Green Lantern (Six Flags Great Adventure)

Coordinates: 40°08′23″N 74°26′18″W / 40.13983°N 74.43835°W / 40.13983; -74.43835
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Green Lantern
Previously known as Chang at Kentucky Kingdom
Coordinates
38°11′42″N 85°44′49″W / 38.195°N 85.747°W / 38.195; -85.747
StatusRemoved
Opening dateApril 4, 1997 (1997-04-04)
Closing dateSeptember 19, 2009 (2009-09-19)
Cost$12 million
Replaced byHurricane Bay
Green Lantern at Kentucky Kingdom at RCDB
General statistics
Type
Flash Pass available
line available

Green Lantern, formerly known as Chang, is a stand-up roller coaster located at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson Township, New Jersey. Green Lantern stands 155 feet (47 m) tall and features a top speed of 63 miles per hour (101 km/h). The 4,155-foot-long (1,266 m) ride features five inversions and a duration of approximately 21⁄2 minutes. This steel coaster was designed and built by Swiss manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard.

The ride originally operated at

Kentucky Kingdom in Louisville, Kentucky from 1997 to 2009, where it was known as Chang. Upon opening in 1997, it set world records for this type of coaster in height, drop, speed, length and number of inversions. The introduction of the ride caused Kentucky Kingdom to achieve record attendance levels. After Six Flags abandoned Kentucky Kingdom in 2009, the ride was relocated to Six Flags Great Adventure. The ride debuted in 2011 as Green Lantern, replacing the former Great American Scream Machine
roller coaster.

History

Chang (1997–2010)

Aerial photo of green-and-purple roller coaster
Green Lantern in 2004, when it was Chang at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom

Chang ("long" in Mandarin Chinese) opened at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom on April 4, 1997,[1] setting world records for this type of coaster in height, drop, speed, length and number of inversions.[2][3] The ride was constructed by Martin & Vleminckx.[4]

When it debuted, Chang had a yellow track and supports.

Riddler's Revenge", but those plans were later canceled.[6]

Chang was removed over the weekend of September 19, 2009, for a proposed expansion of Splashwater Kingdom[7] which was soon cancelled as Six Flags later announced plans to dispose of its Kentucky Kingdom property.[8] The removal of Chang and the closure of Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom caused the owners of the park land (the Kentucky State Fair Board) to sue Six Flags for ownership of the rides. Kentucky Kingdom is now open under new operators as of May 24, 2014.[9]

Green Lantern (2011–present)

Green-and-yellow roller-coaster track against blue sky
Green Lantern in April 2011, just before its May opening

In 2010, parts from Chang reportedly appeared at Six Flags Great America. The ride was planned to be moved to Six Flags Great America in 2011; the park obtained approval to exceed the 125-foot (38 m) height limit imposed on the park,[10] but plans were later dropped in favor of a water park expansion.[11]

On July 5, 2010, Six Flags Great Adventure announced that its

first look at the park's new-ride layout from the Jackson Township zoning board meeting was posted on the JTown Magazine website[14]
and the layout was identical to that of Chang.

On September 16, Six Flags Great Adventure announced that it would open a Green Lantern-themed roller coaster in 2011 in honor of the 2011 film Green Lantern starring Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan.[15][16] The specifications released for the new ride matched those of Chang.[17] As part of the relocation, the ride would receive technical renovations and a new coat of paint.[18]

Footers were poured for the ride in December 2010, with track installation beginning the following month. In January 2011, construction of the lift hill was completed. In April 2011 the final pieces of track were put in place.[19]

On May 19, Green Lantern

Children's Miracle Network. The ride opened to the public on May 25.[20]

Characteristics

Location

Green Lantern is located in the

Great Escape) and the Great American Scream Machine (an Arrow Dynamics looping coaster which had occupied this area from 1989 to 2010).[13][15][21] Like the Great American Scream Machine, the infield of Green Lantern is covered with gravel. The coaster also reuses the Scream Machine's queue area
building.

Manufacturer

Green Lantern is Six Flags Great Adventure's fifth

Shockwave, which operated from 1990 to 1992.[22][27] Before Shockwave arrived at Great Adventure, the coaster was previously installed at Six Flags Magic Mountain from 1986 through 1988, preceding Riddler's Revenge.[28][29]

Theme

As its name suggests, Green Lantern is themed for the

Parallax. In June 2011, a Parallax cutout with clutching arms through which the train passes was placed at the bottom of the first drop.[30] The ride's queue area features a series of comic-book-style boards relating the story of Hal Jordan (the Green Lantern) and the Green Lantern Corps.[18]

Trains

Green Lantern currently operates with two steel-and-fiberglass trains. Each train has seven cars with four seats in a single row, for a total of 28 riders.[20] Riders are secured by an over-the-shoulder harness. Green Lantern originally operated with three trains but the park later reduced operation to two trains due to the trains "stacking" on the brake run. Although Green Lantern is a stand-up roller coaster, there is a small bicycle seat on which riders can lean.[31]

Ride experience

Aerial view of green roller coaster
Green roller coaster preparing to go upside-down
Overview of part of Green Lantern's layout (left), and train on the corkscrew after mid-course brake run (right)

The first section of Green Lantern is basically a mirrored version of

corkscrew, turning right and weaving through the diving loop.[32] The track then makes a ground-hugging left turn and enters a low, second clockwise corkscrew.[32] After a right turn the train makes a final, 180° left turn into the final brake run before returning to the station.[32] Green Lantern is 4,155 feet (1,266 m) long, with a ride taking about 21⁄2 minutes to complete.[20][33]

Records

At its opening, Chang claimed the record for the tallest vertical loop of any roller coaster in the world. At the time, it was the world's tallest, fastest and longest stand-up coaster.[34] It also claimed records for the largest drop and the most inversions on a stand-up roller coaster.[35] All of these records had eclipsed those set by Mantis,[36] which opened at Cedar Point in 1996. In 1998, Riddler's Revenge opened at Six Flags Magic Mountain, surpassing each title held by Chang.[37]

Reception

After Chang's 1997 opening at Kentucky Kingdom, the park saw a rise in attendance to a record of more than one million visitors.[34] The previous record of about 730,000 was set in 1996.[34] The ride was Kentucky Kingdom's marquee attraction.[38]

After the ride's relocation to Six Flags Great Adventure, Brady MacDonald of the Los Angeles Times ranked it 8 of the park's 13 roller coasters.[35] Mekado Murphy of The New York Times highlighted the different forces at play on a stand-up roller coaster, compared with a traditional one: "Other coasters create pressure mostly in your upper body; Green Lantern creates pressure in your legs, making them a much more active part of the experience".[18] Both JTown Magazine and The Star-Ledger interviewed a number of park guests and coaster enthusiasts when the Green Lantern opened; all gave favorable reviews.[39][40]

See also

References

  1. Gannett Company
    . April 4, 1997.
  2. Gannett Company
    .
  3. ^ "Busiest travel weekend of season". CNN. Turner Broadcasting System. July 4, 1997. Archived from the original on March 24, 2012. Retrieved September 16, 2010.
  4. ^ "Bolliger & Mabillard". Martin & Vleminckx. Archived from the original on February 15, 2014. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
  5. ^ a b c "Chang – Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom". CoasterGallery.com. Retrieved September 16, 2010.
  6. ^ a b "1999". Theme Park Timelines. Archived from the original on July 13, 2011. Retrieved January 5, 2011.
  7. WLKY-TV. September 21, 2009. Archived from the original
    on July 17, 2011. Retrieved September 16, 2010.
  8. ^ "Six Flags closes Kentucky Kingdom theme park". NBC News. NBCUniversal. Associated Press. February 5, 2010. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
  9. ^ Leonard, Connie (February 24, 2010). "Bankruptcy judge to decide who owns rides at Kentucky Kingdom". Wave3. Retrieved February 9, 2013.
  10. Wrapports LLC. June 12, 2010. Archived from the original
    on June 15, 2010. Retrieved September 16, 2010.
  11. Chicago Daily Herald
    . Paddock Publications. Retrieved September 16, 2010.
  12. ^ Six Flags Great Adventure (July 5, 2010). "Hey guys, Scream..." Facebook. Archived from the original on February 26, 2022. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
  13. ^ a b Marden, Duane. "Great American Scream Machine  (Six Flags Great Adventure)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  14. ^ "First look at the new Six Flags Great Adventure rollercoaster to be built in 2011". JTOWN Magazine. August 6, 2010. Archived from the original on August 30, 2010. Retrieved September 16, 2010.
  15. ^
    Gannett Company
    . Retrieved September 16, 2010.
  16. ^ "Six Flags Great Adventure: GREEN LANTERN". Six Flags. September 16, 2010. Retrieved September 16, 2010.
  17. About.com. The New York Times Company
    . Retrieved September 17, 2010.
  18. ^ a b c Murphy, Mekado (August 25, 2011). "What's Green and 154 Feet High?". The New York Times. Retrieved February 9, 2013.
  19. ^ "Green Lantern Construction". Six Flags Great Adventure. Retrieved May 28, 2013.
  20. ^ a b c d e f g Marden, Duane. "Green Lantern  (Six Flags Great Adventure)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  21. ^ Marden, Duane. "Sarjevo Bobsleds  (Six Flags Great Adventure)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  22. ^ a b Marden, Duane. "Six Flags Great Adventure". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  23. ^ Marden, Duane. "Batman The Ride  (Six Flags Great Adventure)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  24. ^ Marden, Duane. "Medusa  (Six Flags Great Adventure)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  25. ^ Marden, Duane. "Nitro  (Six Flags Great Adventure)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  26. ^ Marden, Duane. "Superman – Ultimate Flight  (Six Flags Great Adventure)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  27. ^ Marden, Duane. "Shockwave  (Six Flags Great Adventure)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  28. ^ Marden, Duane. "Shockwave  (Six Flags Magic Mountain)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  29. ^ Marden, Duane. "Riddler's Revenge  (Six Flags Magic Mountain)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  30. ^ Lobo, Sue. "Green Lantern Roller Coaster Debuts at Six Flags". Atlas Travel. Archived from the original on March 24, 2012. Retrieved May 20, 2011.
  31. ^ "What is a stand-up roller coaster?". The Coaster Critic. August 25, 2008. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
  32. ^
    Theme Park Review. YouTube. Archived
    from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
  33. ^ Marden, Duane. "Chang  (Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  34. ^ a b c "Premier buys Kentucky Kingdom". Daily News. Associated Press. September 27, 1997. Retrieved February 9, 2013.
  35. ^ a b MacDonald, Brady (July 24, 2011). "Top 10 roller coasters at Six Flags Great Adventure". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 9, 2013.
  36. ^ "Biz Buzz". March 17, 1997. CNNfn. The Mantis in Sandusky, Ohio, claims to be the tallest and fastest stand-up roller coaster. Although, the Chang will claim that title when it opens next month in Louisville, Kentucky. {{cite episode}}: Missing or empty |series= (help)
  37. ^ "Six Flags Once Again Breaks the Extreme Thrills Barrier With The Riddler's Revenge – World's Tallest, Fastest and Most Powerful Stand-Up Roller Coaster!". Business Wire. April 1, 1998. Retrieved September 17, 2010.
  38. ^ Haeberle, Bennett (October 29, 2010). "Kentucky Kingdom will not re-open until 2012". WDRB-TV Fox 41 News. Retrieved February 9, 2013.
  39. ^ Genovesse, Matt (May 19, 2011). "Green Lantern "Stand-Up" Coaster Debuts Today At Great Adventure". JTown Magazine. Archived from the original on November 9, 2011. Retrieved February 9, 2013.
  40. ^ Galante, Meredith (May 19, 2011). "Green Lantern ride opens to roller coaster enthusiasts at Six Flags Great Adventure". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved February 9, 2013.

External links

Preceded by
Mantis
 World's Tallest Vertical Loop
April 1997–April 1998 		Succeeded by
Riddler's Revenge
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Green_Lantern_(Six_Flags_Great_Adventure)&oldid=1211752739"