Superman – Ride of Steel

Superman – Ride of Steel are steel roller coasters located at two different Six Flags parks in the United States, including Six Flags America in Woodmore, Maryland, and Six Flags Darien Lake in Corfu, New York. At Six Flags Darien Lake, the coaster was renamed Ride of Steel in 2007, dropping Superman from the name. Both hypercoasters, manufactured by Intamin, are mirror-image and opened a year apart, beginning with the Darien Lake installation in May 1999 followed by Six Flags America in May 2000. They are 208 feet (63 m) tall, feature a drop length of 205 feet (62 m), and reach a maximum speed of 73 mph (117 km/h). A roller coaster with a similar name, Superman The Ride, opened at Six Flags New England in 2000 but features a significantly different layout.

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°W / 38.9085; -76.7771
Status	Operating
Opening date	May 13, 2000 (2000-05-13)
Cost	$12,000,000 USD
Six Flags Darien Lake
Coordinates	42°55′44″N 78°23′22″W / 42.9288°N 78.3894°W / 42.9288; -78.3894
Status	Operating
Opening date	May 15, 1999 (1999-05-15)
General statistics
Type	Steel
Manufacturer	Intamin
Designer	Werner Stengel
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
G-force	?
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

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 was also added to 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 minor injuries.^[2]
• On July 8, 2011, disabled Iraq War veteran James Hackemer fell to his death while riding in the front seat of the Darien Lake installment.^[3] State investigators faulted operator error as the cause of the accident and the ride was re-opened on July 22, 2011.^[4] Although it was first reported that Hackemer was told he could ride all of the rides by a park employee, it was later revealed that Hackemer never checked with an employee whether or not it would be safe for him to go on the ride. He was offered a safety brochure for disabled patrons at the park entrance but refused it, claiming that he had already received one. The ride’s restraints are designed to hold passengers into the vehicle at both the hips and the shins. Signage at the ride entrance states that riders must have 2 functioning legs to ride in addition to meeting the height requirements, though it is unclear whether this information is given at the accessible entrance through which Hackemer accessed the ride. There were no employees checking height restrictions at this accessible entrance. Despite the fact that all three of the ride’s operators that day noticed that he did not have two functioning legs, none of the staff intervened to stop him from boarding. As a result, he was ejected from the ride after his hat flew off and he attempted to reach for it. He suffered blunt force trauma to the head and was killed instantly. ^[5]

Rankings

Golden Ticket Awards: Top steel Roller Coasters

Year	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2018	2019
Ranking	20^[6]	16^[7]	13^[8]	12^[9]	18^[10]	23^[11]	14^[12]	17^[13]	28^[14]	26^[15]	40^[16]	43^[17]	38^[18]	39 (tie)^[19]	47 (tie)^[20]

•  
  The Ride of Steel station, Six Flags Darien Lake
•  
  Superman's lift and first drop, Six Flags America
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  Superman's first airtime hill, Six Flags America
•  
  (Superman) Ride of Steel, Six Flags Darien Lake

References

1. "Six Flags adds VR roller coasters". Digital Trends. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
2. . Rideaccidents.com. Archived from the original on February 7, 2008. Retrieved February 17, 2008.
3. . NBC News. 2011-07-09. Archived from the original on 2011-07-11.
4. . WKBW TV Buffalo. July 22, 2011. Archived from the original on January 26, 2012.
5. Owens, Howard B. (2011-08-25). "Final Sheriff's Office report on death at Darien's 'Ride of Steel' contains new details". The Batavian. Retrieved 2020-06-29.
6. (PDF). Amusement Today: 7B. August 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
7. (PDF). Amusement Today: 7B. September 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
8. (PDF). Amusement Today: 14–15B. September 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
9. (PDF). Amusement Today: 18–19B. September 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 3, 2007. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
10. (PDF). Amusement Today: 26–27B. September 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
11. (PDF). Amusement Today: 26–27B. September 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
12. (PDF). Amusement Today. 11 (6.2): 36–37. September 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
13. (PDF). Amusement Today. 12 (6.2): 36–37. September 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
14. (PDF). Amusement Today. 13 (6.2): 32–33. September 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
15. (PDF). Amusement Today. 14 (6.2): 34–35. September 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
16. (PDF). Amusement Today. 15 (6.2): 38–39. September 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
17. "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 16 (6.2): 36–37. September 2012. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
18. (PDF). Amusement Today. 17 (6.2): 34–35. September 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
19. "2018 Top 50 Steel Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2018. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
20. "2019 Top 50 Steel Coasters". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2019. Retrieved September 11, 2019.

External links

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