Montu

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Montu

Busch Gardens Tampa Location Tampa, Florida, USA Coordinates 28.034189°N 82.418004°W / 28.034189; -82.418004 Section Egypt Status Operating since May 16, 1996 Cost $20,000,000 USD Rider height 54 inch minimum
Statistics
Manufacturer	Bolliger & Mabillard
Product	Custom Inverted Coaster
Designer / calculations	Ing.-Büro Stengel GmbH
Type	Steel - Inverted
Riders per train	32
Hourly capacity	1,710
Propulsion	Chain lift hill
Height	150 feet
Drop	128 feet
Top speed	60 mph
Length	3983 feet
Inversions	7
Drop angle	50°
Duration	3:00
G-Force	3.8

Montu is a steel inverted roller coaster located at Busch Gardens Tampa in Tampa, Florida, USA. Built by Bolliger & Mabillard, it opened in May 1996 and was the park's second roller coaster built by the company after the success of Kumba in 1993. The ride opened as the world's tallest, fastest, and longest inverted roller coaster until 1997, when Alpengeist opened at Busch Gardens Williamsburg.

History

Montu was announced in August 1995. The ride officially opened on May 16, 1996, as part of a new Egypt area. It was the first inverted coaster with seven inversions, as well as the first coaster to feature an immelmann loop. It originally contained an alligator enclosed under the ride's first turn, with guests feet dangling above the alligators in the enclosure. This enclosure would be removed in 2000 after guests kept dropping items into the enclosure.

Montu was repainted in 2022 by Baynum Painting.

Design

Elements
Chain lift hill Pre-Drop 104 foot tall vertical loop Tunnel 90 foot tall immelmann Zero-g roll 60 foot Batwing Block brake 60 foot tall vertical loop Corkscrew

Ride experience

The ride begins with the floor retracting which leads to the front gate opening. The train leaves the station with a small dip and turnaround out of the station tracking towards the 150 foot tall chain lift hill. Once at the top, riders twist down 128 feet to the left and into a 104 foot vertical loop, reaching speeds of up to 60 mph. Following the vertical loop, the track passes through a tunnel and zooms into a 90 foot immelmann loop, providing a foot chopper element with the pylon. After completing the immelmann, the train goes through a zero-g roll, where riders experience a feeling of weightlessness. Following the zero-g roll, the track hits a batwing, entering a trench at the valley between the two inversions. Leaving the batwing, the track rises up into the block brake. Following the second brake run, the track makes a dive to the right into a trench where it hits a 60 foot tall vertical loop. The track then exits the trench, making a three-quarter clockwise turn. After passing under the zero-g roll, the track makes a left-hand turn over the first vertical loop's exit and dives into another trench to hit a corkscrew, before making another right turn onto the final brake run.

Color scheme

Montu has a navy blue track and yellow supports. Prior to its repaint in 2022, the supports were tan.

Trains

3 trains with 8 cars per train. In each car, riders are arranged 4 across in a single row, for a total of 32 riders per train.

Etymology

Montu was the god of war in Egyptian mythology.

Images

• 
  The safety sign
• 
  The queue murals
• 
  Train leaving the station
• 
  Montu in 1997
• 
  Montu in 2001
• 
  The corkscrew
• 
  The immelmann
• 
  View from the parking lot
• 
  Montu in 2022
• 
  The zero-g roll

External links

• 

  Montu on the Roller Coaster DataBase.

• 

  Montu on Coaster-Count.
• Montu on the parks website

Tallest inverted roller coaster May 16, 1996 – March 22, 1997
Preceded by Raptor	Tallest inverted roller coaster May 16, 1996 – March 22, 1997	Succeeded by Alpengeist

Fastest inverted roller coaster May 16, 1996 – March 22, 1997
Preceded by Raptor	Fastest inverted roller coaster May 16, 1996 – March 22, 1997	Succeeded by Alpengeist

Longest inverted roller coaster May 16, 1996 – 1997
Preceded by Raptor	Longest inverted roller coaster May 16, 1996 – 1997	Succeeded by Pyrenees

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