Take a superhero flight over Metropolis...
Take a superhero flight over Metropolis...
| Theme Park | Flamingo Land |
|---|---|
| Park Area | Flamingo 1 |
| Type | Rollercoaster |
| Audience | Thrillseekers |
| Opened | 16 July 2013 (replaced Wild Mouse) |
| Manufacturer | Zamperla |
| Model | Volare |
| Height | 50 ft |
| Length | 1283 ft |
| Inversions | 2 |
| Max Speed | 26 mph |
"Flying" on Hero
Imagine flying, and you imagine gracefully soaring over spectacular landscapes and feeling as if you're floating through the air.
As a simulation of flight, Flamingo Land's Hero rollercoaster does an incredibly terrible job. Replace the imagined spectacular landscapes with a mass of metal supports bolted shingle covered concrete, and dismiss any thoughts of comfort of gracefulness.
The experience starts in the ride station, where riders are required to board the constantly moving ride vehicles. This involves climbing what is effectively a ladder, which is then tilted horizontally leaving riders lying uncomfortably with their legs digging into the metal rungs and surrounded by a metal cage.
The train then moves slowly up the circular lift hill and into the main circuit. Hero's layout involves a circular lift hill followed by a wild mouse style circuit with tight corners plus two barrel roll inversions. It's jerky and a bit rough too, which does nothing to aid any thought of rider comfort.
While you can understand why Flamingo Land might have chosen to add Hero to their rollercoaster line-up - a flying coaster is quite a novelty after all, with the only other similar coaster in the UK being Air at Alton Towers - it turned out to be a terrible choice. It's a horrible, ugly and uncomfortable ride and is a definite high ranking contender for worst rollercoaster in the UK.
Hero
Ride station
Climbing into Hero
Spiral lift hill
First drop
Mid flight
Returning to the station
