Compressed air launch
A compressed air launch uses compressed air to launch the train. The first roller coaster with a compressed air launch was the now defunct HyperSonic XLC at Kings Dominion, opened in 2001. Maxx Force, Located in Six Flags: Great America, opened later in 2019, has the fastest launch acceleration of any coaster in the world. Several launch coasters in China, including Extreme Rusher at Happy Valley Beijing and Bullet Coaster at Happy Valley Shenzhen, also use compressed air. This propulsion system is most commonly used on S&S Worldwide's launched coasters.
See also
- Compressed air launch on the Roller Coaster DataBase.
| Roller coaster descriptions | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic elements | Brake run • Station | ||||||||
| Advanced elements | Bunny hill • Headchopper • Inversions • Pre-Drop • Tunnel | ||||||||
| Propulsion | Lift hill (Cable • Catch car • Chain • Electric spiral • Elevator • Ferris wheel • Friction wheel • Spiral)
Powered launch (Counterweight • Friction wheel • Flywheel • Compressed air launch • Electric winch launch • Hydraulic • LIM • LSM) | ||||||||
| Technology | Block brakes • Car • On-ride camera • On-ride soundtrack • Test seat • Train • Track • Transfer track • Wheel assembly | ||||||||
| Other | Chicken exit • Exclusive ride time • POV • Queue line • Rollback • Theming | ||||||||