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The Inverted Coaster turns 20
The sensation and the results
April 11, 2012 - The BeastFan
Coasters these days are always seeming to push the boundaries. Whether it'd be extreme height, speed, inversions, or style, they let us do things that you wouldn't expect out of any other form of entertainment unless you're a pilot for the military.
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While heading into its 21st year of operation, the original Batman: The Ride at Six Flags Great America continues to be a hit with guests and an inspiration across the industry.
This is where the inverted coaster comes into play. The 1980's were full of different innovations, many of which were to create new riding positions. One of which was the suspended coaster, which started out with Kings Island's Bat in 1980. Though that proved a failure, its successors, such as Big Bad Wolf, Iron Dragon and Ninja, added the notion of being able to ride coasters benieth the rails as well as above. That extra sense of freedom, having other elements of a ride intertwine in the ride experience besides what the track did. However, the suspended coaster did have its limitations. Due the style of the cars and the swinging motion, inversions were out of the question.
© COASTER-Net
Inverted coaster continued to grow through the 90's until Busch Gardens Williamsburg capped off Alpengiest, which as of this writing, remains the tallest full circuit inverted coaster in the world.
Enter Bolliger and Mabillard. Having just come off with their own take on the stand up coaster, they sought to take the swinging suspended coaster and create a fixed car which could perform inversions. Not only that, it would have the freedom of having no floor. In 1992, Batman The Ride at Six Flags Great America opened and the public just stood in awe. With the added ability to do inversions and no floor, the inverted coaster seemed to accentuate the feeling of flight, and the free nature of the seating made tight maneuvers and head over heels elements all the more enjoyable.
© COASTER-Net
The inverted coaster created many other types in its wake, including the ever popular flying coaster, shown here in the form of Sea World Orlando's Manta, one of the bigger ones at the time of this writing.
Obviously, the inverted coaster continued to get bigger and faster through the late 90's and into the 21st century. However, different ideas from that simple ski-lift style seating spawned. The continuing trek to give riders that feeling of flight was paramount, and companies tried to find new ways to add that extra bit of freedom while keeping riders safe and secure. Now-a-days, we have such types like flying coasters, floorless coasters, wing riders, 4Ds, and stadium seating, all made with giving riders a more open and more comfortable seating arrangement, complete with outstanding views and swift maneuvers to create the ultimate ride experiences.
© COASTER-Net
While heading into its 21st year of operation, the original Batman: The Ride at Six Flags Great America continues to be a hit with guests and an inspiration across the industry.
This is where the inverted coaster comes into play. The 1980's were full of different innovations, many of which were to create new riding positions. One of which was the suspended coaster, which started out with Kings Island's Bat in 1980. Though that proved a failure, its successors, such as Big Bad Wolf, Iron Dragon and Ninja, added the notion of being able to ride coasters benieth the rails as well as above. That extra sense of freedom, having other elements of a ride intertwine in the ride experience besides what the track did. However, the suspended coaster did have its limitations. Due the style of the cars and the swinging motion, inversions were out of the question.
© COASTER-Net
Inverted coaster continued to grow through the 90's until Busch Gardens Williamsburg capped off Alpengiest, which as of this writing, remains the tallest full circuit inverted coaster in the world.
Enter Bolliger and Mabillard. Having just come off with their own take on the stand up coaster, they sought to take the swinging suspended coaster and create a fixed car which could perform inversions. Not only that, it would have the freedom of having no floor. In 1992, Batman The Ride at Six Flags Great America opened and the public just stood in awe. With the added ability to do inversions and no floor, the inverted coaster seemed to accentuate the feeling of flight, and the free nature of the seating made tight maneuvers and head over heels elements all the more enjoyable.
© COASTER-Net
The inverted coaster created many other types in its wake, including the ever popular flying coaster, shown here in the form of Sea World Orlando's Manta, one of the bigger ones at the time of this writing.
Obviously, the inverted coaster continued to get bigger and faster through the late 90's and into the 21st century. However, different ideas from that simple ski-lift style seating spawned. The continuing trek to give riders that feeling of flight was paramount, and companies tried to find new ways to add that extra bit of freedom while keeping riders safe and secure. Now-a-days, we have such types like flying coasters, floorless coasters, wing riders, 4Ds, and stadium seating, all made with giving riders a more open and more comfortable seating arrangement, complete with outstanding views and swift maneuvers to create the ultimate ride experiences.
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