Jump to content

Batman: The Ride

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Acabashi (talk | contribs) at 16:42, 14 April 2013 (Tidy / Rm temp). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Not to be confused with Batman Adventure – The Ride or Batman The Escape.
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.
Height100 or 105 ft (30 or 32 m)
Length2,693 or 2,700 ft (821 or 823 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 Six Flags theme parks. Built by consulting engineers by Bolliger & Mabillard, it rises to a height of between 100 and 105 feet (30 and 32 m) and reaches top speeds of 50 miles per hour (80 km/h). The original roller coaster at Six Flags Great America was the world's first inverted roller coaster when it opened in 1992, and has since been awarded Coaster Landmark status by the American Coaster Enthusiasts.[1][4] Its decorative theme is based on the first Batman film. Clones of the ride exist at amusement parks around the world.

History

The concept of an inverted roller coaster with inversions was developed by Jim Wintrode, the general manager of Six Flags Great America, in the 1990s.[1][5] To develop the idea, Wintrode worked with Walter Bolliger and Claude Mabillard – from Swiss roller coaster manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard – and engineer Robert Mampe.[1] The Ride soft opened to the public on May 2, 1992, with an official opening one week later.[1][6] Although the full cost of the Ride was never disclosed, it was the single biggest investment made by Six Flags Great America on one attraction.[7]

Clones of the original Ride, at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois, became a staple at Six Flags theme parks around the world, and were opened in Six Flags Great Adventure (1993), Six Flags Magic Mountain (1994), and Six Flags St. Louis (1995).[2][8][9] Installation of the Ride followed at Six Flags Over Georgia (1997), and Six Flags Over Texas (1999).[10][11]

In 2002 La Ronde amusement park, Montreal, opened a clone of the Ride under the name Le Vampire (The Vampire), and Warner Bros. Movie World Madrid, under the name Batman: La Fuga (Batman: The Escape).[12][13] As 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 allowed.[14] The La Ronde Ride was expected to become Batman: The Ride when the park was scheduled to be converted to a Six Flags-branded park in the mid-2000s, however, these changes were not initiated.[15]

Other non-Six Flags amusement parks that installed Batman: The Ride clones are Diavlo at Himeji Central Park in Japan (1994),[16] The Great White at SeaWorld in San Antonio, Texas (1997),[17] and Lightning at Entertainment City in Kuwait (2004).[18]

One of the last installations of the Ride was at Six Flags New Orleans in 2003,[19] having been relocated from the Japanese park Thrill Valley where it operated as Gambit from 1995 to 2002.[20] In 2005 the effects of Hurricane Katrina caused Six Flags to abandon its New Orleans park,[21] and after standing but not operating for two years, the Ride there was relocated to Six Flags Fiesta Texas where, in 2008, it opened as Goliath.[22][23]

On February 21, 2013, Six Flags Great America announced that their Batman: The Ride roller coaster would run backwards for a limited time during the 2013 season.[24]

Characteristics

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

Structure

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 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 exerts up to four times the force of gravity.[2][6][8][9][10][11][19]

Ride clones operate with two steel and fiberglass trains, each containing eight cars. Each car seats four riders in a single row for a total of 32 riders per train.[2][6][8][9][10][11][19]

Theming around the ride at Six Flags Great America

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, although the layout for each successive attraction is identical or a mirror image of the original.[25]

Batman: The Ride begins with the track floor descending. The train moves out of the station and up a chain lift hill. At the top of the hill the train dips down through Bolliger & Mabillard's signature "pre-drop", coasts down a 180-degree swoop to the left, and drops into the first 360-degree vertical loop. It then flips through a zero-g roll to the right, followed by another vertical loop. The train then travels upward around a tight helix to the left, then through a wider turn to the right, drops slightly, and quickly turns through the first wingover element, also known as a flat spin or corkscrew. Following this is a tight right turn and another wingover, then a tight left turnaround before the train enters the final brake run.[2][6][8][9][10][11][19][26]

Color scheme

While some Batman: The Ride clones opened with dark blue track and supports, others featured gray and yellow. Over the years there have been modifications in Ride color schemes, with more incorporating yellows, blues, and purples. The original Ride at Six Flags Great America retained the original black color scheme until 2004, when the track was painted yellow, and supports dark purple.[6] Six Flags Great Adventure originally featured a black color scheme with yellow rails until 2004, when the track was repainted yellow.[2] For the 2010 season, the clone at Six Flags Magic Mountain was repainted medium blue with black supports, and Six Flags Over Georgia, medium blue with dark blue supports.

Experience

Six Flags designers' decorative theme attempts to capture the spirit of Batman's world for those queuing to board the ride. The queue moves through Gotham City Park,[27] which gives the effect of a well-ordered place, and passes a plaque that reads "Dedicated to the citizens of Gotham City through the generosity of Bruce Wayne." Beyond this is a well-maintained advertising wall, with graffiti and criminal tags opposite. As the queue approaches the ride, the theme becomes more ominous. Modeled after Anton Furst's award-winning set design for the original Batman film, the atmosphere indicates a crime-ridden and dirty environment, with wrecked cars, discarded pieces of equipment, crumbling concrete, and a Gotham City Police car riddled with bullet holes. The queue then enters the Ride structure, which has a large fan at its far end, and moves up stairs into an environment resembling Axis Chemicals from the first Batman film. The ride passenger loading area is modeled on Batman's Batcave,[27] complete with a Batsuit vault on the opposite side of the track. During queuing, Batman film music plays, from Danny Elfman, U2, Prince, and Seal.

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 on 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.[28]

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, where 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.[29][30]

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. ^ Marden, Duane. "Diavlo  (Himeji Central Park)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  17. ^ Marden, Duane. "Great White  (SeaWorld San Antonio)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  18. ^ Marden, Duane. "Lightning  (Kuwait Entertainment City)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  19. ^ a b c d Marden, Duane. "Batman: The Ride  (Six Flags New Orleans)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  20. ^ Marden, Duane. "Gambit  (Thrill Valley)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  21. ^ "New Orleans: Six Flags New Orleans". Six Flags. Archived from the original on March 27, 2007. Retrieved November 13, 2010.
  22. ^ "Six Flags' Flashback coaster will live on (somewhere else)". kvue.com. September 27, 2012. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  23. ^ Marden, Duane. "Goliath  (Six Flags Fiesta Texas)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  24. ^ "Six Flags Great America Announces BATMAN: The Ride Backwards" (Press release). Six Flags Great America. February 21, 2013. Retrieved February 21, 2013.
  25. ^ Marden, Duane. "Roller Coaster Search Results  (Model = Batman)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  26. ^ Alvey, Robb. "Batman The Ride POV Roller Coaster Front Seat Onride Six Flags Over Georgia". Theme Park Review. YouTube. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  27. ^ 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)
  28. ^ "Six Flags' worker is killed in inverted coaster's path". Toledo Blade. May 28, 2002. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  29. ^ "Teen Decapitated in Six Flags Accident". CBS News. June 28, 2008. Retrieved January 1, 2011.
  30. ^ Cook, Rhonda. "Boy Decapitated by Roller Coaster at Six Flags over Georgia is ID'd". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved January 1, 2011.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Batman: The Ride.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Batman:_The_Ride&oldid=550330222"