Superman: The Escape
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Superman: The Escape | |
| Location | Six Flags Magic Mountain |
|---|---|
| Type | Steel - Launched |
| Status | Operating since March 15, 1997 |
| Opened | March 15, 1997 |
| Manufacturer | Intamin AG |
| Model | Reverse freefall coaster |
| Lift/launch system | linear motor Launch Track |
| Height | 415 ft (126.5 m) |
| Drop | 328 ft (100 m) |
| Length | 1235 ft (376.4 m) |
| Max speed | 100 mph (160.9 km/h) |
| Inversions | 0 |
| Duration | 0:28 |
| Max Vertical Angle | 90 degrees |
| Capacity | 1050 riders per hour |
| Cost | US$ 20,000,000 |
| Superman: The Escape at RCDB | |
| Pictures of Superman: The Escape at RCDB | |
For the similar named roller coaster located in Australia, please see Superman Escape.
Superman: The Escape is a launched roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California. After opening in 1997, it was for a while the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world. In 2001 its speed record was taken by Dodonpa. In 2003 Superman's height record and Dodonpa's speed record were taken by Cedar Point's Top Thrill Dragster. In 2005, Six Flags Great Adventure's Kingda Ka took the height and speed record. The coaster uses electromagnetic propulsion and the noise of a launch is usually the loudest sound in the entire amusement park.
The design team of Magic Mountain worked very hard in order to create an authentic experience that's true to the character for which the ride is named. Walking up the large hill in order to get to the ride, riders come to a concrete clearing, which has the Superman "S" shield imprinted into the ground. The actual loading area is modeled after Superman's Fortress of Solitude. Walking inside, you find an air-conditioned, crystalline style environment in order to emulate the experience of being in Superman's fortress in the arctic. Before you get on the ride, you even see a Kryptonian Battle Suit, and statues of Superman's parents, Jor-El and Lara holding up a globe of Krypton. Throughout this whole climactic wait, John Williams' original score for Superman: The Movie plays outside and in the "Fortress."
The coaster has two parallel tracks where the riders are accelerated from 0 to 100 mph (160.9 km/h) in 7 seconds.
There has been controversy over whether Superman: The Escape is a roller coaster or not. This is because the ride goes up a vertical tower only to go back down again. Additionally, it is not considered a "stratacoaster" (a 400-499 foot tall coaster) because the cars do not ascend to 400 feet. Because of this, Superman: The Escape is not found on many lists of the tallest and fastest roller coasters.
[edit] External links
- Superman: The Escape at the Roller Coaster DataBase
- Superman The Escape Photos and Review at Ultimate Rollercoaster.com
| Preceded by Tower of Terror (roller coaster) |
World's Fastest Roller Coaster March 1997–December 2001 |
Succeeded by Dodonpa |
| Roller coasters at Six Flags Magic Mountain |
|---|
|
Batman: The Ride - Canyon Blaster - Colossus - Déjà Vu - Flashback - Goldrusher - Goliath - Goliath Jr. - Ninja - Psyclone - Revolution - The Riddler's Revenge - Scream! - Superman: The Escape - Tatsu - Viper - X |
