing Rider was derived from John F. Mares' 4th Dimension roller coaster concept from the 1990s. However, unlike 4th Dimension roller coasters, cars on a Wing Rider train do...
currently under construction 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...
in Gurnee, Illinois
Gurnee, Illinois
Gurnee is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States. The population was 28,834 at the 2000 census, and estimated to be 30,772 in 2005. The village borders the city of Waukegan and is considered a part of the Chicago metropolitan area. Gurnee is perhaps best known for being the location of...
. The 3000 feet (914.4 m) long ride will feature barrel rolls and high-speed drops when it opens in 2012.
History
Six Flags Great America in Gurnee plans to add a new, state-of-the-art roller coaster for the 2012 season. X-Flight is considered by the theme park as a groundbreaking “wing coaster” featuring cutting-edge technology. They say Great America is the first to announce plans for a wing coaster in the United States. Construction is slated to begin in fall in the park’s County Fair section. It’s scheduled to open in spring 2012. X-Flight is supposed to take riders on a flight that defies gravity, with no track above or below them. Riders would sit in pairs, suspended on either side of the track with their feet dangling, as they begin climbing 12 stories before a plunge that launches them at speeds of 55 mph. The coaster would twist through 3,000 feet of intense drops and five inversions, including a barrel roll and a zero-g roll.One of the most adrenaline-pumping moments on the ride would be an extreme fly-through where the coaster speeds straight toward a structure, before making a last-minute vertical flip to fit through a keyhole cutout.
Great America President Hank Salemi said X-Flight would add to the park’s tradition of introducing coasters and other compelling rides.
“The coaster’s train actually looks like a plane with seats suspended on either side of the track,” Salemi said. “It’s like nothing you have ever experienced before.”
Gurnee Mayor Kristina Kovarik said she’s excited about the X-Flight plans and hopes it bolsters village coffers. She said the fact X-Flight would be the first of its kind in the country bodes well for the village’s tourism industry and the tax revenue that comes from it.
“If you haven’t been there (to Great America) for years, you have a reason to come back,” Kovarik said.
Gurnee officials noted in the village’s latest budget documents that Great America is one of parent company Six Flags Entertainment Corp.’s most profitable operations, and added new features to its Hurricane Harbor water park this season.
Most of Gurnee’s 3 percent amusement tax revenue comes from Great America visitors, with projections for the 2011-12 fiscal year at a little beyond $2 million. Village officials say they are in constant contact with park management and monitor Great America, which has been operating since a June 2009 bankruptcy filing by the parent company mostly to restructure debt.
In addition to the amusement tax, Gurnee collects a 5 percent hotel tax and a 2 percent resort fee, along with a 1 percent food and beverage tax. Those sources are projected to bring Gurnee slightly more than $3.1 million in the 2011-12 budget season ending April 30.
Construction History
In early September 2011, land was getting cleared for the new ride, where the former Splashwater Falls and the Great American Race used to be located. Pieces of the coaster track has arrived in early October, to be ready to get assemble. Then on November 10, 2011, the park added a webcam of the ride construction on their official website to allow park fans and roller coaster enthusiasts to watch the progress. More track has shown up in late November 2011, in the parking lot of the park. While the park is still pouring 127 CaissonsDeep foundation
A deep foundation is a type of foundation distinguished from shallow foundations by the depth they are embedded into the ground. There are many reasons a geotechnical engineer would recommend a deep foundation over a shallow foundation, but some of the common reasons are very large design loads, a...
(footers) for the coaster, that can range from 30 feet (9.1 m)-80 feet (24.4 m) into the ground.
Ride
X-Flight will be a Bolliger & MabillardBolliger & 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...
Wing Rider roller coaster. Each train will feature 8 cars which each seat 4 people in a single row. Riders will be seated in pairs on either side of the track with nothing above or below them.
The ride will begin with a chain lift hill out of the station
Station (roller coaster)
A roller coaster's station is where the passengers board and alight from the trains. The station houses the coaster's control panel, and has devices for moving the trains in and out of the station and holding them in position, as well as devices for locking and unlocking the restraints and devices...
. Upon reaching the top of the 120 feet (36.6 m) lift hill, the track inverts riders before they then dive down through a large half loop in a similar fashion to a diving loop. The train will then enter a zero-g roll followed by a dive under a building and into an immelmann. After exiting the immelmann, the track will turn approximately 180 degrees to the right and enter a second zero-g roll. A sharp left turn will then be followed by an inline twist which will weave through a keyhole gap in an air traffic control tower
Control tower
A control tower, or more specifically an Air Traffic Control Tower , is the name of the airport building from which the air traffic control unit controls the movement of aircraft on and around the airport. Control towers are also used to control the traffic for other forms of transportation such...
. The ride will conclude with a tight right hand turn into a set of block brakes. A second set of brakes is located after a 180 degree turn to the left. These will lead directly back into the station.
See also
- RaptorRaptor (Gardaland)Raptor is a steel roller coaster at the Gardaland amusement park in Lake Garda, Italy. The ride is a prototype Wing Rider design by Swiss roller coaster manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard. Raptor opened to the public on April 1, 2011. The ride begins from an underground station and features two...
at GardalandGardalandGardaland is the third-most-popular theme park in Europe and is between Peschiera and Lazise, at Lake Garda in Italy. Built on the eastern shore of Lake Garda at Castelnuovo del Garda, the park opened on July 19, 1975. It has expanded steadily in both size and attendance, topping 1 million visitors...
, the first Bolliger & Mabillard Wing Rider roller coaster - The Swarm at Thorpe ParkThorpe ParkThorpe 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...
, another Bolliger & Mabillard Wing Rider roller coaster currently under construction - Wild EagleWild EagleWild Eagle is a steel Wing Rider roller coaster currently under construction at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. It will be the first of its kind in the United States when it opens in March 2012.-History:...
at DollywoodDollywoodDollywood is a theme park owned by entertainer Dolly Parton and the Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation. It is located in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Dollywood has 3,000 people on its payroll, making it the largest employer in that community....
, another Bolliger & Mabillard Wing Rider roller coaster currently under construction