Goliath (Six Flags Magic Mountain)

Goliath
Goliath's first drop
Six Flags Magic Mountain
Park section Goliath Plaza
Coordinates 34°25′37″N 118°35′49″W / 34.42694°N 118.59694°W / 34.42694; -118.59694Coordinates: 34°25′37″N 118°35′49″W / 34.42694°N 118.59694°W / 34.42694; -118.59694
Status Operating
Opening date February 11, 2000
Cost $30,000,000
General statistics
Type Steel
Manufacturer Giovanola
Designer Werner Stengel
Model Hyper Coaster
Track layout Twister
Lift/launch system Chain lift hill
Height 235 ft (72 m)
Drop 255 ft (78 m)
Length 4,573 ft (1,394 m)
Speed 85 mph (137 km/h)
Inversions 0
Duration 3:00
Max vertical angle 61°
Capacity 1600 riders per hour
Height restriction 48 in (122 cm)
Trains 3 trains with 5 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 3 rows for a total of 30 riders per train.
Flash Pass available
Must transfer from wheelchair
Goliath at RCDB
Pictures of Goliath at RCDB

Goliath is a steel roller coaster manufactured by Giovanola of Switzerland. The hypercoaster is located in the Screampunk District section of Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California. It is promoted with a sub-tropical theme that is characterized by ruins of the ancient Mayan civilization. The ride is nearly identical to Titan at Six Flags Over Texas. Its differences from its Six Flags twin is that Goliath lacks the 540-degree upward helix on Titan prior to the mid-course brake run (Goliath simply banks left to the brake run instead) and Goliath is also slightly shorter than Titan.

During a brief period from its opening on February 11 to May 13, 2000, Goliath's 255-foot (78 m) opening drop was recognized as the longest and fastest (85 mph) on a closed-circuit roller coaster in the world. Millennium Force at Cedar Point eclipsed these records when it opened on May 13, 2000 with a drop of 300 feet (91 m) and speeds of 93 mph (150 km/h).

Ride experience

Leaving the station, the train makes a nearly 180 degree right turn. The train then ascends the lift hill, reaching a height of 235 ft (72 m). Ascent slows toward the top of the hill, a safety feature that reduces stress on the chain; it is also an attempt to reduce positive g-forces and increases rider anticipation. The train begins accelerating down the initial 255 ft (78 m) drop, into an underground tunnel, reaching a speed of 85 MPH. Upon exiting the tunnel, the train heads upwards into a banked right turn that towers above Twisted Colossus. After completing the turn, the train heads down another drop, flattening out to pass by the onride camera. An airtime hill and banked left turn (rather than a helix on "Titan") follows into the mid-course brake run. The train is decelerated quickly and makes a hard left turn out of the brake section. Another 180 degree banked turn directs the train into a 585 degree, descending helix. Then, the track turns upwards and banks left. After an ascending right turn, the train reaches the final brake run.

Photos

A view of the Ride

Operation

  • 120-foot (37 m) long tunnel at the bottom of the first drop.
  • Ride capacity: 1,600 passengers per hour.
  • Three five-car 30-passenger trains, with two abreast seating.
  • A small error was made while the ride's parts were being manufactured by Giovanola. The very last track piece before the final brake run was about 6 inches (150 mm) too short. The mistake was found while the final piece was being bolted to the ride, and a supplementary track piece had to be made to fill the 6-inch (150 mm) gap.
  • Appeared as “The Scream Monster” in Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer.
  • Appeared as “Aquaman: The Ride” in Entourage (Season 3 Episode 3 "Dominated").
  • Appeared in the Zoey 101 episode "Roller Coaster".
  • Appeared in James Corden's Carpool Karaoke video with Selena Gomez

Awards

{{GTA table | type = steel | accessdate = September 8, 2013 | 2000 = 18 | 2001 = 14 | 2002 = 14 | 2003 = 18 | 2004 = 18 | 2005 = 20 | 2006 = 24 | 2007 = – | 2008 = 30 | 2009 = 33 | 2010 = 29 | 2011 = 40 (tied) | 2012 = 41 | 2013 = 41

Incidents

On June 2, 2001, a 28-year-old woman died from brain damage while riding Goliath. Guests reported that staff continued to operate the ride after the incident.

On April 4, 2015, one of Goliath's trains got stuck on the lift hill during a test run due to a chain malfunction which needed an entire chain replacement. The train was eventually brought down and the ride remained closed until the lift hill was fixed. However, Giovanola, the company that designed Goliath, went bankrupt, so the chain had to be ordered from a different company. The ride eventually reopened on July 18, 2015.

References

    Preceded by
    Fujiyama    		 World's fastest complete circuit roller coaster
    February 2000 – May 2000    		 Succeeded by
    Millennium Force
    This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.