The end of an era…

Early this morning an event took place that marked the end of an era, as the golden glow of the sunlight shone across the wooded New Jersey landscape. The remaining tower of Kingda Ka, what was the world’s tallest (and one of the fastest) roller coaster was demolished around 7 am. This coaster once stood as the star attraction at Six Flags Great Adventure, in Jackson, New Jersey. The bottom of the 450 foot tall tower was previously set with explosives, which were detonated, dropping the tower and shattering it into many broken pieces. For those who love coasters, this was a big deal. As this coaster was only 20 years old, more than a few people were very unhappy about its removal. It was opened in 2004. That time period was the height of the so-called “coaster wars”, wherein parks competed against each other to have the tallest and the fastest coasters. All of that started back in the end of the 1980’s when Cedar Point erected Magnum XL, which was the first coaster ever to top 200 feet high. All was quiet for a few years until Six Flags Magic Mountain built Goliath, at 255 feet, in the year 2000. That record was smashed in a couple of months when Cedar Point responded by opening Millennium Force, at 300 feet. Then came Top Thrill Dragster a year later, at the same park, which was the first coaster to top 400 feet. Three years later Six Flags made the final one upping with Kingda Ka at 450 feet, which was a record that stood until it closed this past fall.

As of now, once it re-opens in the spring, Top Thrill 2 (which is the rebuilt Top Thrill Dragster in a modified form) will be the tallest coaster in the US again at 420 feet. But if one includes the entire world, the yet to open Falcon’s Flight in Saudi Arabia by far takes the record. Its highest point is more than 600 feet, and its main drop is over 500 feet, almost straight down over the edge of a cliff. Sadly it is located in a part of the world where most enthusiasts won’t be able to visit, or would want to visit.

My personal thoughts on Kingda Ka are somewhat in line with so many other fans, in that it is almost unthinkable that a park would remove what was its most impressive ride. Worse yet, Six Flags (which is now a huge conglomerate, having merged earlier last year with Cedar Fair, which owns Cedar Point and a bunch of other parks) gave no warning that the ride was to be closed, leaving many with a bucket list coaster that will never be. Luckily I got to ride it a few times around 2008 or so. But I always preferred Top Thrill Dragster to it, as it was smoother and had only lap bars to keep riders in place. Both of these coasters were known not only for their soaring heights, but were legendary for their explosive launches. Top Thrill would take riders from a standstill to 120 miles an hour in just over three seconds, and Kingda Ka would touch 130 miles an hour in a similar time frame. They accomplished this with a hydraulic launch that was similar to that used on an aircraft carrier used to help hurl fighter jets into the air. Top Thrill was one of the very few coasters where I ever felt something close to gut wrenching, trembling fear when I took my seat for my first ride. I can vividly recall my hands shaking after I got off. And then, I got back on again! There aren’t many of these types of coasters around anymore, and only two currently operate in the US. One is at Knotts Berry Farm in California and the other is at Hershey Park in Pennsylvania. These are half-sized versions of the two aforementioned giants, but they still pack a powerful launch. There are a few similar hydraulically launched coasters in other parts of the world as well.

Apparently Six Flags Great Adventure is planning for a “multi-record breaking launch coaster” (in their words) for 2026. Most fans are dubious that it will come anywhere close to topping (or even matching) Kingda Ka. All I have to say about that is that we will have to wait and see what they come up with. Personally I feel it will be something not all that impressive. But, if it is, I only live a couple of hours from this park and I can easily make my way there next year.