| Giant Inverted Boomerang | |
| Stunt Fall at Parque Warner Madrid | |
| Status | In production |
|---|---|
| Cost | €20 million |
| Type | Steel - Inverted - Shuttle |
| Manufacturer | Vekoma |
| Lift/launch system | Reverse vertical cable lift hill |
| Height | 192 ft (59 m) |
| Drop | 177 ft (54 m) |
| Length | 1,204 ft (367 m) |
| Max speed | 65.6 mph (105.6 km/h) |
| Inversions | 3 |
| Duration | 1:32 |
| Max vertical angle | 90° |
| Capacity | 870 riders per hour |
| Max G force | 4.5 |
| Height restriction | 4 ft 6 in (137 cm) |
| Trains | Single train with 8 cars. Riders are arranged 4 across in a single row for a total of 32 riders per train. |
| Installations | 5 |
| Giant Inverted Boomerang at RCDB | |
| Pictures of Giant Inverted Boomerang at RCDB | |
| Amusement Parks Portal | |
A Giant Inverted Boomerang is a type of steel shuttle roller coaster manufactured by Vekoma. The ride is a larger, inverted version of Vekoma's popular Boomerang sit down roller coasters. There are currently only 5 installations of the model worldwide.
Contents |
Giant Inverted Boomerangs were slated to open for the start of the 2001 season at four Six Flags parks, however, sudden errors and malfunctions occurred during testing caused the openings to be delayed. The first to open was Déjà Vu at Six Flags Magic Mountain on August 25, 2001. Déjà Vu at Six Flags Magic Mountain has since been removed and relocated to Six Flags New England as Goliath.[1][2] This was followed by the opening of a further two Giant Inverted Boomerangs named Déjà Vu on September 1, 2001, at Six Flags Over Georgia[3] and on October 7, 2001, at Six Flags Great America.[4] The opening of the fourth Giant Inverted Boomerang was delayed even more after the problems were discovered with the first three. Stunt Fall opened on August 8, 2002, at Parque Warner Madrid.
In 2007, Six Flags announced the removal of Déjà Vu from both Six Flags Over Georgia and Six Flags Great America. They announced that the Six Flags Over Georgia ride would be replaced with a new themed area called Thomas Town (since rethemed to Whistlestop Park).[5][6][3] After Six Flags Great America ride gave its last rides on October 28, 2007,[4] it was removed and replaced with the Buccaneer Battle ride.[7]
In January 2008, Silverwood Theme Park in Idaho announced on its website that it would install the Déjà Vu from Six Flags Great America with a projected opening date of July that year.[8] On March 26, 2008, Silverwood announced Déjà Vu would operate as Aftershock.[9] Before opening at its new location, the ride was overhauled by Vekoma in order to make the ride more reliable. The ride officially opened July 21, 2008.[9]
In November 2009 it was announced that Mirabilandia in Brazil had purchased Six Flags Over Georgia's Déjà Vu. The ride was renamed Sky Mountain and is yet to open, but remains in storage at the park.[10]
On August 16, 2011, Masslive reported that Six Flags New England was planning on building a Giant Inverted Boomerang for the park's 2012 season where the Shipwreck Falls attraction is currently located.[11] On August 18, 2011, at the Agawam Public Library the coaster was approved by the Agawam Planning Board.[11] On August 19, 2011, the Los Angeles Times confirmed that Déjà Vu from Six Flags Magic Mountain would be relocated to Six Flags New England and would begin operation under a new name in 2012.[12] An official announcement from Six Flags representatives is expected on September 1, 2011.[12][13] Then on September 1, 2011 Six Flags New England officially announced Goliath.[14] One day later, Six Flags Magic Mountain confirmed on Facebook that Déjà Vu will be removed from the park soon.[15] Six Flags New England also confirmed on Facebook on September 3, that Shipwreck Falls will be removed after September 5, 2011 (after Labor Day Weekend), to prepare for Goliath.[16] Later on September 13, 2011, the Six Flags Magic Mountain announce that Déjà Vu will be removed after October 16, 2011, "Déjà Vu fans, we have created some exclusive after hours ride time for you to ride it again before October 16."[17] In late 2011, Six Flags New England has stated on their Facebook page that Goliath will feature new trains built by Premier Rides.[18][19]
| Coaster name | Amusement park | Opening date | Closing date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aftershock Formerly Déjà Vu |
Silverwood Theme Park Six Flags Great America |
July 21, 2008 October 7, 2001 |
Still operating October 28, 2007 |
[9][4] |
| Goliath Formerly Déjà Vu |
Six Flags New England Six Flags Magic Mountain |
2012 August 25, 2001 |
Under Constuction October 16, 2011 |
[2][12][20] |
| Mountain Peak | Jinjiang Action Park | July 2011 | Still operating | [21] |
| Sky Mountain Formerly Déjà Vu |
Mirabilandia Six Flags Over Georgia |
In Storage September 1, 2001 |
- October 2007 |
[10][3] |
| Stunt Fall | Parque Warner Madrid | August 8, 2002 | Still operating | [22] |
The Giant Inverted Boomerang is a departure from Vekoma's earlier Boomerang designs. This model features a vertical cable lift hill that slowly lifts the train up a vertical spike. Also, this model is bigger than previous Boomerang designs. From above, the track layout looks like an 'X'.
As a Giant Inverted Boomerang is a shuttle roller coaster, each installation only operates with a single train. Each of these trains has 8 cars, each utilising 4-across seating, similar to that on Bolliger & Mabillard's inverted roller coasters. However, the seats on Giant Inverted Boomerangs are "staggered" such that the outside seats are pushed back slightly behind the middle two seats in each row. Train caters for a total of 32 riders.
Goliath at Six Flags New England will feature new a train by Premier Rides (different from the originals built by Vekoma). This train will have 4-across seating, exactly like that on Bolliger & Mabillard's inverted roller coasters. This will make the lines in the station less completed to navigate and will also have a higher capacity.[18][19]
The ride begins when the train slowly backs out of the station and up the vertical lift hill, pulled by a catch car. Once reaching the top of the lift, with riders facing straight down, and their legs dangling in the air, the train is released and zooms through the station heading into a 110-foot (34 m) tall cobra roll. This element contains two of the three inversions found on the ride going forward. After twisting through the cobra roll, riders then go through a 102-foot (31 m) tall vertical loop which crosses the station and hit the second vertical spike of the ride. A catch car there pulls the train up the second vertical tower, this time with riders facing the sky at the top of the tower. After the train reaches the top of the tower, it is released to cycle backward through the layout. The train then goes through the station and heads up the first vertical lift hill again, where it is caught once more and then very slowly lowered back into the station.
Six Flags had originally ordered four Giant Inverted Boomerangs in 2001 (the three Déjà Vu coasters in U.S.A. and Stunt Fall at Warner Bros. Movie World in Madrid, Spain). However, following the installation of the 3 Déjà Vu coasters and the discovery of several problems, Six Flags allowed Vekoma resolve these problems before installation of their fourth coaster, Stunt Fall. Vekoma has since upgraded the original three rides to use this system.
One problem was clearance between the riders and the track overhead. After the trains were mounted to the track, it was quickly discovered that riders could reach and touch the track while the train was in motion, posing the risk of injury. Vekoma had to improvise, adding new bars to the original shoulder restraint to prevent guests from reaching up too high.
During initial testing on Six Flags Over Georgia's Déjà Vu, the catch car (a small device that catches and holds the train) on the first tower derailed, breaking parts and destroying the components of the train beyond economical repair. The ride received a replacement train shortly after.
During tests it was discovered that trains would stall in the middle of the cobra roll. Unplanned, the parks installed emergency unloading scaffolding in this location, similar to other Boomerang roller coasters.
Another problem of the ride is the locking mechanism for the shoulder restraints. The Giant Inverted Boomerangs require the use of a battery pack to unlock each restraint in the event of a power loss. Virtually all other roller coasters have a quick manual release system to unload in unusual locations or emergency situations.
Some riders complained that the restraints give too much room for the riders to "fall forward" during the lift. People who were barrel-chested, overweight or obese complained of chest compressions during the moments that they were on the main lift. Another problem with the restraints was that sometimes the belt attached to the bottom of the restraint would detach from the restraint posing a greater risk that if the restraint lock would somehow malfunction there would be nothing else to keep the rider from falling out of their seat.
Since the announcement of Goliath on September 1, 2011, Ed Markey U.S. Representative and S.I. Sheikh, and A.B. Singhal from the Massachusetts General Hospital told the Boston Herald stating “Fixed-site amusement park rides like those at Six Flags New England are exempt from federal oversight due to a 30-year-old special-interest loophole. This means that even as these rides get faster and taller, safety rules remain stuck in a state-by-state patchwork that leaves riders vulnerable.” And The jerky motions of these rides have been linked to small tears in arteries or a spike in blood pressure, but we aren’t sure if there is necessarily a cause-and-effect relationship.”[23]
All Giant Inverted Boomerang models currently hold the records for the 2nd biggest drop on an inverted roller coaster;[24] the 3rd highest inverted roller coaster;[25] and the 5th fastest inverted roller coaster.[26]
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