Flight of Fear (Kings Island)
| Flight of Fear | |
|---|---|
 Entrance to the attraction | |
| Kings Island | |
| Location | Kings Island |
| Park section | Coney Mall |
| Status | Operating |
| Opening date | 1996 |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel – Enclosed |
| Manufacturer | Premier Rides |
| Designer | Werner Stengel |
| Model | LIM Catapult |
| Lift/launch system | LIM Launch |
| Inversions | 4 |
| Duration | 1:00 |
| Capacity | 2,000 riders per hour |
| Acceleration | 0-54 MPH in 4 seconds |
| G-force | 4.5 |
| Flight of Fear at RCDB | |
Flight of Fear is a roller coaster at Kings Island and has a clone at Kings Dominion. For most of the 2006 operating season, the clone at Kings Dominion had been closed, but reopened on August 18 under the management of new owner Cedar Fair, L.P.
Flight of Fear was a first for their desiger, Premier Rides. This was the first roller coaster ever to use a launch system driven by linear induction motors. Since then Premier has built many other rides using LIM's. The two Flight of Fear is therefore the fastest indoor rollers coasters in the world.
During the 2007 season, the ride was equipped with cameras that recorded video of riders that were available for purchase. The in-car video cameras were removed for the 2008 season.
Layout
After boarding Flight of Fear, riders are launched through a narrow launch tunnel into a "spaghetti bowl" of track which contains a cobra roll, a sidewinder, and many twists and turns. After reaching the ride's mid-course brake run, riders spiral downward and to the left, and after more twists and turns they pass through a corkscrew before arriving at the ride's final brake run.
Premier Rides built several of these LIM Catapult roller coasters from 1996 to 1999, although, of those, only the two Flight of Fear rides are indoors. The outdoor LIM Catapult coasters in the United States are Joker's Jinx at Six Flags America, Poltergeist at Six Flags Fiesta Texas; both opened in 1999. In addition, a LIM Catapult coaster called Mad Cobra operated at Suzuka Circuit in Japan from 1998-2003; Mad Cobra was moved to China and reopened at Kingdoms of Discovery in 2006. [1] [2] The five Premier LIM catapult coasters share a similar layout and have the same technical specifications. They are often called the "spaghetti bowl" coasters by enthusiasts, due to the twisted appearance of the track that is similar to a bowl of spaghetti noodles.
Statistics and awards
Flight of Fear was built by Premier Rides and was the world's first linear induction motor roller coaster. Its highest peak is 74 ft; and its total length is 2,705 feet. Its maximum speed, which is attained in less than four seconds during its launch, is 56 mph. [3] The launch requires 3 megawatts of electric power. [4] When it opened, Flight of Fear had the fastest acceleration of any roller coaster in the world. Flight of Fear won awards at the November 1995 International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions trade show for the best new Major Theme/Amusement Park Ride/Attraction and Technology Applied to Amusements. [5] [6]
Flight of Fear initially had over-the-shoulder restraints, but those were replaced with individual ratcheting lapbars at the beginning of the 2001 season. The over-the-shoulder restraints, combined with the curving track, caused young riders' heads to bounce back and forth between the restraints. The new lapbar system won Flight of Fear its third award from the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, and its second for Technology Applied to Amusements. [7] [8]
Theming
Originally, the ride was themed to the television show The Outer Limits and was called The Outer Limits: Flight of Fear. Because the license for using the The Outer Limits name and theming expired, the ride's name changed to Flight of Fear at the start of the 2001 season, which coincided with the over-the-shoulder restraints being replaced by lap bars.
The ride's queue still contains UFO-related theming, although it is no longer based on a television show or film. The ride's building is designed to represent a military installation, and has a sign outside informing riders, "You are entering a government security zone. Area under constant surveillance." [10] The queue contains several distinct stages. Riders enter the Flight of Fear building through a "Press Area" which includes queue switchbacks under an awning. These outside switchbacks are only used if the interior switchbacks are completely filled, so that riders may wait in the comfort of the air-conditioned interior. They are then led down a narrow tunnel into the interior of the hangar, where a mockup of one half of a UFO appears to be sitting in the middle of the room via the use of mirrors. The UFO includes strobe lightning effects. The queue winds around inside of the building before entering the underside of the UFO up a short flight of stairs. Inside the interior queue area, a video played over multiple monitors that explains how the UFO was recovered not far from the park. While some of the personnel of the base are running tests on it, other personnel are convinced it's a hoax and decide to allow the public inside the hangar to view it.
The queue takes a right turn inside the UFO and then sharp left turn into the boarding area. The loading and unloading sections are separate, so riders in the loading side of the station see an empty train returning. Inside the loading station there are pods which contain mannequins dressed in the park's souvenier clothing and wrapped in plastic to look like they've been captured by the aliens. While the train is loading and waiting to be dispatched, a sound effect is played that imitates a jet engine warming up. As the train is dispatched, a sound effect similar to a take off is played and the lights in the launch tunnel flicker in a wave pattern.
In addition, the two stations are the only parts of the ride which had much lighting; most of the ride is in the dark. As such, the Flight of Fear buildings at Kings Dominion and Kings Island have also been used to store trains and parts for other rides; the Kings Island Flight of Fear building formerly held the trains for the park's defunct stand-up coaster, King Cobra and still holds some of the seats removed from The Crypt.
The building the ride is located is labeled "Hangar 18". Perhaps a reference to the hanger at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base which supposedly houses extraterrestrial debris. There is also a sign above the entrance to the queue that reads "Fort Kinzel Press Area," a reference to Cedar Fair Entertainment Company CEO Richard Kinzel.