Vortex (Kings Island)
| Vortex | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Kings Island | |
| Location | Kings Island |
| Park section | Coney Mall |
| Coordinates | 39°20′27″N 84°15′51″W / 39.340724°N 84.264219°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Opening date | April 11, 1987 |
| Closing date | October 27, 2019 |
| Cost | $4,000,000 USD |
| Replaced | The Bat |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel |
| Manufacturer | Arrow Dynamics |
| Model | Custom Looping Coaster |
| Lift/launch system | Chain lift hill |
| Height | 148 ft (45 m) |
| Drop | 138 ft (42 m) |
| Length | 3,800 ft (1,200 m) |
| Speed | 55 mph (89 km/h) |
| Inversions | 6 |
| Duration | 2:30 |
| Max vertical angle | 55° |
| Capacity | 1,600 riders per hour |
| G-force | 3.9 |
| Height restriction | 48 in (122 cm) |
| Trains | 3 trains with 7 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 28 riders per train. |
 Fast Lane available | |
 Must transfer from wheelchair | |
| Vortex at RCDB | |
Vortex is a steel roller coaster located at Kings Island amusement park in Mason, Ohio. Designed and manufactured by Arrow Dynamics at a cost of $4 million, the ride officially opened to the public on April 11, 1987. Vortex debuted as the tallest, full-circuit roller coaster with the longest drop in the world. It is also the first coaster to feature six inversions.
Vortex occupies the same location in the park once held by The Bat, the world's first suspended roller coaster. Tied to the coaster's debut, attendance at Kings Island exceeded 3 million in 1987 for the first time. It has accommodated more than 46 million guests throughout its lifespan, making Vortex one of the most frequently-ridden attractions in park history. It closed permanently on October 27, 2019.
History
For the design and construction of Vortex, Kings Island turned to Arrow Dynamics, an industry-leading manufacturer at the time. Construction began in the winter of 1986 on the former location of The Bat, the world's first suspended roller coaster, which was removed after the 1983 season. Kings Island invested over $4 million in the ride, which required 750 tons of steel to construct.[1] The line queue and train station from The Bat were reused for the Vortex.[2][3] The ride opened to the public on April 11, 1987,[4] and helped the park exceed 3 million visitors for the first time in its history.[1][5] At its inauguration, Vortex briefly set a few records for full-circuit roller coasters. It was the tallest, featured the highest drop, and had the most inversions with six. All were surpassed the following year with the debut of Shockwave at Six Flags Great America.[4][6]
Vortex has been repainted at least twice: during the 2001 season[7] and again in April 2009 before opening day.[8] The ride celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2012, and since its debut, over 44 million guests have ridden Vortex, ranking it seventh in Kings Island's history and sixth among active rides as of 2018[update].[9]
On September 27, 2019, the park announced plans to close Vortex permanently on October 27, 2019.[10][11] Area Manager Don Helbig stated that the coaster had reached end-of-life for service.[10][11]
Ride experience
Inversions
| Inversion | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Vertical Loop |
| 2 | Vertical Loop |
| 3 | Corkscrew |
| 4 | Corkscrew |
| 5 | Part 1 of Batwing element |
| 6 | Part 2 of Batwing element |
Layout
As the train leaves the station, it dips slightly taking a hard right into the beginning of the lift hill. The train ascends slowly giving riders a view of the park including The Beast to the left, Diamondback straight ahead, and the Eiffel Tower to the right. Once reaching the top, the train dips slightly, immediately making a right hand turn into a 138 ft, 55-degree nosedive down the first drop. The train then ascends into a left-banking turn as the track flattens out. After turning roughly 180 degrees, the track straightens briefly before descending into a sharp left turn that takes riders through two vertical loops. Off the vertical loops, the train ascends, goes around a 180 degree turn to the right, and enters the midcourse brake run, which slows the train almost to a complete stop. Next, the train drops off the midcourse brakes into a pair of corkscrews. The second corkscrew threads through the gap directly between the vertical loops. The train then goes through a right hand turn and goes through a boomerang, that inverts riders two additional times. There is an on-ride camera in the dip between the two parts of the boomerang. The train then enters its final maneuver – a 450-degree ascending clockwise helix – that generates positive g forces before the train hits the final brake run. A final right-hand turn is made to re-enter the station.
Incidents
On Saturday, July 2, 2011, damage to Vortex's chain lift was detected by a computer as a train was pulling out of the station. The ride was stopped and all passengers were able to safely exit. The ride remained closed for several weeks while a replacement part was on order.[12]
References
- ^ a b Richardson, Rachel (April 17, 2014). "Kings Island's biggest and baddest". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
- ^ "Random Facts". KingsIslandCentral.com. Archived from the original on 14 April 2012. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
- ^ "KIExtreme.com". @2003-2012 KIExtreme. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
- ^ a b "Vortex at Kings Island". COASTER-net.com.
- ^ "Kings Island tops 3 million". Associated Press. Mansfield News Journal. October 6, 1987. p. 4-B. Retrieved October 7, 2018 – via newspapers.com
.
- ^ "Vortex at visitkingsisland.com". Cedar Fair Parks. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
- ^ "Coasterbuzz.com". Retrieved 2 May 2012.
- ^ "Vortex Gets a New Paint Job". KICentral.com. 2 April 2009. Retrieved 11 May 2012.
- ^ Helbig, Don (April 11, 2018). "This Day In Kings Island History: The Vortex Debuts". Kings Island. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
- ^ a b Helbig, Don (September 27, 2019). "Kings Island to Retire Vortex After 33 Seasons". Kings Island. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
- ^ a b "Vortex roller coaster closing at Kings Island after 33 seasons". WCPO. September 27, 2019. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
- ^ Goldsmith, Ethan (July 13, 2011). "Kings Island Closes Vortex to replace part". Fox 19. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
External links
