Flight of Fear (Kings Island)

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Flight of Fear

Kings Island
Location	Mason, Ohio, USA
Coordinates	39°20′35″N 84°15′49″W / 39.343091°N 84.263598°W / 39.343091; -84.263598
Section	Area 72
Status	Operating since June 18, 1996
Cost	$11.2 million
Soundtrack	Rob Pottorf
Rider height	54 inch minimum

Statistics

Manufacturer

Premier Rides

Product

Catapult Coaster

Designer / calculations

Ing.-Büro Stengel GmbH

Type

Steel - Launched - Enclosed

Riders per train

20

Hourly capacity

2,000

Propulsion

LIM launch

Height

74.2 feet

Top speed

54 mph

Length

2705 feet

Inversions

4

Duration

1:00

G-Force

4.5

Flight of Fear (formerly The Outer Limits: Flight of Fear) is a steel enclosed launched roller coaster located at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio, USA. It is a prototype Catapult Coaster by Premier Rides. There is a clone of this ride located at Kings Dominion in Doswell, Virginia. Flight of Fear is accessed via a path underneath the Racer's lift hill. It was constructed in a small subsection of Coney Mall. After the addition of Firehawk in 2007, the area was named X-Base, themed to space and the paranormal. The section was renamed Area 72 in 2020.

Flight of Fear was the first roller coaster to use a launch system driven by linear induction motors. This technology has now been used on many Premier installations.

The ride originally had The Outer Limits-based theming. However, after the Paramount's licensing to use the show expired, all references to the television show were removed at the start of the 2001 season. The attraction features an original soundtrack composed by Rob Pottorf and theming co-designed by Bob Dennis and David Ferguson of Paramount Parks Design & Entertainment.

The ride has won three awards from the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, including one for Major Theme/Amusement Park Ride/Attraction and two for Technology Applied to Amusements.

History

On August 17, 1995, Paramount's Kings Island announced that they would be adding The Outer Limits: Flight of Fear. It would have a theme based on the TV show of the same name.^[1] The ride would be placed towards the back of the park in the Coney Mall section.

The Outer Limits: Flight of Fear opened to the public on June 18, 1996. It was originally set to open in April 1996, but the opening was delayed for two months.^[2]

Paramount Parks filed a lawsuit against Premier Rides in September 1996 regarding cost overruns during development and construction. Premier spokeswoman Courtney Simmons said in November 1997 that the absence of LIM technology in the original plans was a factor, and that the suit was essentially about money. It was later settled, and Premier expected to continue working with Paramount in future endeavors.^[3]

In 2001, The Outer Limits name was dropped after Paramount sold the license. That same year, the shoulder restraints were replaced with lap bars following complaints of roughness.

During the 2007 season, the ride was equipped with on-board video cameras that recorded riders with the option to purchase the video at the ride exit. These cameras were removed at the end of the season.

The ride building received a makeover to retheme it to the new Area 72 land in 2020. A van and fencing were placed in front of the building and the outdoor queue line was expanded.^[4]^[5]

Design

Elements
LIM launch from 0-54 mph in 4.0 seconds Cobra roll Sidewinder Bayerncurve Block brake Bayerncurve Over-banked curve Corkscrew

Occasionally, a lights on tour allows guests to walk through the queue line and the arena. A loud noise coming from the train is heard in the arena.

Station

Flight of Fear's station has separate areas for loading and unloading.

Ride experience

Flight of Fear begins when a LIM launch sends the train from 0-54 mph in 4 seconds straight into a large arena filled with multi-colored lights and speakers that play music. Riders flip into a cobra roll, which leads directly into a sidewinder. The train makes a right curve, followed by a double left turn. After that, riders hit the block brake. The train slowly dives into a left spiral. After the spiral, riders go through a right turn. The train hits the ground, going through a few turns. Riders head into the last inversion, which is a corkscrew just before hitting the final brake run. An alien can be seen before the train hits the unloading area.

Color scheme

Black track and supports.

Trains

4 trains with 5 cars per train. In each car, riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows, for a total of 20 riders per train.

Flight of Fear originally had four trains with six cars each. Today only two of these trains operate simultaneously with only five cars each.

Incident

On June 2, 2014, smoke was given off from an overheating motor, causing the ride to be shutdown. Eighteen people were exposed to thick smoke, two of which were treated at the scene. The ride was reopened the following day.^[6]^[7]