Kingda Ka

Kingda Ka
Six Flags Great Adventure
Location	Six Flags Great Adventure
Park section	The Golden Kingdom
Coordinates	40°08′23″N 74°26′5″W
Status	Closed
Opening date	May 21, 2005 (2005-05-21)
General statistics
Type	Steel – Launched
Manufacturer	Intamin
Designer	Werner Stengel
Model	Stratacoaster
Lift/launch system	Hydraulic launch
Height	456 ft (139 m)
Drop	418 ft (127 m)
Length	3,118 ft (950 m)
Speed	128 mph (206 km/h)
Duration	0:28
Max vertical angle	90°
Capacity	1400 riders per hour
Height restriction	54 in (137 cm)
Trains	4 trains with 5 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 20 riders per train.
Flash Pass Available
Kingda Ka at RCDB

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 128 miles per hour (206 km/h) in 2.0 seconds. At the end of the launch track, the train climbs the main top hat tower, reaching a height of 456 feet (139 m). Kingda Ka is 3,118 feet (950 m) long.

History

Kingda Ka was officially introduced on September 29, 2004, at an event held for the media and enthusiasts. It was revealed that the ride would become "the tallest and fastest roller coaster on earth", reaching 456 feet (139 m) and accelerating up to 128 miles per hour (206 km/h) in 3.5 seconds. Upon completion, Kingda Ka took both the "tallest" and "fastest" world records from the two-year-old Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point in Sandusky, OH. Since Intamin designed both Top Thrill Dragster and Kingda Ka, both rides share a nearly identical design and layout, differing only in theme and Kingda Ka's post-tower "camel hump" hill. On January 13, 2005, Kingda Ka was topped off at its 456-foot (139 m) height, finishing construction. Kingda Ka opened to the public on May 21, 2005, with a media day two days before.

During a test run with no passengers on June 6, 2005, a bolt failure caused damage to the launch cable, resulting in closure of the ride until August 2005, and the reconfiguration of the line area. The ride was also struck by lightning in early May 2009, the strike caused the ride to be unreliable and necessitated complicated repairs. The ride was operational from May 31, 2009, to June 24, 2009, but remained closed for maintenance until August 21, 2009.

Season 2, episode 28 of the documentary series MegaStructures follows the construction of the roller coaster in detail.

Major malfunctions

2005: Problems with launch cable, engine, and brake fins

On June 6, 2005, less than a month after its grand opening, a bolt failure caused the liner inside the trough through which the launch cable travels to come loose and create friction against the cable. The friction caused the train not to accelerate to the correct speed. The rubbing of the cable against the inside of the metal trough caused sparks and shards of metal to fly out from the bottom of the train. The engine, as it is designed, attempted to compensate by applying more force to the cable to attain the 128 miles per hour (206 km/h) launch speed.

The magnetic brake fins located within the launch section of the track, designed to slow the train on its return to the launch area should it not have enough speed to make it over the top hat element, rise up into the braking position in a sequential pattern after the train passes over them in the lowered position. The fins are mounted in steel supports that are connected to actuators that raise and lower the fins into the desired position.

Kingda Ka's tower

The fins actually caught up to the launching train as the timing pattern of the rising fins was faster than the accelerating train. The magnetic brakes began to slow the train in the launch area, and the engine tried to compensate even more and dragged the train through the brake zones. The catch car released, but the train was still in the brake zone and came to a complete stop at the bottom of the hill.

This malfunction occurred when no passengers were aboard during a test run. Damage occurred to the launch cable (frayed and needed to be replaced), engine (minor routine damage to seals), and brake fins (many needed to be replaced). The brake fins in the launch section are mounted in such a way to keep fast-moving trains from moving backward into the station, but a fast-moving train being pulled forward caused an unexpected stress on a number of fins that bent them forward. Not all of the fins needed to be replaced, but there were more damaged brake fins than Six Flags had replacements for, and extra brake fins had to be specially ordered from Intamin. In addition, Kingda Ka had to be re-inspected. Kingda Ka resumed testing on May 21, 2005. It reopened on August 4, 2005, with the line modified so that it no longer ran under the launch track. It had been the dark blue train that was launched when the malfunction occurred. It was used for the rest of the season, but major problems requiring replacement parts were discovered when the train was inspected during the off-season. Consequently, this train remained disassembled throughout the 2006 season.

Before 2005's major malfunction, Kingda Ka's queue area was much larger. It started at the main entrance arch, went under the launch track, traveled through two large switchback areas, and split into separate lines for each side of the station. Most of the entire line used to be set in the ride's infield. The current main entrance to the station was previously the "Flash pass" entrance.

2009: Late spring lightning strike

On the overnight of May 6-32, Kingda Ka was struck by lightning and suffered serious damage and downtime following the strike. The ride operated on May 9 and May 10 off and on with downtime more often than operating time. The park attempted to open the ride on May 16 but was unable to get it running properly. The park then announced that Kingda Ka was temporarily closed for maintenance. By May 20, it was announced that the ride would be down for an extended period of time. Six Flags Great Adventure ordered new parts for the ride from Intamin, but the damage required complicated repairs to Kingda Ka. A Screamscape post mentioned that, due to the nature of the needed repairs, Kingda Ka's launch would require a full test and adjust period, causing the ride to be closed to riders until late spring/early summer. It was up and running as of May 31, 2009, but with more light breakdowns than usual.

As of late June 2009 the ride was shut down for an extended period, stemming from complications from the year's issues, along with claims of a blown valve and serious engine troubles as they waited for replacement parts once again.

It was up and running as of August 21, 2009. It had been announced that Kingda Ka would be fully operational and running smoothly again for the 2010 season, which occurred on the same day as Six Flags, Inc.'s announcement of its Chapter 11 bankruptcy restructuring plan.

However, on July 8, 2010, problems arose with the launch cable. The train was getting ready to launch when the launch cable failed, and the train stayed near the station for over 50 minutes.

2011 breakdown

There are rumors that Hurricane Irene caused severe damage to Kingda Ka. There were even reports via social networking sites that it collapsed. However, the roller coaster did not and is still standing firmly but is temporarily closed for maintenance. While it is possible that the storm caused some sort of damage to the coaster, there were certainly damages prior to Hurricane Irene. On Thursday, August 25, 2011, the coaster had a rollback after its launch and that damage was severe enough to close the ride for the rest of the day. Friday, August 26, Kingda Ka did not reopen. On Saturday, August 27, Six Flags Great Adventure did not open due to the severity of the pending hurricane/tropical storm. While its unknown whether additional damage occurred due to Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irene, it is known that the coaster was damaged to the extent that it could not run prior to this. Reports are that parts to the ride have been ordered but repairs will not occur until the close of the season. Kingda Ka will remain closed until 2012.

Prior to the end of the 2011 season, Kingda Ka still remained in breakdown. It is unknown if the ride will be fully operational by the 2012 season start.

Ride experience

Theme

Kingda Ka is themed as a mythical tiger, and is named after the 500 lb (230 kg) Golden Tabby Bengal tiger that lives in a pen next to the ride. The ride's sign and station all have mythical Nepalese style theming. The ride's queue line is surrounded by bamboo, which adds on to the jungle theming. Jungle music is played during the wait, as well as throughout the entire Golden Kingdom section of the park, which was built for the ride. As of summer 2010, one of the park's male tigers is named after the ride.

Main Ride

After the train has been locked and checked, it slowly advances out of the station to the launch area. The train goes through a switch track which allows 4 trains on two tracks to load simultaneously. Once the train is in position, the hydraulic launch mechanism accelerates the train from 0 to 128 miles per hour (0 to 206 km/h) in 3.5 seconds, pulling about 1.67 G. At the end of the launch track, the train climbs the main tower, or top hat, twisting 90 degrees to the left before reaching a height of 456 feet (139 m). The train then descends 418 feet (127 m) straight down through a 270-degree right-hand spiral. Finally, the train climbs the second hill of 129 feet (39 m), producing a moment of weightlessness before being smoothly brought to a stop by the magnetic brakes. The train then makes a U-turn and enters the station. The ride lasts 28 seconds from the start of the launch.

The hydraulic launch motor is capable of producing 20,800 horsepower (15.5 MW) peak. Because of the high speed and open nature of the trains, the ride will not operate in light rain, as rider contact with rain drops can cause discomfort.

Layout

Kingda Ka's layout is almost completely identical to Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point, but while Top Thrill Dragster hits the brakes after coming down from the top hat and leveling out, Kingda Ka goes over a 129-foot (39 m)-tall camelback hill into the brake run.

Rollbacks, brake failures and stalls

Sometimes, it is possible for a train to roll back—to fail to go over the top of the tower and descend on the other side. The train instead reaches as high on the tower as it can go (in most cases to the very top) and rolls back. Kingda Ka includes retractable magnetic brakes on its launch track that will bring to a stop a train rolling backward down the tower. Rollbacks are more common in breezy weather or just after wet weather. Many riders look forward to a rollback, as they are treated to another launch. Rollbacks are frequent during safety tests to ensure all brakes on the runway are in working condition. One other issue that is even more rare than a rollback is for the train to "stall" or stop at the top of the lift. This is extremely rare because the train must be perfectly balanced for this to happen. In the event this happens, there is an elevator so workers can get up the support tower and push the train (usually down the descent side).

It is hard to know exactly when Kingda Ka's launch will occur. When the signal to launch is given, the train rolls back slightly to engage the catch car, then the brakes on the launch track retract. Occasionally there will be a voice that says "arms down, head back, and hold on." The launch will occur five seconds after the hissing sound of the brake fins retracting or the warning voice. Previously, Kingda Ka's horn sounded before every launch, but it has been turned off because of noise complaints from nearby residents. The horn now sounds only when Kingda Ka first launches after being idle for a certain period of time. Kingda Ka's launch mechanism is capable of launching a train every 30 seconds, resulting in a capacity of 1400 guests per hour.

Station

Kingda Ka's station has two parallel tracks with switch tracks at the entrance and exit. Each of the station's tracks accommodates two trains, so that each of the four trains has its own station. Each train only loads and unloads at its own station; it does not go to any others. During operation, the trains on one side are loaded while the trains on the other side are launched. This system works extremely efficiently as long as all four trains are running and there are no significant delays in loading and checking the trains. This system was not used at all in 2006 because only two trains were working that year. It also results in a very fast-moving line before the station, but a long wait inside the station, especially if waiting for the front row. An employee directs riders in line to go to a particular side of the station, but riders will then be able to choose the front or rear of the train. Two operators load, check and dispatch each train, and one launches the trains. Kingda Ka's music is by Safri Duo; almost their entire Episode II album is played in the queue and station. The other is the remix version of "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor. Both of these music can be heard during the queue and station.

Kingda Ka's switch track at the station's exit

Trains

Kingda Ka's four trains are color-coded for easy identification: green, dark blue, teal, and orange. These four colors are also used on the seats and restraints. Kingda Ka's trains seat 18 people, with two per row. The rear car has one row, while the rest have two. The rear row of each car is positioned higher than its front row for better visibility. The trains do not have official names, only numbers.

The dark blue train was being launched when 2005's major malfunction (see above) occurred, and problems stemming from this malfunction were discovered in the train's off-season rehab, putting this train out of service throughout the 2006 season. As a result, Kingda Ka only ran two trains for the whole year. The teal and green trains ran from the start of the season until late July, and the teal and orange trains ran for the rest of the season, with the teal train being the only train used for the whole season. Kingda Ka opened for the 2007 season with all four trains running.

Each of Kingda Ka's trains has a panel behind the last row of seats that covers an extra row of seat mounts. These panels could be removed for the installation of additional seats at some future time. This modification would increase the capacity of each train from 18 to 20 guests and the hourly capacity of the coaster from 1400 to 1600 guests per hour. Kingda Ka's station is already set up for this modification; it has the entrance gates for the currently nonexistent row of seats.

While this modification has not yet been done, the trains were slightly modified for the 2006 season - the nose of each train got a new coat of paint, after which the large "Kingda Ka" logo and the train number decals were not put back on the trains. The non-padded portions of the restraints are now bare metal rather than painted orange.

Seat restraints

Kingda Ka's seats with the restraints down

Kingda Ka's over-the-shoulder 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. But later on the flexible over-the-shoulder restraints were replaced by non-flexible shoulder restraints.

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. Kingda Ka'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.

Ride Experience

The roller coaster has a very simple layout. First the two trains at the station advance forward. The first train then waits about 30–40 seconds as a catch car rolls down the launch track and attaches to the train. After the brake fins lining the launch train lower a train is then launched at up to 128 miles per hour (206 km/h) towards the 456 ft (139 m) tower. The train then gradually raises up the ride tower 90 degrees up and then twists to the left 90 degrees. Once the train reaches the tower summit of 456 feet (139 m) the train then drops at a 90 degree right angle down the tower. The train pulls out of the spiral and down the tower at a near 120 miles per hour (190 km/h) into a hill 129 ft (39 m) high. At the peak of the 129 ft (39 m) hill the train begins to hit the brakes. After a final brake stop the train then turns left back into the station. The average time of the ride experience is only 28 seconds. The official ride time is 56 seconds.

External links

• Kingda Ka: SixFlags.com
• Kingda Ka Page on AmusementPics.com
• Kingda Ka Preview Article
• East Coast Coasters
• Kingda Ka