_2011_01.jpg)
Liberty Launch, an S&S drop tower located at Holiday World in Santa Claus, IN. It has been operating at this park since 2003.
The drop tower is a type of tower ride. It consists of a gondola which is launched upwards, launched downward or allowed to freefall, depending on the particular type of ride. On some drop towers, the gondola spins around the tower, giving riders a 360-degree view. Others tilt riders forward (such as Falcon's Fury), or allow guests to ride standing up.
Drop towers range in size from 30 feet to 415 feet.
The precursor to the modern drop tower is the Freefall.
Tallest vertical drop towers
| Name | Park | Country | Manufacturer | Height | Drop Speed | Roller Coaster | Record holder | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drop | Structure | ||||||||
| 1 | Orlando Free Fall | Icon Park |  |
Funtime | > 400 feet | 430 feet | 75 mph | Free-standing | December 2021 - Present |
| 2 | Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom | Six Flags Great Adventure | |
Intamin | 415 feet | 456 feet | 90 mph | Kingda Ka | July 2014 - December 2021 |
| 3 | Lex Luthor: Drop of Doom | Six Flags Magic Mountain | |
Intamin | 400 feet | 415 feet | 85 mph | Superman: Escape From Krypton | July 2012 - July 2014 |
Products
- Skyfall, manufactured by Funtime
- Intamin models: Giant Drop, Gyro Drop, Multi Drop, Sky Jump
- S&S-Sansei Technologies models: Combo Tower, Double Shot, Rotating Tower, Space Shot, Spin Shot Tower, Turbo Drop