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Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom

Coordinates: 40°08′26″N 74°26′01″W / 40.140623°N 74.433543°W / 40.140623; -74.433543
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Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom
Zumanjaro under construction in 2014
Six Flags Great Adventure
AreaGolden Kingdom
Coordinates40°08′26″N 74°26′01″W / 40.140623°N 74.433543°W / 40.140623; -74.433543
StatusClosed
Opening dateJuly 4, 2014 (2014-07-04)
Closing dateNovember 12, 2023
ReplacedRolling Thunder
Ride statistics
Attraction typeDrop tower
ManufacturerIntamin
Height415 ft (126 m)
Speed90 mph (140 km/h)
Vehicles3
Riders per vehicle8
Height restriction48–77 in (122–196 cm)
Flash Pass was available
Single rider line was available

Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom (/zuːmɪnˈdʒɑːroʊ/, zoo-man-JARR-OH) is a decommissioned[a] amusement ride located at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson Township, New Jersey. The 415 ft (126 m) attraction is attached to the Kingda Ka roller coaster, and opened as the tallest drop tower ride in the world in 2014.[1] It closed in November 2023.

History

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On May 21, 2005, Kingda Ka opened to the public and became the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world at that time, overtaking both world records from Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point.[2][3]

Rumors that Six Flags Great Adventure would be adding a drop tower attached to Kingda Ka, similar to Lex Luthor: Drop of Doom at Six Flags Magic Mountain, emerged in February 2012. In August, theme park enthusiast website Screamscape mentioned that Rolling Thunder may be removed at the end of the 2013 season.[4]

On August 29, 2013, Six Flag's chairman, president, and CEO, Jim Reid-Anderson, officially announced Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom for the 2014 season, which would be attached to Kingda Ka, along with the other new rides to be built at other Six Flags parks.[1][5] In the press release, it was confirmed that Rolling Thunder would close on September 8, 2013, and be demolished. The new ride is inspired by the park's 2013 addition, Safari Off Road Adventure.[6] The area adjacent to the Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom would be a new habitat for African baboons, which will replace the 2011 addition, Safari Discoveries.[7]

On April 1, 2014, the final track piece for the drop tower ride was erected into place by park construction crews.[8] The ride opened to the public on July 4, 2014.[9]

Opening

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Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom was first slated to open originally during the Memorial Day Weekend of 2014. Two weeks before opening the new attraction along with the reopening of Kingda Ka, Six Flags Great Adventure delayed its opening due to the weather during the construction of the ride with its extreme heights.[10] Despite the delayed opening in late May, Kingda Ka reopened only during the weekends of the summer until the opening of the drop tower. On June 26, 2014, Six Flags Great Adventure announced the opening of the new attraction for the Fourth of July holiday weekend.[11] Hours before the soft-opening of Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom on July 2, 2014, the theme park delayed the opening of the drop tower again for the second time. Six Flags Great Adventure stated that the state of New Jersey had not granted the park the operating permit to open the new drop tower.[12][13] However, two days after the second delayed opening, the park opened the ride to the public on July 4, 2014.[14]

Closure

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In late 2024, rumors began circulating regarding the potential closure of Kingda Ka and Zumanjaro.[15] On November 14, 2024, Six Flags confirmed that Kingda Ka would be "retired" in order to make way for "a record breaking multi launch coaster".[16][17] The park also confirmed that the drop tower had closed.[17]

On December 20, 2024 the park announced that both Kingda Ka and Zumanjaro will be completely scrapped.[citation needed]

VR

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In 2017, virtual reality headsets were added as an optional feature on the ride, which were Samsung Gear VR headsets powered by Oculus. Riders wearing the headsets would experience a 360-degree, 3D simulation of being in a futuristic helicopter that was fending off an attack by mutant spiders.[18]

Ride experience

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Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom under construction

Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom consisted of three free-fall drop attractions, each mounted to a lateral flank of the Kingda Ka structure. Each of the three towers featured a single floorless gondola seating eight abreast. Before riding, riders waited in a line queue along a new African baboon habitat. Upon boarding, riders were secured by over-the-shoulder restraints. Catch cars hoisted the gondolas up the tower to a height of 415 feet (126 m). The gondolas were then released into a free-fall descent, attaining a maximum velocity of 90 mph (140 km/h) over the course of six seconds.[1][7] On clear days, riders were able to see Philadelphia, which is 52 miles (84 km) away from the park, according to a Six Flags spokeswoman.[7]

Statistics

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  • 415 ft (126 m) tall
  • 90 mph (140 km/h)
  • Ascends in 30 seconds
  • Drops in 10 seconds
  • Decelerates at 3.5g
  • Three towers built on Kingda Ka
  • Eight-person gondolas with 24 riders per cycle
  • Three gondolas ascend simultaneously but drop independently
  • 5,551 ft (1,692 m) of wire ropes and cables were used to build Zumanjaro, which is equal to 617 jumping ropes.
  • 2,490 ft (760 m) of guide rail (track)
  • 810 ft (250 m) of linear magnetic brakes
  • 62,544 lb (28,369 kg) of drum/motor to lift riders to the top
  • 161 different kinds of bolts and a grand total of 26,502 bolts
  • The drum/winch mechanism that operates the lift cable is 17 ft (5.2 m) wide by 9 ft (2.7 m) in diameter
  • Construction crews added 226,226 lb (102,614 kg) of steel structural reinforcing columns to Kingda Ka to support Zumanjaro.

Records

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Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom held the record for the tallest and fastest drop tower ride in the world till its closure, taking the record from Lex Luthor: Drop of Doom at Six Flags Magic Mountain on July 4, 2014.[1][14]

Preceded by World's Tallest Vertical Drop Tower
July 4, 2014 – 11 November 2024 		Succeeded by

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ The ride appears to be slated for removal, but no modifications to it have been made yet.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "New for 2014". Six Flags. August 29, 2013. Archived from the original on September 1, 2013. Retrieved August 29, 2013.
  2. ^ Marden, Duane. "Kingda Ka  (Six Flags Great Adventure)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  3. ^ Marden, Duane. "Six Flags Great Adventure will launch the tallest, fastest roller coaster on earth and new jungle domain with tiger exhibit for 2005". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  4. ^ "Six Flags Great Adventure". Screamscape. Archived from the original on September 1, 2013. Retrieved September 1, 2013.
  5. ^ Oglesby, Amanda (August 29, 2013). "New Six Flags ride 'Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom' to feature 90-mph drop". Detroit Free Press. Archived from the original on September 1, 2013. Retrieved September 1, 2013.
  6. ^ "Six Flags Great Adventure Announces World Record-Breaking Ride for 2014". Six Flags Great Adventure. August 29, 2013. Archived from the original on September 1, 2013. Retrieved September 1, 2013.
  7. ^ a b c Oglseby, Amanda (August 29, 2013). "New Six Flags ride to feature 90-mph drop". Asbury Park Press. Archived from the original on November 25, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  8. ^ Mirgoli, Nicholus (April 2014). "Final Track Piece of Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom Completed on the World's Tallest Drop Tower at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, NJ". ThemeParkOverload.net. Archived from the original on April 15, 2014. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
  9. ^ "Great Adventure's 'Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom' ride opens after numerous delays". The Star-Ledger. July 4, 2014. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  10. ^ Dowling, Matt (May 15, 2014). "New 41-story 'Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom' ride opening at Six Flags Great Adventure is delayed". The Star-Ledger. Archived from the original on May 18, 2014. Retrieved July 3, 2014.
  11. ^ Kuperinsky, Amy (June 27, 2014). "Back on track: Six Flags' stalled Zumanjaro plunge to open". The Star-Ledger. Archived from the original on July 1, 2014. Retrieved July 3, 2014.
  12. ^ "State Officials Reviewing Six Flags Great Adventure's 'Drop Of Doom'". New York CBS Local. July 2, 2014. Archived from the original on July 6, 2014. Retrieved July 3, 2014.
  13. ^ "Important Zumanjaro Update: There Will Be No Zumanjaro Today". philebrity.com. July 2, 2014. Archived from the original on July 29, 2014. Retrieved July 3, 2014.
  14. ^ a b "Great Adventure's 'Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom' ride opens after numerous delays". The Star-Ledger. July 4, 2014. Archived from the original on July 8, 2014. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
  15. ^ Coleman, Chris (September 24, 2024). "Is Six Flags really closing Kingda Ka at Great Adventure?". Cat Country 107.3. Retrieved November 15, 2024.
  16. ^ Williams, Damon C. (November 14, 2024). "Why did Six Flags Great Adventure shut down Kingda Ka and what's next". Asbury Park Press NJ. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  17. ^ a b Kausch, Katie (November 14, 2024). "Kingda Ka closed to make way for 'record-breaking' mystery ride at Six Flags Great Adventure". nj. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  18. ^ "Six Flags Great Adventure unveils virtual reality drop ride 'Drop of Doom'".
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