Firehawk (roller coaster)

Coordinates: 39°20′33.84″N 84°15′45.82″W / 39.3427333°N 84.2627278°W / 39.3427333; -84.2627278
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Firehawk
Previously known as X-Flight (2001–2006)
US$
15 million
General statistics
TypeSteel – Flying
ManufacturerVekoma
ModelFlying Dutchman (1018m)
Lift/launch systemChain lift hill
Height115 ft (35 m)
Length3,340 ft (1,020 m)
Speed50 mph (80 km/h)
Inversions5
Duration2:10
Max vertical angle33°
Capacity520 riders per hour
G-force4.3
Height restriction54–80 in (137–203 cm)
Trains2 trains with 6 cars. Riders are arranged 4 across in a single row for a total of 24 riders per train.
Fast Lane Plus was available
Firehawk at RCDB

Firehawk was a flying roller coaster located at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio. Manufactured by Vekoma, it originally opened as X-Flight at Six Flags Worlds of Adventure on May 26, 2001, billed as the Midwest's first and only flying roller coaster. Cedar Fair purchased Worlds of Adventure in 2004 and began efforts to downsize the park. X-Flight was relocated to Kings Island following the 2006 season, where it reopened as Firehawk on May 26, 2007.

The roller coaster's layout was identical to

giga coaster that opened in 2020.[1]

History

Six Flags Worlds of Adventure/Geauga Lake (2001–2006)

When Geauga Lake was known as Six Flags Ohio, plans for a new roller coaster known as X-Flight were revealed on January 4, 2001.[2] Six days later, Six Flags purchased SeaWorld Ohio – next to Geauga Lake – and merged the two to create Six Flags Worlds of Adventure.[3][4] X-Flight was advertised as the first flying roller coaster in the Midwest, and it was the park's tenth roller coaster overall – the fifth added since 2000.[5] The new coaster was built on a former bus parking lot, and Geauga Lake Road had to be rerouted around the ride.[6] Regarding the design of the attraction, Jake Bateman, Vice President and General Manager of Six Flags Worlds of Adventure, said:[5]

X-Flight will be so thrilling and so unique that a new category far above ultimate will have to be created to describe the experience. There is nothing to compare it to in Ohio or the Midwest, for that matter.

X-Flight at Geauga Lake

Land clearing began on December 1, 2000, and construction on the footers began February 9, 2001. X-Flight was originally intended to open on May 5,[7] but due to technical difficulties, its opening was delayed.[2] During testing, problems were discovered with several devices, including the reclining mechanism on the trains and their restraints.[2] X-Flight's media day was eventually held on May 24, 2001, and the ride officially opened two days later on May 26.[8][9]

Cedar Fair purchased the park from Six Flags in 2004 for $145 million.[10] They announced intentions of returning the park to its roots as a family-oriented amusement park.[11] The efforts to downsize the park eventually led to X-Flight's removal.[12] On November 22, 2006, Geauga Lake park officials announced that X-Flight was being dismantled to be moved to another unspecified Cedar Fair property.[13][14] Moving the ride would take several months, as the final sections of track and supports wouldn't be removed until March 2007.[6]

Kings Island (2007–2018)

On January 22, 2007, green Vekoma track resembling the track of X-Flight was spotted at

Racer's lift hill.[17] Firehawk officially opened as scheduled on May 26, 2007. It was the first roller coaster to be introduced at the park since Cedar Fair purchased it from Paramount Parks in 2006. The first 2,500 riders received commemorative Firehawk t-shirts.[18]

On September 27, 2018, Kings Island announced that Firehawk would close permanently on October 28, 2018.

giga coaster named Orion.[1][23] The former photo booth was reused as the new coaster's entrance.[24]

Ride experience

Track

Train in final helix

The steel track was 3,340 feet (1,020 m) in length, and the height of the lift hill was 115 feet (35 m).[9] There were approximately 300 sections of track colored red, with steel gray supports.[17] When the ride operated at Geauga Lake, the track was neon green with dark blue supports.[6]

Firehawk had a total of five inversions – one

inline twists, and four 180-degree inline twists that were each counted as a half inversion.[9] These 180-degree inline twists were also known as "Lie-to-Fly" and "Fly-to-Lie" elements, in which riders on their backs were flipped to face the ground or vice versa.[25][26][27]

Layout

Once riders were seated and restrained, the

brake run before returning to the station.[9][28][29]

Station

Firehawk's red train in the station

The coaster featured a dual station which was connected to the main track using a switch track segment (similar to a railroad switch). Dual-station operation allowed for two trains to be loaded simultaneously for more efficient operation. This configuration has existed since the ride debuted at Geauga Lake.[2][29]

Trains

Firehawk operated with two trains. There were six cars with four seats in each row for a total of 24 riders per train.[9] There were three trains during the ride's first year at Geauga Lake, however only two were used since. The third train became a parts donor for the first two.[9][30] Originally, riders reclined on the lift hill, rather than in the station, and returned to an upright position prior to re-entering the station.[7][31] However, this was changed to occur in the station due to problems that arose during the ride's first season.[29] The trains featured the Firehawk logo on the front colored yellow and red. At Geauga Lake, the X-Flight logo was featured on the trains.[2]

Incident

On August 8, 2009, an adult male passenger was rushed to a hospital after he was found with breathing problems following the ride. He died the same evening. The Hamilton County Coroner's Office reported that a heart condition was the likely cause of death and ruled it a natural cause.[32] The ride was re-opened at 12:10 pm on August 9, 2009, after an inspection by the Ohio Department of Agriculture – a division of the state government responsible for amusement park ride safety in Ohio. They determined the ride was operating within the manufacturer's specifications.[33]

Gallery

Geauga Lake

Kings Island

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Orion: Kings Island". Kings Island. Retrieved August 16, 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d e "A Blast From The Past - Six Flags Worlds of Adventures X-Flight Pt. 2". News Plus Notes. April 21, 2011. Retrieved November 4, 2012.
  3. ^ "Six Flags, Inc. Purchases SeaWorld in Ohio". PR Newswire. January 10, 2001. Retrieved February 15, 2013.
  4. ^ "Six Flags Buys SeaWorld Ohio To Combine Parks". Ultimate Roller Coaster. January 10, 2001. Retrieved November 4, 2012.
  5. ^ a b "X-Flight to Take Riders Flying at Six Flags Ohio". Ultimate Roller Coaster. January 7, 2001. Retrieved November 4, 2012.
  6. ^ a b c "X-Flight (Geauga Lake Today)". Geauga Lake Today. Retrieved November 9, 2012.
  7. ^
    Roller Coaster Database. January 4, 2001. Archived from the original
    on October 20, 2012. Retrieved February 15, 2013.
  8. ^ "X-Flight R.I.P." Jesmedia. Retrieved November 9, 2012.
  9. ^ a b c d e f Marden, Duane. "Firehawk  (Kings Island)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  10. ^ "Cedar Fair Completes Purchase of Six Flags Worlds of Adventure". The Business Journal. April 9, 2004. Archived from the original on April 7, 2013. Retrieved February 15, 2013.
  11. ^ Seewer, John (March 12, 2004). "Cedar Fair buys Six Flags park near Cleveland". The Associated Press. Retrieved February 15, 2013.
  12. ^ Booth, John (February 5, 2007). "Geauga Lake's new twist". Crain's Cleveland Business. Retrieved February 15, 2013.
  13. ^ Olsen, David (November 22, 2006). "X-Flight cleared for takeoff from Geauga Lake". Coaster-Net. Archived from the original on December 19, 2011. Retrieved November 10, 2012.
  14. The Vindicator
    . November 23, 2006. Retrieved November 10, 2012.
  15. ^ "Parking Lot Staging Area". Kings Island Central. Retrieved February 15, 2013.
  16. ^ a b "X-Flight Gets Paint, New Name For Kings Island Move". WLWT. February 5, 2007. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved November 7, 2012.
  17. ^ a b "Firehawk at Coaster-Net". Coaster-Net. Retrieved November 9, 2012.
  18. ^ "Firehawk ride set to open at Kings Island". Go!. May 22, 2007. Archived from the original on April 11, 2013. Retrieved February 9, 2013.
  19. ^ Matarese, John; Anstead, Abby (September 27, 2017). "Farewell, Firehawk: Kings Island announces roller coaster will come down". WCPO. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
  20. ^ Glaser, Susan (September 27, 2018). "Kings Island removing Firehawk roller coaster, a Geauga Lake hand-me-down". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
  21. ^ "Video: Kings Island's Firehawk roller coaster comes crashing down". WLWT.com. January 31, 2019. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  22. ^ Stilwell, Andrew (March 5, 2020). "Carowinds Off-Season Maintenance Update". Coaster101. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
  23. ^ Marden, Duane. "Orion  (Kings Island)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  24. ^ "KINGS ISLAND'S ORION ROLLER COASTER A STORY-DRIVEN ATTRACTION". Kings Island.
  25. ^ Marden, Duane. "Lie to Fly". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  26. ^ Marden, Duane. "Fly to Lie". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  27. ^ "Flying Coasters". Coaster Force. Archived from the original on March 24, 2013. Retrieved November 7, 2012.
  28. ^ "Firehawk POV". Sharp Productions. September 21, 2010. Archived from the original on December 14, 2021. Retrieved November 7, 2012.
  29. ^ a b c "ACN review (X-Flight)". America Coasters. Retrieved November 7, 2012.
  30. ^ "Firehawk - Kings Island". Way Marking. Retrieved February 9, 2013.
  31. ^ "A Blast From The Past - Six Flags Worlds of Adventures X-Flight Pt. 1". News Plus Notes. April 14, 2011. Retrieved November 9, 2012.
  32. Toledo Blade
    . November 20, 2009. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  33. ^ "Kings Island roller coaster reopened after Toledo-area man's death". Springfield News-Sun. August 9, 2009. Retrieved November 8, 2012.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Firehawk (Kings Island) and X-Flight (Geauga Lake).
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