Flight of Fear (Kings Island)

Roller coaster in the United States
Watch the on-ride POV
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
Park 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
HELP

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

The Fort Kinzel entrance sign

On August 17, 1995, 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

The spaghetti bowl arena
Elements

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.

Ride experience

Flight of Fear begins when a LIM launch fires 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]

Facts

  • Due to the main ride taking place in the dark, a lot of former ride parts are stored in the building of this ride. Some of the most notable parts that are said to be stored here include the trains for the now-defunct rides King Cobra, Scooby's Ghoster Coaster and The Crypt.
  • During the beginning of Cedar Fair's ownership of the park, a sign was shown above the entrance labeling the area as "Fort Kinzel." This is a reference to former Cedar Fair CEO Richard Kinzel. The sign has since been removed due to Kinzel's retirement in 2012.
  • The UFO that guests enter in the queue line is actually only a half-build model. It appears to be full-scale due to mirrors on the wall that reflect the structure to give the appearance of a full-scale model.
  • While in the queue line, an alien can be seen spying on visitors if one is to look up in the right corner of the room that houses the UFO.
  • Another alien can be spotted near the end of the ride. Right before the cars approach the unloading station, the figure can be seen to the right, which is also the same side the riders exit at the unloading station. The area is dark, like most of the ride, but the figure is noticeable due to green lights that are nearby. The figure's presence is most likely to imply that this alien was controlling the ride cars.
  • Professional voice actor Jim Cummings provides the voice for the alien leader that speaks to guests before loading and exiting the ride. He is known for voicing Dr. Robotnik in the Sonic the Hedgehog cartoon and the Great Fusilli from Courage the Cowardly Dog. Adam Bezark confirmed Cummings' involvement in the comments for an HQ upload of the pre-show.
  • The onride photo returned in 2020.
  • During Winterfest, the ride is called Flight of Cheer.

Images

Queue line

Exterior

Interior

References

  1. Kings Island builds in-the-dark coaster
  2. "Coaster: Still out in the cold". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. June 29, 1997. p. 63. Retrieved February 19, 2022.
  3. "A new loop in roller coasters Technology: Premier Rides of Millersville is helping to bring faster launches to roller coasters with linear-induction motor technology".
  4. "Kings Island - Early August 2020 - The Coaster Kings".
  5. "Kings Island's Orion roller coaster a story-driven attraction". Kings Island.
  6. Two treated after Kings Island roller coaster motor malfunction - WXYZ
  7. Flight of Fear reopens at Kings Island - Cincinatti.com

External links


Articles on Kings Island