Whizzer (Six Flags Great America)

Roller coaster in the United States
Watch the on-ride POV
Whizzer
Six Flags Great America
Location Gurnee, Illinois, USA
Coordinates 42°22′06″N 87°56′07″W / 42.368219°N 87.935278°W / 42.368219; -87.935278
Park section Hometown Square
Status Operating since May 29, 1976
Rider height
  • Minimum: 36 inch
  • Min. unaccompanied: 42 inch
Statistics
Manufacturer Schwarzkopf
Product Speed Racer / Extended Jumbo Jet
Designer / calculations Ing.-Büro Stengel GmbH
Type Steel
Riders per train 24
Propulsion Electric spiral lift
Height 70 feet
Drop 64 feet
Top speed 42 mph
Length 3100 feet
Inversions 0
Duration 2:00
HELP
One of Whizzer's cars in 2010

Whizzer is a steel roller coaster located at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois, USA.

History

Whizzer opened on May 29, 1976 as one of the park's several opening day attractions.

In 2002, Six Flags announced that Whizzer would be removed to make way for a new attraction (which turned out to be Superman Ultimate Flight). It was scheduled to close on August 11.[1] Following public outcry, the park kept Whizzer open. On September 24, 2002, it announced that it would dismantle ShockWave instead.[2]

Around the release of the film, "The Other Guys" in 2010, the front of the cars and the station would be redecorated to promote the film.

At No Coaster Con 2024, Six Flags announced that the classic coaster would get a new control system.[3]

Design

Elements

Color scheme

Black track and supports. The ride used to feature black track and white supports.

Trains

3 trains with 4 cars per train. In each car, riders are arranged inline in 6 rows, for a total of 24 riders per train.

Images

References

  1. 6F Great America keeping Whizzer - Amusement Today (Wayback archive)
  2. "6F Great America dismantling Shockwave". Amusement Today. 2002-09-25. Retrieved 2022-09-21. {{cite web}}: Check |archiveurl= value (help)
  3. SFGAm No Coaster Con Recap + 5 Year Plan! (in British English), retrieved 2024-02-06

External links

  • Whizzer on the Roller Coaster DataBase.


Articles on Six Flags Great America