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Batman: The Ride

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Not to be confused with Batman Adventure – The Ride.
Batman: The Ride
Entrance to Batman: The Ride at Six Flags Magic Mountain
Six Flags Great America
Park sectionYankee Harbor
Coordinates42°22′07″N 87°56′01″W / 42.368560°N 87.933642°W / 42.368560; -87.933642
StatusOperating
Soft opening dateMay 2, 1992 (1992-05-02)[1]
Opening dateMay 9, 1992 (1992-05-09)
Six Flags Great Adventure
Park sectionMovie Town
Coordinates40°08′10″N 74°26′38″W / 40.135988°N 74.443951°W / 40.135988; -74.443951
StatusOperating
Opening dateMay 1, 1993 (1993-05-01)
Six Flags Magic Mountain
Park sectionDC Universe
Coordinates34°25′33″N 118°36′03″W / 34.425854°N 118.600778°W / 34.425854; -118.600778
StatusOperating
Opening dateMarch 26, 1994 (1994-03-26)
ReplacedZ-Force
Six Flags St. Louis
Park sectionStudio Backlot
Coordinates38°30′49″N 90°40′24″W / 38.513535°N 90.673207°W / 38.513535; -90.673207
StatusOperating
Opening dateApril 22, 1995 (1995-04-22)
Six Flags Over Georgia
Park sectionGotham City
Coordinates33°46′10″N 84°32′47″W / 33.769495°N 84.546366°W / 33.769495; -84.546366
StatusOperating
Opening dateMay 3, 1997 (1997-05-03)
Six Flags Over Texas
Park sectionGotham City
Coordinates32°45′29″N 97°03′59″W / 32.758093°N 97.066392°W / 32.758093; -97.066392
StatusOperating
Opening dateMay 26, 1999 (1999-05-26)
Six Flags New Orleans
Park sectionDC Comics Super Heroes Adventures
Coordinates30°02′59″N 89°56′05″W / 30.049732°N 89.934758°W / 30.049732; -89.934758
StatusRemoved
Opening dateApril 12, 2003 (2003-04-12)
Closing dateAugust 2005 (2005-08)
General statistics
TypeSteel – Inverted
ManufacturerBolliger & Mabillard
DesignerWerner Stengel
ModelInverted Coaster – Batman
Lift/launch systemChain lift hill
Inversions5
Duration2 minutes
Capacity1280–1400[2][3] riders per hour
G-force4
Height restriction54 in (137 cm)
Trains2 trains with 8 cars. Riders are arranged 4 across in a single row for a total of 32 riders per train.
Height2,693 or 2,700 ft (821 or 823 m)
Length100 or 105 ft (30 or 32 m)
Speed50 mph (80 km/h)
Flash Pass available
Batman: The Ride at RCDB

Batman: The Ride is a steel inverted roller coaster found in many Six Flags theme parks including Six Flags Great America, Six Flags Great Adventure, Six Flags Magic Mountain, Six Flags Over Georgia, Six Flags St. Louis, and Six Flags Over Texas. Built by Bolliger & Mabillard, the rides feature a height of between 100 and 105 feet (30 and 32 m) and reach top speeds of 50 miles per hour (80 km/h). The original coaster in Six Flags Great America was the first inverted roller coaster in the world when it opened in 1992 and has since been awarded Coaster Landmark status by the American Coaster Enthusiasts.[4][1] Outside of the Six Flags parks, a number of other clones also exist.

History

The concept of an inverted roller coaster with inversions was developed by Jim Wintrobe, the general manager of Six Flags Great America in the 1990s.[1][5] Wintrobe worked with Walter Bolliger and Claude Mabillard (from Swiss roller coaster firm Bolliger & Mabillard), as well as engineer Robert Mampe to turn this concept into reality.[1] Batman: The Ride soft opened to the public on May 2, 1992, with an official opening exactly one week later.[1][6] Although the full cost of the ride was never revealed, Batman: The Ride was the single biggest investment made by Six Flags Great America on the one attraction.[7] Writing on the walls of the Gotham City Park exists citing Bolliger, Mabillard and Wintrobe (among others) for the creation of the ride.

Batman: The Ride quickly became a staple at many Six Flags theme parks around the world. In 1993, 1994 and 1995, Six Flags Great Adventure, Six Flags Magic Mountain and Six Flags St. Louis, opened clones of the original Gurnee ride, respectively.[2][8][9] Six Flags Over Georgia and Six Flags Over Texas followed in 1997 and 1999, respectively.[10][11]

In 2002, both La Ronde and Warner Bros. Movie World Madrid opened clones of the ride under the names Le Vampire (The Vampire) and Batman: La Fuga (Batman: The Escape), respectively.[12][13] Since La Ronde is not a branded Six Flags park, the licensing agreement with Warner Bros. and DC Comics for the name Batman: The Ride was not valid.[14] The ride was expected to become Batman: The Ride when the park was scheduled to be converted into a Six Flags-branded park in the mid-2000s; however, neither action eventuated.[15]

The final installation of Batman: The Ride was at Six Flags New Orleans in 2003.[16] The ride was relocated from Japanese park Thrill Valley where it operated as Gambit from 1995 to 2002.[17] In 2005, the effects of Hurricane Katrina caused Six Flags to abandon the park.[18] After standing but not operating for two years, Six Flags New Orleans' Batman: The Ride was removed from the park and relocated to Six Flags Fiesta Texas where it opened as Goliath in 2008.[19][20]

Characteristics

A train waiting to depart the station at Six Flags Magic Mountain

Statistics

Each installation of Batman: The Ride has a track length of between 2,693 and 2,700 feet (821 and 823 m) and each reaches a top height of between 100 and 105 feet (30 and 32 m). The rides reach a top speed of 50 miles per hour (80 km/h) and excert up to four times the force of gravity on their riders.[6][2][8][9][10][11][16]

Trains

The Batman: The Ride clones each operate with two steel and fiberglass trains with eight cars each. Each car seats four riders in a single row for a total of 32 riders per train.[6][2][8][9][10][11][16]

Color scheme

While many of the Batman: The Ride clones opened with dark blue track and supports, some featured gray and yellow as well. Over the years, several have modified their color schemes, with more seeming to incorporate yellows, blues, and purples. The original Batman: The Ride at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee remained with its original black color scheme until 2004, when it was repainted with yellow track and dark purple supports.[6] Six Flags Great Adventure originally featured a black color scheme with yellow rails until 2004 when the whole track was repainted yellow.[2] Most recently, the clones at Six Flags Magic Mountain and Six Flags Over Georgia have been repainted medium blue with black supports and medium blue with dark blue supports, respectively, for the 2010 season.

Experience

Theming around the ride at Six Flags Great America

Queue and station

Six Flags designers attempted to capture the essence of Batman and his world while waiting in line for the ride. The beginning of the wait brings you into Gotham City Park,[21] with a plaque that reads, "Dedicated to the citizens of Gotham City through the generosity of Bruce Wayne." Walking through the well-kept environment can convince you that Gotham is a nice place. When you turn a corner, a well-kept advertising wall has graffiti and criminal tags on the other side. Park guests continue to enter an ominous environment as they get closer to the ride itself. Modeled after Anton Furst's award-winning set design for the original Batman film, guests find a crime-ridden and dirty environment, with wrecked cars, discarded pieces of equipment, crumbling concrete, and even a Gotham City Police car with bullet holes riddled on one side. Guests then enter the structure, with a large fan waiting on the other end. You then climb stairs into an environment resembling Axis Chemicals from the first film. The loading area is modeled after Batman's Batcave,[21] complete with a Batsuit vault on the other side of the track. Throughout this wait, Batman film music plays from Danny Elfman, U2, Prince and Seal.

Ride layout

A vertical loop and corkscrew on the ride at Six Flags Great America

The ride's layout was specifically designed to fit in the Yankee Harbor themed area at Six Flags Great America, though the layouts of each successive Batman attraction are identical or mirror images of the original.[22]

Batman: The Ride starts off with the floor descending and the train moving out of the station and up the chain lift hill. Once at the top, riders dip down through Bolliger & Mabillard's signature "pre-drop" and coast down a 180-degree swoop to the left, dropping riders into the first 360-degree vertical loop. Riders then quickly flip through a zero-g roll to the right, followed by another vertical loop. Next, riders fly upward around a tight helix to the left, soar through a wider turn to the right, and then drop a bit and quickly turn through the first wingover element, also known as a flat spin or corkscrew. Following this is a tight right turn and another wingover. The ride then features a tight left turnaround before the riders enter the final brake run.[6][2][8][9][10][11][16][23]

Incidents

An overview of the ride's first drop and vertical loop at Six Flags Great Adventure
See also: Incidents at Six Flags parks

On May 26, 2002, 58-year-old park employee Samuel Milton Guyton of Atlanta was killed in a danger zone under the Georgia Batman roller coaster's path by being struck in the head by the dangling leg of a 14-year-old girl on the front car of the ride. The girl was hospitalized with a leg injury.[24]

On June 28, 2008, a 17-year-old South Carolina teenager was decapitated at Six Flags Over Georgia by the Batman roller coaster ride. He was on a trip with his church's youth group. The teen scaled two fences with a friend into a danger zone. He was decapitated when the ride struck him. Although witnesses stated he was trying to retrieve his hat, a Cobb County police spokesman reported the teens were attempting to take a shortcut into the park after having finished lunch.[25][26]

Clones

Goliath at Six Flags Fiesta Texas

In addition to the Batman: The Ride clones that appear at Parque Warner Madrid (Batman: La Fuga), La Ronde (Le Vampire) and Six Flags Fiesta Texas (Goliath), a number of amusement parks which have never been related to Six Flags also have clones. These include Diavlo at Himeji Central Park in Japan,[27] The Great White at SeaWorld in San Antonio, Texas,[28] and Lightning at Entertainment City in Kuwait.[29]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Coaster Landmark Award - Batman: The Ride". American Coaster Enthusiasts. June 20, 2005. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Marden, Duane. "Batman The Ride  (Six Flags Great Adventure)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  3. ^ "Batman The Ride (Six Flags Magic Mountain)". Parkz. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  4. ^ "ACE Coaster Landmark Awards". Aceonline.org. Archived from the original on December 12, 2010. Retrieved January 1, 2011.
  5. ^ O'Brien, Tim (March 24, 2003). "In my office: Jim Wintrode". Amusement Business. 115 (12). {{cite journal}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  6. ^ a b c d e Marden, Duane. "Batman The Ride  (Six Flags Great America)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  7. ^ Muret, Don (1994). "New attraction takes Six Flags into world of virtual reality". Amusement Business. 106 (10). {{cite journal}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  8. ^ a b c d Marden, Duane. "Batman The Ride  (Six Flags Magic Mountain)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  9. ^ a b c d Marden, Duane. "Batman The Ride  (Six Flags St. Louis)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  10. ^ a b c d Marden, Duane. "Batman The Ride  (Six Flags Over Georgia)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  11. ^ a b c d Marden, Duane. "Batman The Ride  (Six Flags Over Texas)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  12. ^ Marden, Duane. "Vampire  (La Ronde)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  13. ^ Marden, Duane. "Batman la Fuga  (Parque Warner Madrid)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  14. ^ "Montreal-based theme park". Amusement Business. 115 (9). BPI Communications, Inc.: 6 March 3, 2003. ISSN 0003-2344.
  15. ^ O'Brien, Tim (May 13, 2002). "New Coasters Ready To Roll". Amusement Business. 114 (19): 23–25.
  16. ^ a b c d Marden, Duane. "Batman: The Ride  (Six Flags New Orleans)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  17. ^ Marden, Duane. "Gambit  (Thrill Valley)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  18. ^ "New Orleans: Six Flags New Orleans". Six Flags. Archived from the original on March 27, 2007. Retrieved November 13, 2010.
  19. ^ "Six Flags' Flashback coaster will live on (somewhere else)". kvue.com. September 27, 2012. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  20. ^ Marden, Duane. "Goliath  (Six Flags Fiesta Texas)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  21. ^ a b O'Brien, Tim (November 16, 1998). "Holy Thrills! Six Flags Over Texas Gets Batman Ride". Amusement Business. 110 (46): 3, 48. {{cite journal}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  22. ^ Marden, Duane. "Roller Coaster Search Results  (Model = Batman)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  23. ^ Alvey, Robb. "Batman The Ride POV Roller Coaster Front Seat Onride Six Flags Over Georgia". Theme Park Review. YouTube. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  24. ^ "Six Flags' worker is killed in inverted coaster's path". Toledo Blade. May 28, 2002. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  25. ^ "Teen Decapitated in Six Flags Accident". CBS News. June 28, 2008. Retrieved January 1, 2011.
  26. ^ Cook, Rhonda. "Boy Decapitated by Roller Coaster at Six Flags over Georgia is ID'd". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved January 1, 2011.
  27. ^ Marden, Duane. "Diavlo  (Himeji Central Park)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  28. ^ Marden, Duane. "Great White  (SeaWorld San Antonio)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  29. ^ Marden, Duane. "Lightning  (Kuwait Entertainment City)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
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