X-Flight was as flying coaster that operated at Six Flags Worlds of Adventure in Aurora, Ohio, and opened on May 26, 2001. It was the first flying coaster in the midwest, flipping riders through five inversions. After the 2006 season, the ride would be relocated to Kings Island, where it would open as "Firehawk" for the 2007 season. Firehawk would be demolished after the 2018 season.
History[]
Plans for a new roller coaster at Six Flags Ohio were revealed on January 4, 2001. This coaster would be known as X-Flight, and would be manufactured by Dutch manufacturer Vekoma, and would be a Flying Dutchman model. Originally, the Flying Dutchman models were only allowed to be sold to Paramount Parks due to a deal between the two companies. However, after the mechanical problems of Stealth at Paramount's Great America, Paramount Parks pulled out of the deal. This allowed Six Flags to purchase the ride model. Along with X-Flight, Six Flags America opened Batwing, a clone of this ride themed to Batman in the same year. X-Flight was dubbed as the first flying coaster in the Midwest, and was the tenth coaster at Six Flags Ohio (later named Six Flags Worlds of Adventure), as well as the fifth one built since the 2000 season.
Before deciding on the moniker X-Flight, the park's management had considered naming the roller coaster after characters from the publications of DC Comics. The park's Vice President and General Manager, Jake Bateman, had originally wanted to use the name Batwing, as the "sister" roller coaster at Six Flags America would ultimately be called. After taking X-Flight's location into consideration, however, management instead sought out different Superman characters for inspiration. Finally, as this particular proposal had been rejected, park management settled on a more generic, unspecified theme.[1]
The coaster would have a delayed opening due to technical difficulties, but successfully opened to the public on May 26, 2001. Riders would lie flat on their back in the station, before being flipped over in a flying position shortly after disengaging from the lift. Riders would then fly through 5 inversions before returning back on their backs on the brake run.
When Cedar Fair acquired the park in 2004, they could continue to operate X-Flight as is, without changing the name, logo or paint scheme. However, at the end of the 2006 season, X-Flight, along with Superman: Ultimate Escape, would be removed and relocated to different Cedar Fair parks.
On February 5, 2007, Kings Island, which had recently fell under Cedar Fair management after the acquisition of Paramount Parks, announced that "Firehawk" would be added next to Flight of Fear, forming a new area of the park: "X-Base." The ride would be repainted with red track, and gray supports. As the ride aged at the park, the red paint would chip and fade, revealing the covered bright green track that once occupied X-Flight. Firehawk opened on May 26, 2007. Just a few months later, Geauga Lake would close forever.
Firehawk had eventually reached the end of its service life and closed on October 28, 2018, and was later subsequently torn down for scrap prior to the 2019 season. As of today, the spot where Firehawk once stood is now occupied by a B&M giga rollercoaster named Orion.
Trivia[]
- X-Flight used the exact same station building as Batwing at Six Flags America, minus the colors and Batman theming.
References[]
- ↑ Wood, Chip (19 January 2001). "The Man With A Plan". Six Flags Ohio: A Refreshing Look! Retrieved 20 November 2021.
External links[]
X-Flight (Geauga Lake) at Wikipedia
X-Flight (Six Flags Worlds of Adventure) at the Roller Coaster DataBase- X-Flight on Geauga Lake Wiki
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