The Bat (Kings Island; opened 1981)

The Bat was a suspended roller coaster located at Kings Island amusement park in Mason, Ohio. Designed by Arrow Development, the ride was billed as the first and only suspended roller coaster in the world when it opened to the public on April 26, 1981. The model took several years to develop and was considered a prototype by Arrow. Though the ride was very popular, it was plagued with mechanical problems and frequent closures that led to a short lifespan. The ride was permanently closed in 1983 after only three seasons and removed from the park in April 1985.[1]

This article is about the defunct roller coaster, The Bat. For the roller coaster still in operation at Kings Island, see The Bat (Kings Island; opened 1993).
The Bat
Kings Island
LocationKings Island
Park sectionConey Mall
Coordinates39.340757°N 84.26459°W / 39.340757; -84.26459
StatusRemoved
Opening dateApril 26, 1981 (1981-04-26)
Closing date1983 (1983)
Cost$3,800,000
Replaced byVortex
General statistics
TypeSteel – Suspended
ManufacturerArrow Development
Lift/launch system2 chain lift hills
Height100 ft (30 m)
Length2,456 ft (749 m)
Speed34 mph (55 km/h)
Inversions0
Capacity1700 riders per hour
Trains3 trains with 7 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 28 riders per train.
The Bat at RCDB
Pictures of The Bat at RCDB

History

Plans for a new roller coaster, called The Bat, were announced in a press conference at Kings Island on October 29, 1980. Arrow Development spent 18 months designing the new coaster and two years building it. Construction began in 1979, and its first test was performed on April 4, 1981. The Bat officially opened to the public on April 26, 1981. It was billed by the park as the first suspended roller coaster in the world, although two suspended coasters were known to exist in the early 20th century.[2][3]

Early on, The Bat experienced mechanical difficulties. Engineers discovered premature wear on each train's shock absorbers as well as excessive steel stress on both the track and trains. Inspections attributed the flaws to the ride's lateral movement design and brake configuration. As a result, the ride was closed frequently while attempts were made to reconfigure support beams and patch cracks. The efforts proved costly and ineffective, and after assessing the cost of a complete overhaul, the park decided to permanently close the ride following the 1983 season.[4][5]

Though The Bat had a relatively short lifespan, Arrow continued to improve the suspended roller coaster design in future releases. Shortly before The Bat opened, Huss Maschinenfabrik purchased Arrow Development and the company became known as Arrow Huss.[6] The new company forged ahead releasing XLR-8 at Six Flags AstroWorld and Big Bad Wolf at Busch Gardens Williamsburg in 1984.[7][8] Both roller coasters successfully operated for more than two decades. Arrow separated from Huss in 1985, but the reemerged Arrow Dynamics designed and built several other suspended models over the years, some of which remain in operation, notably The Bat at Kings Island. It originally opened in 1993 as Top Gun and was known as Flight Deck for several years.[9] In 2014, it was renamed The Bat in honor of the original.[10]

Later site usage
An old footer of The Bat, pictured in 2012. Other footers can still be seen.

Vortex, an Arrow Dynamics looping coaster (first one in the world with six inversions), occupied The Bat's former location and used the same station building before being closed in 2019. Several trace remnants of The Bat were still visible, such as:

  • Concrete footings
  • The station and queue line
  • Clearance holes in Vortex's storage shed doors, originally cut for The Bat's track

References
  1. "The Bat comes tumbling down". The Journal Herald. April 6, 1985. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  2. Voss, Ruth (October 29, 1980). "Kings Island announces unique thrill ride -- The Bat". Kings Island. Retrieved June 9, 2014.
  3. Voss, Ruth (April 4, 1981). "Testing begins on The Bat at Kings Island". Kings Island. Retrieved June 9, 2014.
  4. "KIExtreme". @2003-2012 KIExtreme. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
  5. "The Bat at RCDB.com". RCDB.com. Retrieved June 9, 2014.
  6. Koenig, Bob (June 11, 1982). "Some of the most exciting coasters are Utah exports". The Deseret News. Salt Lake City, Utah. p. C3. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  7. Marden, Duane. "XLR-8  (Six Flags AstroWorld)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  8. Marden, Duane. "Big Bad Wolf  (Busch Gardens Williamsburg)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  9. Marden, Duane. "The Bat  (Kings Island)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
  10. "FOX19.com". @2000-2013 Worldnow and WXIX. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
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