Not the movie, but the roller coaster in Universal’s Islands of Adventure, Orlando.
It’s number 45 in the Top 50 list of roller coasters rated by CoasterFanatics.com, and was voted number 1 back in 1999 by Discovery Channel viewers.
This roller coaster is totally different from the others I’ve been on – It starts out by LAUncHinG the roller coaster at a speed of 64km/h! No dragging on chains and slowly chugging uphill for this one. POOF and you’re catapulted into the air! I didn’t even get to wake the butterflies up in my stomach. Most, most, most exhilarating.
A synopsis of the ride, courtesy of Wikipedia:
“…ascends to 110 feet (34 m). Upon exiting the Gamma Tube, the train immediately goes into a zero-g roll, down a 105-foot (32 m) drop, and into a cobra roll. Riders complete a vertical loop, then enter a tunnel full of mist. At this point of the ride, the train’s speed has reached approximately 65 mph (104km/h). The train encircles the gamma tube and is sent into the back area via corkscrew. A smaller vertical loop wraps around the brake run, which is flanked by two over-banked turns. The coaster is slowed down by the brake run before being sent down another hill to a corkscrew and turn-around. Riders then travel sideways through an on-ride camera zone and then to the ride’s final brakes after a helix.”
If number 45 goes like this, I cannot wait to try number 1.
[First published: 31 Mar 2011]
No Mad Sojourn 