Dominator (Kings Dominion)

Roller coaster in the United States
(Redirected from Batman Knight Flight)
Watch the on-ride POV
Dominator
Half of Dominator's layout
Kings Dominion
Location Doswell, Virginia, USA
Coordinates 37°50′28″N 77°26′36″W / 37.841086°N 77.443303°W / 37.841086; -77.443303
Park section International Street
Status Operating since May 24, 2008
Geauga Lake
Location Aurora, Ohio, USA
Operated May 5, 2000 to September 16, 2007
Statistics
Manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard
Product Floorless Coaster (Custom)
Designer / calculations Ing.-Büro Stengel GmbH
Type Steel - Floorless
Riders per train 32
Propulsion Chain lift hill
Height 157 feet
Drop 148 feet
Top speed 65 mph
Length 4210 feet
Inversions 5
Drop angle 57°
G-Force 3.8
HELP

Dominator is a steel floorless roller coaster located at Kings Dominion in Doswell, Virginia, USA. With a track length of 4,210 feet, it is the word's longest floorless coaster. It is the third B&M floorless coaster to be built and the only one to be relocated to another park.

History

Dominator at its original location

On December 9, 1999, Premier Parks announced a $40 million expansion to Geauga Lake, which would be renamed Six Flags Ohio for the 2000 season. This included four new roller coasters, one of which being Batman Knight Flight, a custom Floorless Coaster from Bolliger & Mabillard.[1] The ride opened on May 5, 2000 in the Gotham City section of the park. It was the first floorless coaster in the Midwest.

In 2004, the park was sold to Cedar Fair and renamed Geauga Lake. Several rides had to be renamed, including Batman Knight Flight, which became Dominator.[2] This caused all Batman theming to be removed, including the Batmobile, entrance archway and Batman music. In addition, the name change caused every seat to have the Batman symbol being melted, the removal of the Bruce Wayne Foundation text on the station, and the renaming of the Gotham City section to Power City.

On September 21, 2007, Cedar Fair announced that Geauga Lake would only operate as a waterpark and the amusement park section was closed. As a result, many rides were sent to other Cedar Fair parks, including Dominator.[3]

On October 23, 2007, Kings Dominion announced that they would be adding Dominator.[4] The ride sat on the former site of the bus parking lot, behind Berserker, an Intamin Looping Starship. When it was relocated to Kings Dominion, it received a new paint job. The supports remained dark blue, but the track was repainted orange, except for the vertical loop. It opened to the general public on May 24, 2008.[5]

In 2014, the seat color was changed from purple to black and the restraints added black to its color scheme.[6]

Design

Elements

Dominator is the second-tallest, second-fastest, and longest floorless coaster anywhere. It features one of the world's largest vertical loops. It is comparable to Kraken at SeaWorld Orlando or Scream! at Six Flags Magic Mountain.

While at Geauga Lake, the ride was notable for interacting with the lake numerous times throughout the course. When it was relocated to Kings Dominion, it was built behind the Berserker flat ride, in the International Street section of the park on the former bus parking lot.

Ride experience

As the front gates open, the train turns left and right before ascending the 157 foot chain lift hill. At the top, riders drop 148 feet at a 57 degree angle, reaching 65 mph. The first drop leads straight into a 135 foot tall vertical loop. The train hits a right turn, followed by a horseshoe. Riders will then approach a cobra roll and the block brake. A drop leads straight into a pair of interlocking corkscrews. After the interlocking corkscrews, the train go through a 135 degree curve to the left that dives into a 270 degree curve above the ground. Following the turns, riders hit the final brake run and return to the station.

Color scheme

Orange track and dark-blue supports, used to have yellow track and dark-blue supports when at Geauga Lake.

Trains

3 trains with 8 cars per train. In each car, riders are arranged 4 across in a single row, for a total of 32 riders per train.

Incident

On July 20, 2012, a 48-year-old woman from Pitt County, North Carolina, was found unresponsive on Dominator after its train returned to the ride's station. An incident report described that she had a "seizure-like episode" after riding the roller coaster. The woman was taken to a hospital, where she died. Autopsy results revealed that she had a brain aneurysm. A Hanover County, Virginia inspector found no operational problems with Dominator. The ride reopened on July 23, 2012, after it passed two safety inspections.[7]

Images

Geauga Lake

Kings Dominion

Construction

Exterior

Layout

References

  1. "Geauga Lake to Expand and Become Six Flags Ohio". Ultimate Rollercoaster.
  2. Cedar Fair, L.P. completes acquisition of Six Flags Worlds of Adventure - Amusement Today (Wayback archive)
  3. "Geauga Lake silences rides; water park remains".
  4. "B&M Floorless Roller Coaster Planned For Kings Dominion". Ultimate Rollercoaster.
  5. "Dominator is scary enough to thrill". Daily Press.
  6. Douglas, Evan (2014-04-06). "Opening Day Photo Update". KDFans. Retrieved 2022-01-25.
  7. "Pitt County woman dies after riding Virginia roller coaster".

External links


Articles on Kings Dominion
Articles on Geauga Lake & Wildwater Kingdom