- "It's No Dream."
- ―1997 television commercial
Giant Drop is a drop tower located in Southwest Territory at Six Flags Great America. Manufactured by Intamin, the ride opened in 1997 and features a height of 227 feet. It is themed around an ore excavator at the "Loco Diablo Mine".
History[]
The ride was originally set to be named Wile E. Coyote's Giant Drop, but those plans were scrapped. Construction officially began in October 1996 with land clearing. The original name was still referenced in the television commercial for the ride, which involves a young man having a nightmare about the ride, and at the end, it shows his Wile E Coyote slippers with the tagline "It's No Dream."
Giant Drop opened to the public on April 26, 1997. For the ride's opening ceremony, 200 couples from throughout the Midwest rode the ride as part of a wedding ceremony which took place in the Southwest Territory Amphitheater.[1]
In August 1999, Giant Drop was closed after an accident on Drop Zone: Stunt Tower at Paramount's Great America, which was also manufactured by Intamin. The ride received seatbelts and re-opened a few days later.[2]
On June 22, 2007, Giant Drop was closed once again, this time due to an incident on Superman: Tower of Power at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom, which again was also manufactured by Intamin.
Experience[]
Queue[]
Guests first pass underneath the entrance archway to the left of the ride. At the start of the queue, guests walk past some canyon rockwork in an outdoor area. This will lead directly into a tunnel with several props on the left side. On top of the tunnel is mine theming. Upon exiting the tunnel, guests approach a switchback section. There are two pathways that lead to a shortcut or an extended queue area with additional props. Both paths lead to another switchback area. Guests then go through a trench above railroad tracks while passing by more theming. After a third switchback section, guests wait at the gates and board the ride.
Ride[]
Riders are loaded into a group of four ride cars, which seat four riders each, combined with a total capacity of 16 guests. They are then secured with an over-the-shoulder harness and an interlocking seatbelt. As the riders board, four catch cars slowly descend from the top of the tower and hook onto each ride car. After the "all-clear" is given, the catch cars pull onto the ride vehicles, lifting them off the ground and ascending to the top of the tower. After clearing the braking zone, the cars pick up speed, reaching 12 mph. They are held 227 feet in the air for several seconds until an eagle screeching sound effect causes the cars to drop at a max speed of 62 mph. Upon reaching the braking zone, magnetic brakes slow the speed of the cars. Once the cars come to a stop on the ground, riders lift their safety harness and exit the ride.
Gallery[]
Videos[]
Queue photos[]
Exterior photos[]
References[]
- ↑ Giant Drop. Six Flags Great America.
- ↑ "Safety: Officials say injuries due to horseplay", The Daily Herald, August 31, 1999, pp. 183.
See also[]
- Southwest Territory (Six Flags Great America)
- Dungeon Drop, a drop tower at the now-defunct Six Flags AstroWorld
External links[]
- Giant Drop - Six Flags Great America at Six Flags
Giant Drop (Six Flags Great America) at Coasterpedia- Giant Drop (Six Flags Great America) at Wikipedia
