Shock Wave (Six Flags Over Texas)

Shock Wave
Six Flags Over Texas
Park section	Tower
Coordinates	32°45′32″N 97°04′14″W / 32.75889°N 97.07056°W / 32.75889; -97.07056Coordinates: 32°45′32″N 97°04′14″W / 32.75889°N 97.07056°W / 32.75889; -97.07056
Status	Operating
Opening date	April 22, 1978
General statistics
Type	Steel
Manufacturer	Anton Schwarzkopf
Designer	Werner Stengel
Model	custom looping
Lift/launch system	Chain lift hill
Height	116 ft (35 m)
Drop	105 ft (32 m)
Length	3,600 ft (1,100 m)
Speed	60 mph (97 km/h)
Inversions	2
Duration	2:00
Max vertical angle	46°
Capacity	1100 riders per hour
G-force	5.9
Height restriction	42 in (107 cm)
Trains	7 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 28 riders per train.
Shock Wave at RCDB Pictures of Shock Wave at RCDB

Shock Wave is a steel roller coaster located at Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington, Texas. Built right at the edge of the park, the Shock Wave is easily seen by passers-by on Interstate Highway 30. Its unique four-sided tube truss track system is similar to the Mind Bender roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia which was constructed at the same time.

History

When it opened in 1978, Shock Wave was the tallest roller coaster in the world. It lost this title within weeks upon the opening of The Loch Ness Monster at Busch Gardens: The Old Country.

The ride is built on Johnson Creek real estate, and had to temporarily close in the 2004 season because of a flood. Shock Wave was temporarily closed again in early 2008 for an extensive remodeling.^[1]

Six Flags announced on March 3, 2016, that Shock Wave would be among several rides at various parks that would receive a virtual reality (VR) upgrade. Riders have the option to wear Samsung Gear VR headsets, powered by Oculus, to create a 360-degree, 3D experience while riding. The virtual reality experience is called, The New Revolution, themed to a fighter jet, has riders flying through a futuristic city as co-pilots battling alien invaders. The feature will debut with the coaster, when it reopens in spring of 2016.^[2] For the park's annual Fright Fest, the virtual reality ride will become Rage of the Gargoyles.^[3]

Ride experience

The final drop on the Shock Wave (2010)

The ride starts with the lift-hill going up 116 feet (35 m). A U-turn with a slight dip immediately follows, then the coaster goes down its first drop and into the back-to-back loops, with peak forces of 5.9 G.^[4] The train then travels back up a hill into a mid-course brake run. At this point the ride turns right and dives down then back up, turns left and dives down. The last element is a final hill with a left turn that goes into a 270° helix to the right, then the train returns to the station.

Colors

Throughout the years, Shock Wave has undergone several re-paintings with different color schemes. When it first opened, the attraction's track and supports were all-white. The solid white color lasted only two years as it quickly became dirty. The second color scheme, introduced in 1980, featured dark blue track and supports. Since then, the ride has been repainted light blue, then silver with navy blue supports.^[5] During Time-Warner's ownership of the park the ride was painted with white track, yellow supports and pink loops. The operators jokingly referred to the ride as "fruit loops." The seventh color scheme of blue track with red supports came about in 1996. 2001 marked the 40th anniversary of the park, and Shock Wave once again was given a new coat of paint — this time royal blue supports with a bright green track.^[5] That paint job remained on the coaster until 2012, when Shock Wave was finally given a much-needed new coat of paint. Similar to the previous color scheme, the present colors are royal blue supports, with a slightly brighter shade of green track.

Awards

References