Flashback was a steel roller coaster manufactured by Intamin of Switzerland. The coaster was located in the Six Flags Plaza area of Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California. The model of the ride, a Space Diver coaster, was supposed to be mass-produced, only for Flashback to be the only installation.
History[]
Flashback opened to the public on April 25, 1992. The ride became very rough months after opening. Starting in the mid 1990s, Flashback was closed during the summer as the ride was too noisy, due to being next to the Hurricane Harbor water park which opened in June 1995. The ride noise would distract the lifeguards at the water park. Some waterpark visitors would also just want to relax under the sun, but the noise would annoy them.
The ride was closed from 2003 until 2007. On January 23, 2007, the park announced that Flashback would be removed along with Psyclone. Originally, the park stated that Flashback may be re-built within the park for 2008. However, it was dismantled in December 2007 through January 2008 and scrapped. However, the loading station and entrance queue building remain standing and are presently used for annual Fright Fest mazes. The land previously occupied by the coaster itself was used to expand the Lizard Lagoon and add the Cabana Cove area at the neighboring Hurricane Harbor Los Angeles in 2016.[1]
Ride experience[]
Flashback was the world's only hairpin-drop roller coaster, with 6 head-over-heels dives and a 540-degree upward spiral. It was also the only Space Dive coaster ever to be built. It was all packed into a relatively small area with 1,900 feet (580 m) of track stacked above each other. The drops were severe, producing a free-fall experience on the plunges; fast steel switchbacks connected the turns just before trains flew into the gravity-defying upward spiral. Trains reached a max of 35 miles per hour (56 km/h), with a 3-g force on the one and a half minute ride.
Characteristics[]
Track[]
Throughout its life, Flashback's track was painted blue with white supports. The style of track used on this coaster would later be the signature track style of coasters built by Bolliger & Mabillard.
Trains[]
The ride featured three trains, each with five cars. Each car featured riders arranged 4 across for a total of 20 riders per train. The trains were manufactured by Giovanola. When Flashback was known as Z-Force, the trains were painted all blue with a navy blue stripe running down on the sides of the train. The restraints were also blue. After its relocation to Six Flags Magic Mountain, Flashback's trains were repainted red with a white chasis and a white stripe on the sides of each car. The restraints were also repainted orange.
Trivia[]

Flashback in the Six Flags Magic Mountain scenario in RollerCoaster Tycoon 2.
- Flashback appears in the 2002 video game RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 as a pre-built ride.
- The queue building was originally constructed in 1982 and opened in the following year as the Texas Instruments Computer Discovery Center.
- After the removal of Flashback, the empty queue building remained standing and was used as a Season Pass office and then became the Toyz of Terror maze for Fright Fest 2013. It is presently used during the annual Fright Fest as the site of the Condemned - Forever Damned maze.
- The loading station also remained standing and became the Red's Revenge maze for Fright Fest 2014. It is presently used during the annual Fright Fest as the site of the Truth or Dare maze.
Gallery[]
Photos[]
References[]
- ↑ Python Plunge Opens at Six Flags Hurricane Harbor, Coaster Kings. 2016-06-30.
See also[]
- Z-Force (Six Flags Great America), previous iteration of this coaster from 1985 to 1987.
- Z-Force (Six Flags Over Georgia), previous iteration of this coaster from 1988 to 1991.
External links[]
- Flashback - Six Flags Magic Mountain at Six Flags (archived 2004-03-24)
- Rides - Flashback (archived 2001-07-09)
Flashback (Six Flags Magic Mountain) at Coasterpedia
Flashback at the Roller Coaster DataBase
Flashback (Six Flags Magic Mountain) at the Roller Coaster Wiki
Flashback (Six Flags Magic Mountain) at Wikipedia