Vekoma Rides, the Dutch roller coaster specialist, has announced that F.L.Y., its new coaster at Phantasialand, has been named as Best New Product in IAAPA’s Brass Ring Awards 2021.
F.L.Y. is the world’s longest and first launched flying coaster and has been wowing guests since it opened at the German theme park as the anchor attraction in the new steampunk-themed land Rookburgh.
A complex project
This project was a long time in the making, beginning in 2014 with the prototype testing taking place in 2017. Track production was completed in 2018 and then a challenging installation began, taking into account the small area, different floor levels, heavy theming and complex site. Finally, guests could experience F.L.Y. when Rookburgh opened to the public in September 2020.
The ride features rotating seats, dark ride sections and two launches. Vekoma’s goal was to create a ride with as much flying time as possible, with a record-breaking track length. In the end, the track measures almost 1300 metres, with 50 crossings and100 crossovers on a footprint of just 100 x 75 metres. Combined with a clearance envelope of 3.6 meters, this led to an extreme track density in the entire area.
A particular challenge was the position of the two launches, the station load and unload section, as well as the brake sections and the transfer tables and storage spurs to hold 3 complete trains.
The project also required a complex support structure with some large column spans, as a result of the many crossings and obstacles. Around this, the Phantasialand team added highly themed viewing areas, walkways, queue lines, and a hotel and restaurant.
Pure flying sensation
“During the discussions with Phantasialand about the Flying Coaster we all were never satisfied with the loading position,” says the company’s statement on the awards win. “While we were testing the flying and lying position on a mock-up in our factory the idea was born to turn the vehicles 90 degrees and back the track.
“The flying coaster has always been a very challenging ride position with lots of room for improvement. Our goal was together with Phantasialand to create a pure flying sensation with the best possible passenger experience. With F.L.Y. we have created a total flying experience like never seen before in the world.”
Rider comfort
The team also had riders’ comfort in mind. Therefore, they tilted the seats 15 degrees from parallel, for an improved front-facing view. This means that visitors are positioned into more of a laying down angle, where the angle between the legs and upper body is much more than 90 degrees, spreading the weight over the whole body.
In addition, the leg restraint was modified for better support and the pitch between the passengers was increased by 30 cm for a more individual experience.
Cutting-edge 3D CNC bending machines, specially developed for Vekoma, as well as a G-Force based design tool and special procedures on track assembly, ensured a constant, smooth ride experience.
Taking guests on a journey
The track was designed with the sensation of flight as the key focus, with lots of variation in forces and several direction changes. For instance, sections where guests are pushed in the vest are always followed by an element with zero-G flight, such as an airtime hill or a roll-over.
The pace of the ride is balanced between the sensation of speed and giving visitors a chance to take enjoy the view over the highly themed scenery of Rookburgh, for an immersive experience.
Earlier this month, Vekoma also announced that two of its coasters are heading to Energylandia in Poland, as part of the park’s Sweet Valley expansion project. These will be a family-friendly coaster called Choco Chip Creek Mine Train and Honey Harbour, a Kalypso family coaster.
