Thursday, November 05, 2009

What are the Recent Changes in Roller Coasters?

By Andrea Smith

It seems that every summer, a fun park somewhere in the world opens a new roller coaster that is longer, faster, or taller, has more loops than all the others that have gone before.

For example, the Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey rises to a height o 139m (456 ft.) and drops 127m. It's the tallest, fastest roller coaster in the world. While riders do not go upside down at any point, it's plenty scary nonetheless. It reaches speeds of 128 mph and that great speed is achieved from standing still in only 3.5 seconds.It does a 90 degree twist to the left at the top of the 139m tower before plunging nearly vertically.

The Furius Baco at PortAventura in Spain "only" goes to a height of 14m, but it is almost a kilometre long. Riders reach speeds of 84 mph and go through one inversion. It is the fastest coaster in Europe, and its claim to fame is the unusual seating design. a center console of sorts clings to the track, while the seats - two on the left and two on the right - are hanging out over the rails on either side. In other words, riders feel as if they've come off the tracks.

The longest roller coaster in the world is the Steel Dragon at Nagashima Spa Land in Japan. Rising to a height of 97m, with a 93m drop, it is over 2 km long and reaches speeds of up to 95 mph. The ride lasts four long minutes, which is part of its "fear factor."

In Australia, the Tower of Terror at Dreamworld in Queensland reaches speeds of 100 mph. Is it technically a roller coaster? Some debate whether it is, but with 4.5 g's at a 90 degree angle is pretty scary. Riders are blasted up the track at 100 mph, and then they come back down on the same track It is the tallest and fastest coaster in the southern hemisphere.

What's next for the roller coaster world, depends on where the imaginations of coaster designers take them. - 2361

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