Goliath (Six Flags Over Georgia)

Goliath
	Goliath
	Goliath's 170-foot (52 m) first drop
Location	Six Flags Over Georgia
Park section	USA Section
Coordinates	33°46′09″N 84°33′00″W / 33.76917°N 84.55°WCoordinates: 33°46′09″N 84°33′00″W / 33.76917°N 84.55°W
Status	Operating
Opened	April 1, 2006
Cost	$20,000,000
Type	Steel
Manufacturer	Bolliger & Mabillard
Designer	Bolliger & Mabillard
Model	Mega Coaster
Track layout	Out and Back
Lift/launch system	Chain lift hill
Height	200 ft (61 m)
Drop	175 ft (53 m)
Length	4,480 ft (1,370 m)
Max speed	70 mph (110 km/h)
Inversions	0
Duration	2:45
Max vertical angle	59°
Capacity	1220 riders per hour
Max G force	4.1
Height restriction	4 ft 6 in (137 cm)
	Flash Pass Available
	Goliath at RCDB
	Pictures of Goliath at RCDB
	Amusement Parks Portal

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Goliath is a hyper coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia. Designed by Bolliger & Mabillard and opened in April 2006, Goliath reaches a height of 200 feet (61 m), and a top speed of 70 mph (110 km/h). Its 4,480 feet (1,370 m) of track is spread out over an 8.5-acre (34,000 m²) site. Goliath is the third of five roller coasters built by Six Flags Theme Parks to carry the name, but each of the rides is a unique design.

[edit] Attraction history

In August 2005, Six Flags Over Georgia announced it was closing down its long-standing Great Gasp attraction, as well as its lesser-known Looping Starship, to make way for a future attraction. Goliath was first hinted at in a teaser flier sent to media outlets, with the official announcement made September 1, 2005.

Construction began in earnest after the removal of the two closed attractions, with the main structure completed in early 2006. After testing and media previews, Goliath debuted to the public on April 1, 2006.

[edit] Theme

Goliath's station is located in the park's USA section. In the early 1990s, the section was renovated and given a theme reminiscent of 1950s America, as evidenced by its Dee Jay's Diner restaurant and Drive-In theater. On the surface, an ultra-modern roller coaster would seem thematically out of place. However, the attraction's queue uses many novelty music tracks from the 1950s, all with science-fiction or outer-space themes (including both versions of the theme song to the Lost in Space television series). This would suggest that Goliath is a vision of the future as seen during the early days of the Space Age.

[edit] Trains and Station

Goliath features open, side-less trains with individual lap bar restraints. There are a total of 2 trains, and each train seats 4 across and has 9 rows for a total of 36 seats.

[edit] Track layout

Goliath begins as the coaster leaves the station and turns left to start up the 200-foot (61 m) lift hill. Upon reaching the top, it drops 170 feet (52 m) to the midway below. The roller coaster angles to the left slightly as it climbs the second hill, crossing over the Georgia Scorcher roller coaster and two other attractions in a single bound. The second drop, the tallest on the ride at 175 feet (53 m), travels down towards the park's entrance road and out of the park grounds. At the bottom of the hill, the roller coaster makes another left turn above a pond and climbs again. The third hill leads to a 129-foot (39 m) drop, also over water.

Goliath starts its return trip by climbing to the top of a 540-degree spiral, making a full circle and half of another as it descends. After another hill, the roller coaster then enters a sharply-banked right turn, returning to the station via a series of smaller hills. Goliath's on-ride camera takes the riders' photographs before the train makes a final left-hand turn with a short hop onto the brakes, ending the ride.