| For similarly-named attractions, see The Flash: Vertical Velocity. |
The Flash: Vertical Velocity (formerly V2: Vertical Velocity or simply "V2") is an impulse roller coaster located in DC Universe at Six Flags Great America. The ride opened on May 18, 2001 as Vertical Velocity at Yankee Harbor, and was manufactured by Intamin.
It is one of two The Flash: Vertical Velocity's at Six Flags theme parks, the other one being The Flash: Vertical Velocity at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. Both attractions opened in 2001 as Vertical Velocity, both being clones.
The attraction is themed to The Flash, and is set in the "Central City" section of DC Universe.
History[]
V2: Vertical Velocity (2001-2021)[]
V2: Vertical Velocity opened on May 18, 2001, along with Déjà Vu. Whirligig was moved near Batman: The Ride to fit the ride.
In 2013, V2 received göt2b advertising on the outside metallic parts of the station. These were later removed circa 2016.
The Flash: Vertical Velocity (2022-present)[]
[]
In late 2021, the park closed the ride as Vertical Velocity. A sign outside of the entrance read, "Vertical Velocity is closed for the rest of the season... Will be back in a Flash for 2022!".
During the Fright Fest event, park-goers could see the park re-painting the attraction's station to red, while also painting the supports to red and keeping the bright-yellow track. By the end of the event, the supports of the ride were fully painted, along with the loading station.
Teasers for the ride continued, as the park posted an event named "Add title [2022 NEW CAPITAL ANNOUNCEMENT]" as if it was a technical issue. It was later "fixed" by the park, but when visiting the event page, the "Location in Park" and "Theme 1" sections were filled out, as 42.367874, -87.932719 (Coordinates for the ride) and RAL 1023,3002 (yellow and red color), respectively. [1]
On March 24, 2022, the park announced The Flash: Vertical Velocity, a re-theme of Vertical Velocity. [2] Changes to the ride include "Flash" themed signs, a single-rider queue line and the change of the blue supports of the ride to red supports. The ride re-opened as The Flash: Vertical Velocity on May 7, 2022.
Experience[]
Queue[]
Guests first pass underneath the entrance sign next to Central City Snacks and Captain Cold's Ice Cream and choose either The Flash Pass path on the left or the regular line on the right. In the queue, guests make a right turn and enter a switchback section. At the back edge is an extended queue area that goes over the water, stretching towards the patio of the Claim Jumpers Chicken restaurant. Finally, guests climb the stairs and enter the station.
Layout[]
The attraction starts with its launch into its twisted tower. Using LIM (linear induction motors), the ride launches from 0 to 70 mph in four seconds before coming back down into its rear tower. Before the 2008 season, this tower would have a holding brake, but due to the amount of stress it put on the attraction, it does not operate anymore. The ride continues this layout before it stops back into the station.
Timeline[]
- 2001 - Vertical Velocity was announced, and opened
- 2008 - The holding breaks stopped operating
- 2021 - Temporary closure by the end of the season, "Back in a Flash"
- 2022 - The Flash: Vertical Velocity is announced, and opened.
Gallery[]
Promotional images[]
Photos[]
References[]
See also[]
- The Flash: Vertical Velocity, a similar ride at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom with a different layout.
- DC Universe (Six Flags Great America)
External Links[]
- The Flash: Vertical Velocity - Six Flags Great America official webpage at Six Flags
Flash: Vertical Velocity at the Roller Coaster DataBase- The Flash: Vertical Velocity (Six Flags Great America) at the Roller Coaster Wiki
- The Flash: Vertical Velocity (Six Flags Great America) at Wikipedia
