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| The Bat in 2014 | |||||||||||||
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| Statistics | |||||||||||||
| Manufacturer | Arrow Dynamics | ||||||||||||
| Product | Suspended Coaster | ||||||||||||
| Designer / calculations | Ron Toomer | ||||||||||||
| Type | Steel - Suspended - Terrain | ||||||||||||
| Riders per train | 28 | ||||||||||||
| Hourly capacity | 1200 | ||||||||||||
| Propulsion | Chain lift hill | ||||||||||||
| Height | 78 feet | ||||||||||||
| Elevation change | 90 feet | ||||||||||||
| Drop | 70 feet | ||||||||||||
| Top speed | 51 mph | ||||||||||||
| Length | 2352 feet | ||||||||||||
| Inversions | 0 | ||||||||||||
| Drop angle | 45° | ||||||||||||
| Duration | 1:52 | ||||||||||||
| G-Force | 2.9 | ||||||||||||
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The Bat is a steel suspended terrain roller coaster manufactured by US company Arrow Dynamics currently located at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio, USA. The ride's supports were designed by Ride Centerline.[1] The ride opened on April 9, 1993 as Top Gun, but was renamed Flight Deck in 2008. For the 2014 season, it was repainted and renamed The Bat. It is Kings Island's second attempt at a suspended coaster after problems with the prototype Bat in the early 80s, which stood where Vortex formerly operated.
History
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In November 1992, Top Gun was announced, following the acquisition of Kings Island by Paramount Parks earlier that year.[2] Construction began that year and was completed in early 1993. The coaster officially opened on April 9, 1993.[3] The ride's queue line, where guests wait, featured music from the motion picture as well. An aircraft carrier control room exhibit was also a feature that guests would pass through on their way to the loading platform above. Access to the control room exhibit was blocked off from the line queue several years later, some time before Cedar Fair purchased the park in 2006.
For the 1999 season, the track was repainted gray as the original red track faded.
On June 30, 2006, Paramount sold Kings Island to Cedar Fair and some of the rides were renamed, including Top Gun. Its name was changed to Flight Deck for 2008.
On October 29, 2013, on the 33rd anniversary of the announcement of the original Bat, the park revealed that Flight Deck would be renamed The Bat for the 2014 season. The ride was repainted with a new color scheme of orange track with charcoal supports, and black trains.[4]
Design
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The Bat has a similar layout to Vortex at Canada's Wonderland, which was built two years earlier. Vortex, however, has one less car on each train and excels in height, speed, and track length.
Ride experience
The ride begins with an ascent up a 78 foot tall chain lift hill. At the top, the train dips slightly and turns roughly 225 degrees to the right. The train then drops 70 feet into a valley banking right at the bottom as it begins to head into a large banked turn. The cars swing up and around to the left exiting the banked turn parallel to same position during entry. Dropping back into the same valley, the train makes another banked turn to the right followed by a slight turn to the left as the it passes by the observation area located near the exit. The last part of the ride takes riders through a final series of sharp turns, each sending the train swinging quickly from one side to the other. At the ride's farthest point from the initial drop, the track makes its sharpest turn sending the train back toward the loading station. Afterward, the train navigates two more inclining turns before stopping abruptly at the brake run. The sudden brake right out of the last turn causes the cars to swing briefly even after the train has stopped moving forward.
Color scheme
Orange track and grey supports. The ride opened with red track and grey supports, with the track later becoming beige.
Trains
2 trains with 7 cars per train. In each car, riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows, for a total of 28 riders per train.
Images
Top Gun
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The original color scheme -
The attraction in 2005 -
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_2005_01.jpg)
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Flight Deck
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The queue jets -
Flight Deck's entrance
_2012_01.jpg)
_2009_01.jpg)
The Bat
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The large banked turn -
Train passing the viewing area -
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_2014_01.jpg)
_2014_06.jpg)
_2017_09.jpg)
_2017_10.jpg)
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_2017_15.jpg)
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References
- ↑ "Rides List". Ride Centerline. Retrieved 2022-04-16.
- ↑ "Kings Island to add 'Top Gun' coaster". The Cincinnati Enquirer.
- ↑ "Amusement parks are going Hollywood". Green Bay Press-Gazette.
- ↑ "The Bat Flies Again at Kings Island". Coaster101.
External links
| The category Bat (Kings Island 1993) contains additional media. |
- Bat on the Roller Coaster DataBase.
