Superman: Krypton Coaster | |
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Six Flags Fiesta Texas | |
Location | Six Flags Fiesta Texas |
Park section | DC Universe |
Coordinates | 29°35′43″N 98°36′36″W / 29.595150°N 98.609991°W |
Status | Operating |
Opening date | March 11, 2000 |
Cost | $20 million |
General statistics | |
Type | Steel – Floorless Coaster |
Manufacturer | Bolliger & Mabillard |
Designer | Werner Stengel |
Model | Floorless Coaster - Custom |
Track layout | Terrain |
Lift/launch system | Chain lift hill |
Height | 168 ft (51 m) |
Drop | 163 ft (50 m) |
Length | 4,025 ft (1,227 m) |
Speed | 70 mph (110 km/h) |
Inversions | 6 |
Duration | 2:35 |
Max vertical angle | 58[ citation needed]° |
Capacity | 1600 riders per hour |
G-force | 3.8[ citation needed] |
Height restriction | 54 in (137 cm) |
Trains | 3 trains with 8 cars. Riders are arranged 4 across in a single row for a total of 32 riders per train. |
Flash Pass available | |
Superman: Krypton Coaster at RCDB |
Superman: Krypton Coaster is a steel roller coaster located at Six Flags Fiesta Texas amusement park in San Antonio. Manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard, the Floorless Coaster model opened to the public in 2000 as one of the first of its kind in the world. The well-received ride held the title for the world's tallest vertical loop (145 feet) from its opening until 2013. Superman: Krypton Coaster stands 168 feet (51 m) tall and reaches a maximum speed of 70 mph (110 km/h).
In 1999, Six Flags Great Adventure spent $42 million on new attractions including a prototype Floorless Coaster by Bolliger & Mabillard, Medusa. [1] The immediate popularity of the ride, [2] led to Six Flags Fiesta Texas to announce plans to install a Floorless Coaster in 2000; [3] Superman: Krypton Coaster was announced on November 1, 1999. [4] The announcement of the $20 million roller coaster was a part of a wider multimillion-dollar expansion of Six Flags Fiesta Texas. [5]
At the time of the ride's announcement, construction had already begun on unused land bordered by quarry walls and an irrigation pond. [5] [6] The initial plans for the ride specified it would have seven inversions including a 114-foot-tall (35 m) vertical loop and a 96-foot-tall (29 m) dive loop. [6] Following the ride's announcement, the design was altered to remove the dive loop and increase the size of the vertical loop to 145 feet (44 m). [7] [8] This saw Superman: Krypton Coaster obtain the record for the world's tallest vertical loop when it officially opened to the public on March 11, 2000. [7] It held the title for 13 years until the addition of Full Throttle at Six Flags Magic Mountain in 2013. [8]
On March 6, 2010, Six Flags Fiesta Texas offered exclusive ride time on Superman: Krypton Coaster to help celebrate the ride's 10th anniversary. [9] On June 22, 2013, Superman: Krypton Coaster lost the title of having the world's tallest vertical loop when Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California opened Full Throttle, which features a 160-foot-tall (49 m) vertical loop, 15 feet (4.6 m) taller than the loop on Superman: Krypton Coaster. [8] [10] [11] [12]
On March 3, 2016, Six Flags announced that the roller coaster would be one of several rides at various Six Flags parks to feature a VR system. Riders have the option of wearing a Samsung Gear VR headset, powered by Oculus to create a 360-degree, 3D experience while riding. It is themed to Superman saving a city from Lex Luthor's Lex Bots who are causing chaos with an anti-gravity ray. [13]
The 4,025-foot-long (1,227 m) Superman: Krypton Coaster stands 168 feet (51 m) tall. [7] With a top speed of 70 miles per hour (110 km/h), the ride ties with Iron Rattler as the fastest roller coaster at Six Flags Fiesta Texas. [7] [14] The ride features six inversions including a 145-foot-tall (44 m) vertical loop, a zero-g roll, a 78-foot-tall (24 m) cobra roll and two corkscrews. [7] [8]
Superman: Krypton Coaster operates with three floorless trains. Each train seats 32 riders in eight rows of four. This gives the ride a theoretical hourly capacity of 1600 riders per hour. [7] The open-air trains feature seats which leave riders' legs dangling above the track. Riders are restrained with over-the-shoulder restraints. [5] As the trains are floorless, the station has a retractable floor for safe boarding. [6]
After riders have boarded and the station floor is retracted, Superman: Krypton Coaster departs with a left turn out of the station. This leads directly to the 168-foot-tall (51 m) chain lift hill. At the top, the train crests the lift hill and follows a fairly level 180 degree turn to the right above the quarry wall. This leads into a 168-foot (51 m) drop off the quarry wall directly into the 145-foot-tall (44 m) vertical loop. With the quarry wall on the track's right, the train inclines to the top of the wall where it performs a helix to the right. After dropping from the quarry wall again, the train enters the zero-g roll where riders experience a feeling of weightlessness. This is followed by the 78-foot-tall (24 m) cobra roll and a mid-course brake run. The exit from the mid-course brake run banks down to the right into the two interlocking corkscrews. This leads to a final turn before the final brake run and return to the station. [7] [15] [16]
Prior to launch, General Manager of Six Flags Fiesta Texas John Odum stated Superman: Krypton Coaster was "the big-league ride we have really needed". He stated the design of the ride, which interacts with the quarry wall, would make a thrilling ride: "being that close to the wall there is a good sense of speed". [5] In May 2000, two months after Superman: Krypton Coaster opened, it was reported that the park was "off to a flying start" for the season. [17] Six Flags Fiesta Texas officials stated the ride proved popular in its first year of operation. [18]
In Amusement Today's annual Golden Ticket Awards, Superman: Krypton Coaster was ranked in the top 50 steel roller coasters numerous times since its opening. It peaked at position 24 in 2002, [19] before it dropped to 50 in 2008 [20] and rose again to 38 in 2011. Since then, it has not ranked on the Golden Ticket Awards' list of top 50 steel coasters. [21]
Year | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
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Ranking | – [22] | 36 [23] | 24 [19] | 25 [24] | 27 [25] | 33 [26] | 33 [27] | 36 [28] | 50 [20] | 44 [29] | – [30] | 38 [21] | – [31] | – [32] | – [33] | – [34] | – [35] | – [36] | – [37] | – [38] |