The Joker's Jinx

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The Joker's Jinx

Location	Six Flags America
Type	Steel - Launched
Status	Open
Opened	1999
Manufacturer	Premier Rides
Designer	Werner Stengel
Model	LIM
Lift/launch system	LIM launch track
Height	78.8 ft (24 m)
Length	2705 ft (824.5 m)
Max speed	60 mph (96.6 km/h)
Inversions	4
Duration	56 sec.
Acceleration	0-60mph in 3 seconds
Max G force	4.5
The Joker's Jinx at RCDB
Pictures of The Joker's Jinx at RCDB

The Joker's Jinx is a steel roller coaster at Six Flags America in Prince George's County, Maryland. This roller coaster has no lift hill, instead it uses a set of forty-four linear induction motors (LIM) to launch the train from 0 to 60mph in just over three seconds.

The Joker's Jinx is one of three outdoor LIM Catapult roller coasters made by Premier Rides, along with Mad Cobra at Suzuka Circuit and Poltergeist at Six Flags Fiesta Texas. (Unlike Poltergeist, The Joker's Jinx does have a mid-course brake run.) In addition, Premier Rides built two indoor LIM Catapult coasters, both called Flight of Fear, at Paramount's Kings Island and Paramount's Kings Dominion. All five share a similar layout. [1] [2]

The Joker's Jinx uses a green and purple color scheme.

[edit] Ride and Expeience

Upon entering the loading dock, potential riders listen to muzak and the occasional mad laughter of the Joker. Then, there is a loud buzz and several screams as the train launches. 56 seconds later, the train is back, and the next batch of riders board. The cars are purple and yellow and cramped to ensure maximum security. We pull the lapbars down and attach a belt to a clamp on the side of the bar. The attendants come by and check to see if we are secure. The ride operator announces "All Clear" and we wait for the launch. BUZZ! We zoom through a tunnel at 63 mph and fly up into a cobra roll double inversion element. Next, we come down, only to be flipped upside-down again as we soar into a sidewinder and curve to the right, twisting as we drop. The hard part is over as we twist through a mad series of "spaghetti bowl" turns. Now, we flip up and over, in the final inversion. A corkscrew. The final brakes initiate and we are dragged back to the station, dizzied and disoriented.