Statement about the Six Flags-Cedar Fair merger Click here for our statement about how wiki content will change following the Six Flags-Cedar Fair merger.
On October 23, 2002, Six Flags Great Adventure announced that Superman: Ultimate Flight would be added for the 2003 season.
Construction began at the end of the 2002 summer season, with the area of the parking lot where the new coaster was being built getting closed off with a construction fence, relocating the lanes of traffic further into the parking lot. A big part of the construction of Superman: Ultimate Flight was building the entrance to the ride. The entrance and exit paths had to be rooted directly through the park's original administration building, which was a large white tent-like structure originally at the far edge of the park. The plaza in front of the entrance had been the site of the often-relocated Scrambler ride as the G-Force Centrifuge. That plaza area got a full makeover with a large portal to serve as a backdrop for the sign. The area in front received fresh concrete for the creation of a huge Superman symbol at the entrance.
Promotion of the new coaster continued into the winter with the second season of Winter Lights featuring a Superman display. The construction site was easily viewed during Winter Lights as the path of the displays wound through the main parking lot, with the parking area for the Holiday Village being located right next to the construction fence.
The ride officially opened on April 17, 2003. The landscaping was still a work in progress at the time, with the ground seeded for the grass, but the seeds not having germinated yet, leaving it looking like a desert beneath the coaster. The bright colors of the ride really stood out against the bare earth, but with the warming spring weather, the grass grew in relatively quickly, looking quite full by Memorial Day weekend and the unofficial start of summer. The photo booth for the attraction was originally used for Batman & Robin: The Chiller.
The exit for the ride ran back through the empty "bubble building", with space left purposely to build a shop at the ride exit. The budget and time constraints meant that the shop would be delayed one season. Finally, in 2004, the Daily Planet Gifts shop was added at the exit from the ride. The gift shop was planned, but not built for 2003 and made its debut in the spring of 2004 when the park opened for the season.
After passing underneath the entrance sign, guests first go a tunnel housed inside the "bubble building". Once guests complete this section, they will pass by various characters from the Superman mythos, including Lois Lane, Lex Luthor, the '90s version of Brainiac (where he was a possessed circus psychic named Milton Fine), Mr. Mxyzptlk and Maxima. The queue also plays John Williams' "Superman March" from the 1978 Superman movie, directed by Richard Donner and the theme from the '90s TV show Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. There are even signs depicting Superman's powers. There are also some switchback sections in this area. Originally, they were not covered with shading portions until the end of the 2003 summer season. Red canopy frames with blue canvas tarps were built over the main queue houses at the same time, which helped keep down the temperatures. Various types of adjoining snack stands had also been installed through the years to keep riders cool and refreshed. To help deal with lines in the park, DJ booths were added to the line for Nitro and Superman. The DJs play music and interact with the crowds to help entertain the people in line for an hour or more at a time. At the end of the queue line, guests climb up the stairs and head into the loading station.
Layout[]
Superman: Ultimate Flight begins as the train turns to the right and begins to climb the 106-foot-tall (32 m) chain lift hill. After cresting the top of the lift hill, the train drops 100 feet (30 m) to the right at a 50-degree-angle, reaching a top speed of 51 miles per hour (82 km/h) and preparing to enter the pretzel loop. In a pretzel loop, a train swoops up to a height of 78 feet (24 m) before diving toward the ground, looping back under the starting point. At the bottom of the loop, riders face upward and experience strong, positive g forces. To complete the pretzel loop, the train climbs back to the top of the element, parallel to where it started. After exiting the element, the train then enters a 270-degree turn to the left, dropping back through the middle of the pretzel loop. Next, the train passes through two consecutive horseshoe turns, first to the right and then to the left. As the name suggests, Horseshoe turns are highly banked horseshoe-shaped turns which feature track entering from roughly the same direction as where it exits. As the train exits the second horseshoe, it swoops down and begins a 270-degree helix to the right, which leads into the ride's second inversion, an inline twist. The inline twist sees riders perform a full rotation around the track, starting from a position where they are facing downward. After completing the twist, the train reaches the brake run and a final right-hand turn that leads back into the station.
Ale House • Central Brew Haus • Coca-Cola Freestyle • Fountain Drinks • G.A. Cafe • Johnny Rockets Express • Liberty Snacks • Main Street Pub • Main Street Snacks • Primo's Pizzeria • Main Street Sugar Shack • Sweet Cakes and Cones • Adventure Kids • Coaster Candy • Looney Tunes Shoppe • M-Porium • My Six Flags Photo • Super Hero Cape Cart • Sweet Treats
Superman Ultimate Flight (Six Flags Great Adventure) at Coasterpedia
