Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Superman: Ride of Steel soars over America again. This time it's in "Marlboro Country". The second in our series about these mammoth Intamin steel scream machines will take your breath away.
Six Flags America is located near Washington, D.C. in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. It was originally known as Wild World, and was primarily a water park. Due to bankruptcy, it closed for the 1991 season. Tierco Group, Inc. purchased the park and reopened it in 1992. It became Adventure World in 1994. In 1999, its name was changed to Six Flags America, and modern hi-tech rides and attractions were introduced.
Brochure Courtesy of Six Flags America
Colonial style architecture surrounds guests in this fun filled adventure park located near the nation's capital.
Visitors enter at the town square (Photo by Shredley)
Six Flags America is home to eight roller coasters. This impressive array of thrill rides includes a kiddie coaster, two great woodies, a superb flying coaster, two inverted coasters, a LIM launched delight, and of course the hypercoaster, Superman:Ride of Steel.
The Great Chase is a junior family steel coaster built by Zamperla in 1999. It is 280 feet long and ten feet high. The ride lasts a speck over one minute.
Kiddies blow their minds on the Great Chase (Photo by Jeff Rogers www.coastergallery.com)
The oldest of the wooden roller coasters is Wild One. It was originally built in 1917 at Paragon Park in Massachusetts. It was then known as the Giant Coaster. After a fire, it was redesigned by Herb Schmeck and it reopened in 1932. In 1986, the layout was rebuilt by Charles Dinn and constructed at Wild World.
Wild weather approaches Wild One (Photo by Ric Turner)
Wild One is a 4000 feet long out-and-back coaster with an 88 foot drop and reaches speeds up to 53 miles per hour. The original design was by John Miller, and the trains were built by Philadelphia Tobaggan Company. It is a delightful ride with lots of air.
Wild One, a woodie with a fascinating history (Photo by Joe Schwartz www.joyrides.com)
Roar is the other wooden roller coaster at Six Flags America. Like its namesake at Six Flags Marine World in Vallejo, California, it twists and curves and offers up many negative G's. Designed by Mike Boodley and Clair Hain of Great Coasters International, Inc., it has been operating since 1998. This ride lasts almost two minutes, has a maximum drop of 85 feet, and the train dashes through a 200- foot tunnel. We love it!
Roar howls with rage (Photo by Joel Rogers www.coastergallery.com)
Batwing is a Vekoma Flying Dutchman. It has been operating since 2001, and turns riders upside down five times. The ride lasts for over two minutes, and exerts G forces up to 4.3 Like all flying coasters, riders soar through the air in a prone position with nothing but the ground beneath them.
Batwing's train glides through the air with passengers suspended above the ground (Photo by Jeff Rogers www.coastergallery.com)
Batwing, Batman, and Batboy (Photo by Joni)
Mind Eraser is a Vekoma inverted steel coaster that has been operating since 1995. It flips thrill seekers over five times during its one and a half minute ride.
Joni at Mind Eraser, check out the contorted track (Photo by Shredley)
Two-Face:The Flip Side is a Vekoma steel Invertigo ride. It is an inverted variation of Vekoma's famous Boomerang. Riders are turned upside down three times going forward and three times going backward while facing passengers in the opposite row. The first drop is 138 feet, and delivers G force up to 5.0! Joni lost her slipper in the boarding area, and spent the whole ride worrying about it, instead of concentrating on the chaos all around her. When we arrived back at the station, her shoe was waiting patiently on the platform.
Two Face flips riders through dizzying spins (Photo by Joe Schwartz www.joyrides.com)
In 1999, Premier Rides built Joker's Jinx. This roller coaster is a LIM (linear induction motor) launched thrill machine that goes from 0 to 60 miles per hour in a little over 3 seconds. It turns riders upside down four times in less than one minute. It is smooth, fast, and extremely popular. Plan to wait in line for this one. It's definitely worth it.
Jokers Jinx resembles a bowl of green and purple spaghetti (Photo by Joe Schwartz www.joyrides.com)
We found another joker in front of Typhoon Seacoaster.
Aaaaaaaarrrrrrgh! Avast ye swabs! (Photo by Joni)
In our December 2005 column covering Six Flags Darien Lake, we highlighted Superman:Ride of Steel. We told our readers that we would cover all three parks that have variations of this ride. Six Flags America's version of this roller coaster is a mirror image of the one at Darien Lake. It was built by Intamin of Switzerland in 2000.
Various elements of Superman: Ride of Steel (Photo Courtesy of Six Flags Inc. and DC Comics)
Joni and The Man (Photo by Shredley)
It is a non-looping steel Mega Coaster. Its first drop is 205 feet and it reaches speeds of 73 miles per hour. This ride features a ground level double helix followed by a vertical ascent into wondrous airtime moments.
Remarkable airtime on Superman: Ride of Steel (Photo by Gonchar www.coasterimage.com)
Our visit coincided with the ACE convention, and we rode this incredible coaster with fellow coaster freaks.
Joni and Shredley at the ride's finale (Photo by S. Madonna Horcher)
We attended a bar-b-q with the ACE people. The convention ended on a happy note.
Joni, Madonna, and Bob (Photo by Shredley)
Our April column will take us to Six Flags New England in Agawam, Massachusetts. We'll visit the third and most explosive of the Superman: Ride of Steel roller coasters.
Much Aloha!
-Joni and Shredley
Next Installment: Chapter XXXII: The Parks; Six Flags New England, Agawam, MA.
Related Links:
www.sixflags.com
www.joyrides.com
www.coastergallery.com
www.coasterimage.com
www.rcdb.com
www.aceonline.org
