Ravine Flyer II

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Ravine Flyer II

Waldameer & Water World
Location	Erie, Pennsylvania, USA
Status	Operating since May 17, 2008
Cost	$6,000,000 USD

Statistics

Builder

The Gravity Group, LLC

Type

Wooden - Hybrid

Propulsion

Chain lift hill

Height

85 feet

Elevation change

120 feet

Drop

120 feet

Top speed

60 mph

Length

3,061 feet

Inversions

0

Drop angle

60°

Bank angle

90°

Duration

1:30

G-Force

3.5

Rolling stock

Manufacturer

Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters

Riders per train

24

Ravine Flyer II is a hybrid wooden roller coaster located at Waldameer & Water World in Erie, Pennsylvania, USA. The attraction is inspired by the park's original Ravine Flyer, which opened in 1922 and closed in 1938. It traverses State Route 832 (also known as Peninsula Drive) twice along its course.

Ravine Flyer II was built by The Gravity Group following the closure of Custom Coasters International (CCI), whom had originally been contracted to build the ride. It was chosen as the Best New Ride of 2008 in Amusement Today's Golden Ticket Awards, and has since been ranked among the top ten best wooden coasters in the world by Amusement Today every year since 2009, peaking at number five in 2016.

History

Following the closure of the original Ravine Flyer roller coaster, park visitors would often speak of "the coaster that went over the road". Many would state their desire for a new coaster to do the same thing, including then-park owner Paul Nelson. In the early 1990s, Waldameer spoke first with Dinn Corporation and then with CCI about plans to build a new coaster with this feature, and Waldameer eventually chose the latter to be the ride's manufacturer.

In 1997, Ravine Flyer II was officially announced by Steve Gorman, the park's general manager. At the time of the announcement, the ride was planned to be opened in 2000 with a lift hill of 60 feet, a drop of 110 feet, and an estimated cost of $3.5 million. However, opposition from several groups delayed the ride's opening for several years. Residents of a nearby campground cited issues regarding noise, others claimed the coaster would stand on land that classified as bluff recession hazard areas, and the state claimed that Waldameer did not have the rights to build the coaster over the Peninsula Drive highway. Eventually, Waldameer was able to defeat these problems with several solutions: tunnels were installed over the coaster's track which was closest to the campground in order to contain the noise from the ride, and a court ruled that the land which Waldameer intended to build Ravine Flyer II on was not a bluff recession hazard area. Additionally, the park presented state officials with paperwork dating back to 1922 in which Waldameer was shown to have the right to build a coaster over the road.

By 2006, the ride's cost had increased to $6 million, and The Gravity Group had been hired to build the ride following CCI's bankruptcy. In 2007, the coaster began construction, and on May 17th, 2008, the ride opened to the public. Waldameer held an auction to select the first 24 riders.

Ride experience

Upon dispatch from the station, the train makes a short drop and lefthand turn into the lift hill. After cresting the lift hill, the train descends the 120-foot first drop, turning to the right, and entering a 165-foot airtime hill over Peninsula Drive. The track banks sharply to the left, then to the right, while ascending the far turnaround up to the top of the second drop. The train descends the second 105-foot drop into the second crossing of Peninsula Drive over another airtime hill. This is immediately followed by two tunnels, both of which enclose airtime hills, before an ascending turn to the left. The train traverses another airtime hill as it turns left in a slight descent, traveling under the lift hill where an on-ride photo is taken, before entering another airtime hill which leads into a 90° banked right turn that drops 60 feet into the ravine. The track continues turning to the right, rising out of the ravine under the lift hill again, and entering two final bunny-hop airtime hills. It makes a final righthand turn before entering the brake run, turning left, and returning to the station.

Design

Elements
Chain lift hill Tunnel Bridge over highway Tunnel Tunnel

Coaster

Ravine Flyer II is a hybrid roller coaster with a wooden track and steel support frames. The layout contains ten airtime hills, as well as three drops measuring 120 feet, 105 feet, and 60 feet. It traverses PA 832 over a 165-foot arched bridge, making it the only ride in the world to cross a four-lane highway. It is 3,061 feet long, and it is the fastest and steepest wooden coaster in Pennsylvania. It also has the longest drop on any wooden coaster in Pennsylvania.

The ride's trains were built by Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters, and feature restraints in the form of a lap bar and seatbelt. The ride has two six-car trains, each of which can hold up to 24 passengers (arranged two per row in two rows per car). One train is red, and the other is blue, and both are decorated with the ride's logo on the lead car. The ride receives approximately 300,000 riders a year.