Cheetah

Roller coaster in the United States
Watch the on-ride POV
Cheetah
Wild Adventures
Location Valdosta, Georgia, USA
Coordinates 30°43′10″N 83°19′29″W / 30.719383°N 83.324795°W / 30.719383; -83.324795
Status Defunct
Operated June 16, 2001 to March 15, 2020
Cost US$3,500,000
Rider height 48 inch minimum
Replaced by Wanyama Observation Deck
Statistics
Manufacturer Custom Coasters International, Inc.
Product Steel frame[citation needed]
Type Wooden - Hybrid
Track layout Out and Back
Propulsion Chain lift hill
Height 92 feet
Drop 90 feet
Top speed 52 mph
Length 2680 feet
Inversions 0
Duration 1:04
Rolling stock
Manufacturer Gerstlauer
Riders per train 24
HELP

Cheetah was a wooden roller coaster by Custom Coasters International, located in the African Pridelands Section of the Wild Adventures theme park in Valdosta, Georgia, USA. The coaster was named after the Cheetah, the fastest land animal, because of its top speed reaching 65 mph when the coaster first opened, but after years of friction and track deformation, the coaster was recorded in 2009 reaching a top speed of 52 mph.

Built in 2001, Cheetah was the largest roller coaster at Wild Adventures.

History

Cheetah opened on June 16, 2001 following an investment of $3.5 million.[1]

After the 2009 season, Cheetah was given a $1.3 million renovation by Martin & Vleminckx replacing the track on the figure-eight and smoothing out the rest of the layout.[2]

In early 2021, Wild Adventures announced that Cheetah would never reopen.[3] It was demolished completely later in the year.[4] The station building was retained and repurposed as a picnic shelter, with the ride's train remaining in place as decor.

Design

Elements

Cheetah had a standard out and back layout with five bunny hops and a figure-eight ending.

Ride experience

Cheetah began with a 95 foot tall lift hill and drop to a small 20 foot bunny hop, followed by a larger 55 foot bunny hop. It continued with a 35-degree incline. Cheetah's return journey started with a 62 foot drop and two more 35 foot bunny hops, ending with a figure eight.

Trains

2 trains with 6 cars per train. In each car, riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows, for a total of 24 riders per train. The trains were made by Gerstlauer.

Images

References

  1. "Zoo park becomes Valdosta destination". The Atlanta Constitution. 2001-06-13. p. 32. Retrieved 2021-10-22.
  2. "A Blast From The Past - Cheetah at Wild Adventures". NewsPlusNotes.
  3. "Wild Adventures sluit haar houten achtbaan Cheetah".
  4. "Cheetah, Wild Adventures deconstruction". Imgur. 2021-07-23. Retrieved 2021-10-21.

External links

  • Cheetah on the Roller Coaster DataBase.


Articles on Wild Adventures