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| Manufacturer | Vekoma | ||||||||||||
| Product | Flying Dutchman (843m Prototype) | ||||||||||||
| Type | Steel - Flying | ||||||||||||
| Riders per train | 24 | ||||||||||||
| Hourly capacity | 1,000 | ||||||||||||
| Propulsion | Chain lift hill | ||||||||||||
| Height | 115 feet | ||||||||||||
| Top speed | 51 mph | ||||||||||||
| Length | 2766 feet | ||||||||||||
| Inversions | 5 | ||||||||||||
| Duration | 1:50 | ||||||||||||
| G-Force | 4.3 | ||||||||||||
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Nighthawk is a Vekoma flying roller coaster located at Carowinds in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA. The ride is one of the two remaining "Flying Dutchman" models in the world. It originally opened in 2000 at Paramount's Great America as Stealth.[1]
History
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"Project Stealth" was announced on June 22, 1999. It was marketed as the "world's first true flying coaster". However, two flying coasters had already been built by this time (Skytrak and Komet). At the time, Paramount's Great America said the official name would be revealed later, but it was never announced.[2] Construction of the attraction had started before the announcement in early 1999.[3]
The ride initially opened on April 1, 2000 as Stealth. A soft opening was held on March 26, 2000.[4]
During its run at Paramount's Great America, Stealth would suffer numerous maintenance issues. One of the issues was the electric box. Instead of being located in the mechanical room, it was located on the trains. As a result, an amount of stress was put on the components and ride vehicles. The system monitored the restraints and locking devices that allowed the cars to raise and lower.[5]
On August 21, 2003, it was announced that Stealth would be relocated to Paramount's Carowinds. It closed on September 2, 2003 and was removed to make room for a new water park.[6]
In January 2004, Carowinds announced that the ride would be called BORG Assimilator and have a Star Trek theme.[7] It reopened on March 20, 2004.
After Carowinds was acquired by Cedar Fair in 2006, the name was changed to Nighthawk for the 2008 season. The Star Trek theming would have to be removed as a result.
Design
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Color scheme
When the coaster originally operated at California's Great America as Stealth, it had a white track with a red spine and gray supports. When it moved to Carowinds as BORG Assimilator, the track was repainted black, while the spine was repainted green apple. In 2009, a year after the attraction was renamed Nighthawk, it was repainted with a yellow track and blue supports.[8]
Trains
2 trains with 6 cars per train. In each car, riders are arranged 4 across in a single row, for a total of 24 riders per train.
Images
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Nighthawk's vertical loop -
The entrance to Nighthawk -
The test seat -
Nighthawk's old color scheme -
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The orginal entrance to Borg Assimilator
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References
- ↑ "Lost Coasters of California - Part 9: Stealth - The Coaster Kings".
- ↑ Paramount's Great America Unveils "Project Stealth" World's First True Flying Coaster For 2000 - Ultimate Rollercoaster
- ↑ "New Roller Coaster Takes Shape At Paramount's Great America". Ultimate Rollercoaster.
- ↑ Great America Launches Stealth First Flying Coaster - Ultimate Rollercoaster
- ↑ "20 in 2020: Stealth at California's Great America". Coaster101. November 25, 2020. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
- ↑ "Stealth Roller Coaster To Close After Only 3 Years". Ultimate Rollercoaster.
- ↑ Vekoma Flying Coaster to sport Borg theme at Paramount's Carowinds - Amusement Today (Wayback archive)
- ↑ "Nighthawk's New Colors". NewsPlusNotes.
External links
- Nighthawk on the Roller Coaster DataBase.
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