Take on the crime kingpins of Gotham City as you zoom over the city streets with Batman...
Take on the crime kingpins of Gotham City as you zoom over the city streets with Batman...
Theme Park | Six Flags Great America |
---|---|
Park Area | Yankee Harbor |
Type | Rollercoaster |
Audience | Thrillseekers |
Opened | 9 May 1992 |
Manufacturer | Bolliger & Mabillard |
Model | Inverted Coaster - Batman |
Height | 100 ft |
Length | 2700 ft |
Inversions | 5 |
Max Speed | 50 mph |
Duration | 2 minutes |
Versions of Batman the Ride can be found at multiple Six Flags parks throughout the United States, but Six Flags Great America's was the first.
Not only was the rollercoaster the first Batman, it was also the first of B&M's Inverted Coasters to be installed. It was so successful that Time Warner, which owned the park at the time, ordered clones to be installed at other locations which now include Six Flags Magic Mountain, Six Flags Over Georgia and Six Flags St Louis.
The ride itself takes waiting riders into Gotham City, with the queueline winding through the city's park before ending up in the famous Batcave via a storm drain. Six Flags Great America's Batman station is more open and airy than some of the others which have more of an underground feel.
Once riders are secured, the train ascends the 100ft lift hill. At the top is the signature B&M "pre-drop drop", then the main first drop bends down to the left allowing the train to pick up sufficient momentum to navigate through Batman's first inversion: a vertical loop. Next up is a zero-G roll followed immediately by a second vertical loop. After sweeping right and left hand bends come another two corkscrews, before the train hits the final brakes still full of energy.
Batman became popular due to its inverted trains, but also its unrelenting intensity and smoothness. Despite the passing of the years, remarkably it still retains these traits today. Some might even say it is a little too unrelentingly intense, but it remains a definite favourite among parkgoers and rollercoaster enthusiasts alike.
Batman station
First drop
Vertical loop
Corkscrew
Returning riders
Batman the Ride at Six Flags Great America