Superman – Ride of Steel

Superman - Ride of Steel
Superman - Ride of Steel's final airtime hill
Six Flags America
Park section	Gotham City
Coordinates	38°54′31″N 76°46′38″W / 38.9085°N 76.7771°WCoordinates: 38°54′31″N 76°46′38″W / 38.9085°N 76.7771°W
Status	Operating
Opening date	May 13, 2000
Darien Lake
Coordinates	42°55′44″N 78°23′22″W / 42.9288°N 78.3894°W
Status	Operating
Opening date	May 15, 1999
General statistics
Type	Steel
Manufacturer	Intamin
Designer	Ingenieur Büro Stengel GmbH
Model	Mega Coaster
Lift/launch system	Chain lift hill
Height	208 ft (63 m)
Drop	205 ft (62 m)
Length	5,400 ft (1,600 m)
Speed	73 mph (117 km/h)
Inversions	0
Duration	2:02
Max vertical angle	68°
Capacity	1100 riders per hour
Height restriction	54–76 in (137–193 cm)
Trains	2 trains with 8 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 32 riders per train.
Flash Pass Available at Six Flags America
Superman - Ride of Steel at RCDB Pictures of Superman - Ride of Steel at RCDB

Superman – Ride of Steel is a steel roller coaster located at Six Flags America amusement park near Upper Marlboro, Maryland. Ride of Steel is an identical model located at Darien Lake amusement park in Darien, New York. Both are hypercoasters reaching heights above 200 feet (61 m), and were manufactured by Intamin. The installation at Darien Lake opened to the public on May 15, 1999, and the replica at Six Flags America opened a year later on May 13, 2000. Six Flags New England's Superman the Ride roller coaster was previously known as "Superman – Ride of Steel" prior to 2009, but it features a significantly different layout.

VR experience

On March 3, 2016, Six Flags announced that the ride would be one of several rides at various Six Flags parks to feature a VR system. Riders have the option of wearing a Samsung Gear VR headset, powered by Oculus to create a 360-degree, 3D experience while riding. It is themed to Superman saving a city from Lex Luthor's Lex Bots who are causing chaos with an anti-gravity ray. This theming will also come to the Superman: Krypton Coaster at Six Flags Fiesta Texas and Superman: The Ride at Six Flags New England.^[1]

Ride layout

Once the train has been dispatched from the station it makes a winding, 180-degree turn. The train ascends 208 feet (63 m) up the lift hill and then drops 205 feet (62 m) at an angle of 68 degrees. The train reaches the maximum speed of 73 mph (117 km/h) before entering a sharp turn and the first airtime hill. A 540-degree helix follows, in addition to another smaller airtime hill. The finale involves a 500-degree helix and several more airtime hills before reaching the brake run and returning to the station.

Elements

• 5 airtime hills (4 airtime hills and a twisted airtime hill)
• 2 helixes (540 degree and 500 degree)

Accidents

• On May 16, 1999, a passenger was thrown from the train at the Darien Lake installment on one of the final hills and suffered only minor injuries.^[2]
• On July 8, 2011, a passenger on the Darien Lake installment riding in the front seat fell to his death.^[3] State investigators faulted operator error as the cause of the accident and the ride was re-opened on July 22, 2011.^[4]

Rankings

Golden Ticket Awards: Top steel Roller Coasters
Year	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013
Ranking	20[5]	16[6]	13[7]	12[8]	18[9]	23[10]	14[11]	17[12]	28[13]	26[14]	40[15]	43[16]	38[17]

• 

  The station of Ride of Steel at Darien Lake

• 

  Superman's lift and first drop

• 

  Superman's first airtime hill

• 

  The version of (Superman) Ride of Steel at Darien Lake

References

1. "Six Flags adds VR roller coasters". Digital Trends. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
2. "Rider thrown from new Darien Lake roller coaster". Rideaccidents.com. Retrieved February 17, 2008.
3. "Army amputee ejected from roller coaster, dies". NBC News. 2011-07-09.
4. "Ride of Steel Reopens, Darien Lake Officials Answer Questions About Tragedy". WKBW TV Buffalo. July 22, 2011. Archived from the original on January 26, 2012.
5. "Top 25 steel roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 7B. August 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
6. "Top 25 steel roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 7B. September 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
7. "Top 50 steel roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 14–15B. September 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
8. "Top 50 steel roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 18–19B. September 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 3, 2007. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
9. "Top 50 steel roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 26–27B. September 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
10. "Top 50 steel roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 26–27B. September 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
11. "Top 50 steel roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 11 (6.2): 36–37. September 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
12. "Top 50 steel roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 12 (6.2): 36–37. September 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
13. "Top 50 steel roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 13 (6.2): 32–33. September 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
14. "Top 50 steel roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 14 (6.2): 34–35. September 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
15. "Top 50 steel roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 15 (6.2): 38–39. September 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
16. "Top 50 steel roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 16 (6.2): 36–37. September 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 2, 2015. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
17. "2013 Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today 17 (6.2): 34–35. September 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2013.

External links

• Six Flags America's Official Page for Superman: Ride of Steel