The Bat (Kings Island)
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| The Bat | |
| Location | Kings Island |
|---|---|
| Park section | Coney Mall |
| Type | Steel - Suspended |
| Status | Closed 1984 Removed 1986 |
| Opened | April 21, 1981 |
| Manufacturer | Arrow Dynamics |
| Model | Suspended Coaster |
| Lift/launch system | 2 |
| Height | 102 ft (31 m) |
| Drop | 73 ft (22 m) |
| Length | 2,456 ft (749 m) |
| Max speed | 34 mph (55 km/h) |
| Inversions | 0 |
| Duration | 2:30 |
| Max vertical angle | 42° |
| Cost | $3.8 million |
| Max g-force | 3.1 |
| Height restriction | 4 ft 0 in (120 cm) |
| The Bat at RCDB Pictures of The Bat at RCDB |
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The Bat was a steel suspended roller coaster that operated from April 1981 to 1983 at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio. It was a proto-type ride manufactured by Arrow Dynamics of Utah.
Construction of The Bat began in early 1980. By October of that year, the station and lift hill had been completed. That same month, the park placed a train on the completed station track and announced the ride at a large press event. Although billed by the park as "the first suspended coaster," other suspended coasters dating back to the turn of the century had existed.
The Bat was a state-of-the-art coaster that was only open sporadically. After SBNO (Standing But Not Operating) for an extensive period of time, on November 9, 1984, park officials announced the ride would be dismantled. Over the next two years the ride was removed.
The problems that plagued the ride and ultimately led to its closure included:
- Excessive stress on the supports and track due to unbanked track.
- Excessive stress on the wheels due to brake fins being mounted at bottom of the swinging cars.
- Excessive stress on the trains' shock absorbers due to violent swinging.
- Hairline cracks on wheels and chassis.
Many false rumors about the coaster's removal still persist to this very day. Contrary to urban myths, the coaster never had an accident nor were people injured or killed riding The Bat. The most popular rumor suggests that the uncontrolled swinging led to cars slamming into a support pillar crushing riders. This is false since The Bat train could in no way swing far enough to hit one.
Arrow Dynamics went on to perfect the suspended coaster, starting with AstroWorld's XLR-8 in 1984. XLR-8 operated successfully for 2 decades, however was demolished after the closure of AstroWorld. XLR-8 was quickly followed by Busch Gardens Williamsburg's Big Bad Wolf. The Big Bad Wolf was, and continues to be, a success, due in large part to lessons learned from The Bat. However, it was also plagued with excessive downtime and an embarrassing grand opening delay in its first season.
The suspended coaster finally returned to Kings Island in 1993 with Flight Deck. Flight Deck is a near-exact replication of the suspended coaster Vortex at Canada's Wonderland built the year prior.
None of these successors are quite as intense as The Bat, but still popular rides which continue to thrill riders today.
Vortex, an Arrow Dynamics steel coaster, now occupies The Bat's former location and uses the same station building. Several trace remnants of The Bat are still visible, such as:
- Concrete footings
- Access stairs
- The station and queue line
- Clearance holes in Vortex's storage shed doors, originally cut for The Bat's track.
For several years, remaining train parts from The Bat were left hidden in storage crates underneath the (now) Vortex station. Keen eyes and knowledgable coaster buffs often recognized the items. The parts have since been scrapped.
It is important to note that much of the curiosity and interest in The Bat is because no large number of people were able to ride it. Since it was plagued with excessive downtime, those that were lucky enough to ride have kept its legend alive by exaggerated tales of its seemingly uncontrolled rides. More often than not, excited guests were greeted at the gates of the park with signs exclaiming the "The Bat will NOT be operating today." This created a furor among those enticed to the park by the ambitious marketing campaign surrounding the attraction. As a result, the park was constantly utilizing the local Cincinnati Enquirer newspaper to update the public of The Bat's extensive downtime and closures.
To help compensate for the excessive closures of The Bat, the park decided to turn one train of the nearby Racer (roller coaster) backwards for the 1982 season only. This was such a hit, that the park kept running a "backwards" side of the coaster. It continued to operate backwards until 2008, when all of the former Paramount Parks' wooden roller coasters were turned forward.
The Bat topped out at 35 m.p.h. By comparison some of today's mega coasters can reach speeds in excess of 100 m.p.h.
Because of their rarity, souvenirs, press and collectible items of the Bat are highly sought after by coaster-memorabilia collectors. Among the most unusual and hard to find are "I survived The Bat" buttons and the legendary Bat "Heads" that adorned the fronts of the cars.
