The Flash: Vertical Velocity (Six Flags Great Adventure)

The Flash: Vertical Velocity
Six Flags Great Adventure
LocationSix Flags Great Adventure
Park sectionMovietown
Coordinates40°08′13.47″N 74°26′27.5″W / 40.1370750°N 74.440972°W / 40.1370750; -74.440972
StatusUnder construction
Opening date2025
General statistics
TypeSteel – Launched – Shuttle
ManufacturerVekoma
DesignerBenjamin Bloemendaal
ModelSuper Boomerang
Lift/launch systemLSM
Height1,720.2 ft (524.3 m)
Length1,430.4 ft (436.0 m)
Speed59 mph (95 km/h)
Inversions2
Capacity800 riders per hour
G-force4
Height restriction48 in (122 cm)
TrainsSingle train with 6 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 24 riders per train.
WebsiteOfficial website
The Flash: Vertical Velocity at RCDB

The Flash: Vertical Velocity is an upcoming steel roller coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson Township, New Jersey, opening in 2025.[1][2][3] It will be a Vekoma Super Boomerang launch coaster themed to the DC Comics character the Flash.

Also a shuttle roller coaster, The Flash will feature a zero-g roll and a top speed of 59 miles per hour (95 km/h). The ride will be located in the Movietown section of Six Flags Great Adventure, near Justice League: Battle for Metropolis.

History

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Background

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Dutch manufacturer Vekoma first unveiled their new shuttle launch coaster layout through the EAP Magazine in November 2021.[4] Dubbed the "Super Boomerang" as a tribute to their long-running coaster model, the coaster would use multiple banks of LSM launches to ascend spikes on either side of a tower. The design subsequently premiered in July 2023 as the Cloud Shuttle at Xuzhou Fantawild Wonderland in Tongshan, China.[5]

By November 2022, attendance had fallen 33% across the Six Flags chain, with concerns that an ongoing corporate initiative to raise prices and cease investments had begun alienating park guests.[6][7] Seeking to reverse course, Six Flags sent representatives to the IAAPA Expo in Orlando, Florida that month, where a series of last-minute ride deals were signed off with multiple manufacturers.[8] Vekoma was among those approached by Six Flags, from whom they soon purchased a pre-manufactured junior coaster. Taking the form of Rookie Racer at Six Flags St. Louis, the project's delivery allowed Six Flags to conduct further business with Vekoma.[9]

Announcement

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In August 2023, Six Flags' Chief Financial Officer Gary Mick confirmed that a new roller coaster would be built at Six Flags Great Adventure in 2024, stating that, "We have a 50th Anniversary coming up at our park in New Jersey, and we had an opportunity to add a nice ride kind of late in the game. And that's a little bit rare because it takes generally a while to design and build a coaster. So we had a fortunate opportunity, and we decided to take it".[10] Concurrently, Great Adventure released a teaser presenting various numbers, which were determined to be statistics lining up with Vekoma's Super Boomerang model.[11][12]

Six Flags Great Adventure officially announced The Flash: Vertical Velocity on August 30, 2023, set to become the park's 15th roller coaster and the first of its kind in the Western Hemisphere.[13][14] Billed as a part of the park's largest investment in 20 years, it would be joined by the overhauled Safari Off-Road Adventure, Wild Safari Park luxury glamping, and various other park refurbishments.[15] Jackson Township Planning Commissioners officially approved the project on December 18, 2023.[16] An animated trailer for the coaster was later released in March 2024.[17]

Construction

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Deforestation and other land clearing work began behind Cyborg Cyber Spin in January 2024, with local contractors Force Concrete constructing its foundations the next month.[18][19] Track and supports first began arriving from Vekoma in February, and assembly of the ride began at the end of April.[20][21]

On August 12, 2024, the park announced on their social media accounts that the roller coaster had been delayed until 2025.[1][2][3]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Six Flags Great Adventure August 12 post on Facebook". Facebook. August 12, 2024. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Keller, Ilana (August 13, 2024). "Six Flags Great Adventure says The Flash: Vertical Velocity coaster won't open until 2025". Asbury Park Press. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  3. ^ a b Amabile, Michele (August 13, 2024). "New Roller Coaster Delayed at Six Flags". WWZY. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  4. ^ "Herstellernews - Neue Attraktionen und Thematisierungsideen". Coasterfriends.de (in German). November 10, 2021. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  5. ^ Coates, Charlotte (July 27, 2023). "Vekoma brings world's first Super Boomerang to Fantawild Wonderland". Blooloop. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  6. ^ Niles, Robert (November 10, 2022). "Attendance, Revenue Plummet at Six Flags". Theme Park Insider. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  7. ^ Mooney, Michael (November 29, 2022). "The rapid decline of Six Flags". Axios. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  8. ^ Six Flags (November 16, 2022). "Coaster-sized plans are coming together at IAAPA!". LinkedIn. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  9. ^ Hawkins, Rachel (March 1, 2023). "Six Flags St. Louis Announces New Family Coaster for 2023". Coaster101. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  10. ^ "Six Flags Entertainment Corporation (SIX) Q2 2023 Earnings Call Transcript". Seeking Alpha. August 10, 2023. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  11. ^ @SFGrAdventure (August 12, 2023). "Great Adventure" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  12. ^ "We're Pretty Sure We Know What Six Flags Great Adventure's New Coaster is". thecoasterkings.com. August 12, 2023. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  13. ^ Stilwell, Andrew (August 30, 2023). "Flash: Vertical Velocity, North America's First Vekoma Super Boomerang, Coming to Six Flags Great Adventure in 2024". Coaster101. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  14. ^ "Six Flags Great Adventure Celebrates 50th Anniversary With the Largest Park Investment in Nearly 20 Years". businesswire.com. August 30, 2023. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  15. ^ Mancini, Maggie (August 30, 2023). "Six Flags Great Adventure will mark 50th anniversary with new roller coaster in 2024". phillyvoice.com. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  16. ^ jacksontwpnj (August 30, 2023). "Jackson Township Planning Board Meeting Dec. 18, 2023". YouTube. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  17. ^ Six Flags Great Adventure (March 19, 2024). "The Flash: Vertical Velocity Coming to Six Flags Great Adventure Resort in 2024". YouTube. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  18. ^ @coastersnbrews (January 25, 2024). "Land clearing and construction is finally starting at Six Flags Great..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  19. ^ @coasterchitchat (February 9, 2024). "The footers for THE FLASH™: Vertical Velocity are starting to take shape..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  20. ^ @SFGrAdventure (February 29, 2024). "An exciting way to close out February!⚡️🎢..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  21. ^ @thecbv21 (April 26, 2024). "⚠️🚨The Flash Vertical Velocity has pieces of track placed!🚨⚠️ ..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
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