American Eagle
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| Manufacturer | Intamin[2] | ||||||||
| Designer / calculations | Curtis D. Summers, Inc, Jim Figley, Leonard Wright[3] | ||||||||
| Type | Wooden - Twin | ||||||||
| Track layout | Out and Back | ||||||||
| Hourly capacity | 1800 | ||||||||
| Propulsion | Chain lift hill | ||||||||
Height127 feet
Drop147 feet Top speed66 mph Length4650 feet Inversions0 Steepest drop55° Duration2:23
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| Manufacturer | Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters | ||||||||
| Riders per train | 30 | ||||||||
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American Eagle is a twin wooden roller coaster located at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois, USA. The ride contains a helix and several large drops.
It is the second roller coaster from Intamin and the company's first wooden coaster.
History[edit | edit source]
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American Eagle opened on May 23, 1981.[4] It was advertised as the longest roller coaster in the world, however this is only true if the length is considered to be that of both sides added together.
During the 2002 season, one half operated backwards.[5] Sometime during the 2016 or 2017 season the park stopped racing American Eagle around this time and only extremely rarely will it occur. In more recent years, only one side would be open while the ride operates with the other side not or occasionally both sides will run but one side would dispatch while the other side would return to the station and this cycle repeats for both red and blue sides. There is no official reason as to why the coaster no longer races but some have claimed a few logical reasons for why:
- Low ridership/staff shortage.
- The age of the coasters structure, most notably the ride's giant helix. For years, the heavy PTC trains have constantly cycled their way through the wooden track at powerful speed which has possibly put lots of stress on the track and structure making the wooden supports weak and fragile along with the costs to repair the structure.
- Employees have claimed to report rowdy guests constantly throwing objects at each other during segments of the ride where the trains on each interact with each other.
The coaster continues to operate despite the absence of dueling.
Design[edit | edit source]
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American Eagle has an out and back layout. The ride begins with several airtime hills and a turnaround consisting of a large downward helix. More airtime hills follow and American Eagle concludes with a helix.
Trains[edit | edit source]
4 trains with 5 cars per train. In each car, riders are arranged 2 across in 3 rows for a total of 30 riders per train.
Incidents[edit | edit source]
- 9/9/1984: Three guests were hospitalized after two trains collided in the station.
- 9/7/1997: Four guests were slightly injured after the second and third cars on the blue train separated and collided on the brake run.[6]
Photo Gallery[edit | edit source]
The lift hill
A train in the station
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References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ "Frank Mathie rides American Eagle rollercoaster in 1981". https://abc7chicago.com/frank-mathie-american-eagle-rollercoaster-six-flags-great-america/90023/.
- ↑ "Losing his 'cool' on the American Eagle", The Post-Crescent.
- ↑ "American Eagle: A rocketful of screams lets good times roll", Chicago Tribune.
- ↑ "Scream like an eagle on Great America's new bird". Daily Herald. https://newspaperarchive.com/daily-herald-suburban-chicago-may-23-1981-p-21/.
- ↑ Wooden Coaster To Race Backwards For 2002 Season - Ultimate Rollercoaster
- ↑ Roller Coaster Rollback - CoasterBuzz (Wayback Archive)
External links[edit | edit source]
- American Eagle on the Roller Coaster DataBase.
| Tallest wooden roller coaster May 1981 - July 1985 | ||
| Preceded by Colossus |
Tallest wooden roller coaster May 1981 - July 1985 |
Succeeded by Le Monstre |
| Tallest roller coaster drop May 1981 - June 1988 | ||
| Preceded by The Beast |
Tallest roller coaster drop May 1981 - June 1988 |
Succeeded by ShockWave |
| Tallest wooden roller coaster drop May 1981 - May 1989 | ||
| Preceded by The Beast |
Tallest wooden roller coaster drop May 1981 - May 1989 |
Succeeded by Hercules |
| Fastest roller coaster May 1981 - March 1988 | ||
| Preceded by The Beast |
Fastest roller coaster May 1981 - March 1988 |
Succeeded by Bandit |
| Fastest wooden roller coaster May 1981 - April 2000 | ||
| Preceded by The Beast |
Fastest wooden roller coaster May 1981 - April 2000 |
Succeeded by Boss |
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