Flight Deck (Canada's Wonderland)

Flight Deck is a steel inverted roller coaster located at Canada's Wonderland in Vaughan, Ontario, Canada. It opened in 1995 under the name Top Gun until it was renamed in 2008 to Flight Deck. It is based on the 1986 film Top Gun, and the ride is meant to simulate the feeling of riding in an F-14 fighter jet. The ride is themed heavily after the movie with various props alongside the line-up including models of the F-14 aircraft, hangars, radar installations, army trucks, and informational posters about the making of the movie. Since its early inception, the ride has been known as the flagship ride in the park, finally losing that distinction to Behemoth in 2008.

The ride was built where "Zumba Flume" (a water log ride) was once located. The "Top Gun" movie theme was a shift in the design of the park. The ride no longer was themed to match the "land" in which it was situated. The ride has had many breakdowns which include seats and chain lift failure. There have been a couple of accounts where the train has been stuck on the lift hill with people on the ride.

Ride elements

• Sea serpent roll (two inversions)
• Sidewinder loop
• Double inline twist

Ride experience

First, the trains of Flight Deck go up to the top of the lift hill which is almost 100 feet (30 m) tall. Then, the trains go down the hill which does a 90 degree turn to the right on the way down, speeding at 80 km/h. At the bottom of the first drop, the passenger's feet are just a couple feet away from the ground. The ride has many near miss effects with the ground, track, and supports. After that, the roller coaster's train goes through a half loop, an inline roll, and then another half loop, followed by an overbanking turn and another immelmann loop. Next, Flight Deck's trains go through a 180 degree turn and through two barrel rolls. Lastly, the trains make another 180 turn and head into the final break run.

Trains

The trains to Flight Deck are inverted, meaning that the passengers feet hang about with no floor under them.

Flight Deck has two trains working all the time. Each of the two trains has ten cars, and each of the cars can hold two people. Therefore, each train can hold 20 passengers at a time and 40 passengers can ride Flight Deck at a time. The cars of Flight Deck's trains have a shoulder harness which is attached to the bottom of the seat with seatbelts.

The trains were originally named Maverick and Iceman to go along with the original Top Gun theme. For the 2010 season, the trains were renamed Firehawk and Raptor.

Colours

The colors of Flight Deck match in with the theme of the movie Top Gun. The supports of the track are colored grey, and the track itself is colored with a much lighter shade of grey. The trains on Flight Deck are colored mainly red, but also have a bit of white on the backs of the seats. The station for Flight Deck is colored all grey.

Station

The station of Flight Deck is one of the most themed stations in the park with the station of Time Warp coming close after it. Flight Deck's station is shaped like a hangar for airplanes. The line up for the ride is under the hangar as the line up curves back-and-forth between the two sides of the hangar. The trains for Flight Deck wait under the hangar too. Around the hangar are many military objects that have to do with the movie Top Gun. Some of these objects include trucks, airplanes, and radar.

Rider requirements

Riders may not carry loose items during the ride. Riders are encouraged to remove glasses and hat due to the high velocity of the ride. Onlookers will notice many guests riding in their bare feet as flip flops and sandals can come off very easily. Guests can often be seen removing their shoes and socks and walking to the ride in their bare feet. The bare soles of riders can also be seen from the ground as riders come down the first drop during the ride.

In popular culture

A scene from the TV show Flashpoint was filmed on the evacuation stairs of Flight Deck during the 2008-2009 offseason. The episode aired on 10 April 2009 and is titled "The Perfect Family".

References

1. http://www.pcwjunkies.com/pcw/coasters/tg.htm