Superman: Ultimate Flight is a flying coaster located in Orleans Place at Six Flags Great America. The ride opened on May 3, 2003, and was manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard as the third ride of the same model to open.
The ride replaced Shockwave, a seven inversion coaster by Arrow Dynamics. It is currently the only flying coaster in the Midwest after the closure of Firehawk at Kings Island in 2018.
History[]
This is the last Superman clone with the original color scheme.
Experience[]
Queue[]
After passing underneath the entrance sign, guests first go through a large switchback section. 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. At the end, 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.
Incidents[]
- On September 9, 2017, 50-year old Scott Barnes died after riding the roller coaster during the park's "Out In The Park" event. After riding the attraction, he complained of feeling sick, before collapsing on the exit ramp. He was taken to a local hospital, where he later passed away of a "natural death".
Gallery[]
Queue photos[]
Exterior photos[]
Layout photos[]
See also[]
External links[]
