Superman The Ride

Roller coaster in the United States
Watch the on-ride POV
Superman The Ride
Six Flags New England
Location Agawam, Massachusetts, USA
Status Operating since May 5, 2000
Rider height
  • Minimum: 54 inch
  • Maximum: 76 inch
Statistics
Manufacturer Intamin
Product Mega Coaster
Designer / calculations Ing.-Büro Stengel GmbH
Type Steel - Hyper
Riders per train 34
Propulsion Chain lift hill
Height 208 feet
Drop 221 feet
Top speed 77 mph
Length 5400 feet
Inversions 0
Drop angle 72°
Duration 2:35
G-Force 3.6
HELP

Superman The Ride (formerly known as Superman: Ride of Steel from 2000-2008 and as Bizarro from 2009-2015) is an Intamin hyper roller coaster located at Six Flags New England in Agawam, Massachusetts, USA. The ride was built by Intamin in 2000 and has just over a mile of track. Superman the Ride has won the Amusement Today Golden Ticket Award for "Best Steel roller coaster" in 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. It formerly shared the same theme as Bizarro, a Bolliger & Mabillard floorless roller coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure.

History

The ride while it was Bizarro

In December 1999, Premier Parks announced a $100 million expansion to Six Flags New England for the 2000 season. This included three new roller coasters, one of which being Superman: Ride of Steel, a Mega Coaster from Intamin.[1] Superman: Ride of Steel opened on May 5, 2000.[2] It opened around the same time as Millennium Force at Cedar Point, the coaster it has been in an ongoing war with for the Golden Ticket Award for Best Steel roller coaster. The ride featured a 208-foot lift hill with a 221-foot drop into a headchopper tunnel along with many airtime hills and a mist-filled tunnel. It was praised for its airtime, smoothness, and of course the general intensity and excitement value of the ride.

In September 2008, it was announced that Superman: Ride of Steel would be rethemed to Bizarro, the name of Superman's evil clone.[3] The red and blue paint scheme of the ride were changed to purple and dark blue. Effects were added such as flames, building structures, open-aired "S" shields, and mist-filled tunnels. The ride would reopen in May 2009.[4] Eventually, in 2013, Bizarro changed all the fixed audio from the yellow trains by April–October. Also, in 2014, the fixed audio from the blue trains was changed entirely by April–October.

On September 3, 2015, in Six Flags' 2016 announcements video, it was announced that Bizarro would become Superman the Ride for the 2016 season.[5] The transformation began in the fall of 2015.[6] Later, on March 3, 2016, it was announced that the revamped coaster would be one of many coasters in the Six Flags chain to utilize virtual reality headsets to enhance the experience. The coaster uses a Superman-themed film that is also used on two other coasters in the chain; Superman Krypton Coaster at Six Flags Fiesta Texas and Superman: Ride of Steel at Six Flags America.[7]

Design

Elements

Color scheme

Red track and blue supports, used to be purple track and blue supports when it was known as Bizarro.

Trains

2 trains with 9 cars per train. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 36 riders per train.

Incidents

  • On August 6, 2001 the final brakes failed to bring a train to a halt, causing it to collide with another train in the station. Nineteen people were taken to hospital with minor injuries.[8] An investigation found that a broken PVC air hose prevented the brakes from fully engaging. These hoses were subsequently replaced with steel ones, and the roller coaster reopened on August 18.[9]
  • On May 1, 2004, a disabled 55-year-old man from Bloomfield, Connecticut died after being ejected from his seat during the final turn. Following the accident, Intamin decided to modify the restraint system on their roller coasters.[10]

Images

References

  1. "Three New Coasters for Six Flags New England". Ultimate Rollercoaster.
  2. "America's Favorite Thrills Comes to New England". Ultimate Rollercoaster.
  3. "Six Flags To Upgrade Top-Rated Superman Roller Coaster". Ultimate Rollercoaster.
  4. "Bizarro, new roller coaster at Six Flags New England, ready for park's Memorial Day weekend opening".
  5. "Six Flags New England to debut new roller coaster, bring back Superman coaster in 2016".
  6. "Six Flags New England Begins Bizarro/Superman Transformation". NewsPlusNotes.
  7. "Six Flags New England to add new 'virtual reality' Superman roller coaster".
  8. Trains Collide on Superman Ride of Steel at Six Flags - Ultimate Rollercoaster
  9. Superman Coaster Reopens at Six Flags New England - Ultimate Rollercoaster
  10. Man Dies After Fall From Roller Coaster - The New York Times

External links


Articles on Six Flags New England