Construction is Taking Off at Kentucky Kingdom
Kentucky Kingdom has started construction on their all new Kentucky Flyer coaster. The park released numerous photos of the construction, which provide some fascinating details on how roller coasters are constructed.
The park started the construction process by removing a section of the berm surrounding the waterpark. The removal was needed in order to ensure that the overall soil strength remained constant throughout the site occupied by the ride.
Afterwards the park created the concrete pad footing with the appropriate connection joints extending from the concrete. Once the concrete has cured the steel support structure will be placed and attached to the respective connections protruding from the concrete. These connections can be seen below the bottom of each steel column in the photo below.
After the support structure is installed, the respective chords, ties, bents, catwalks, and handrails are all installed. After that is done, the layers of laminar wood are attached to the ties, and steel rails are fixed to the laminar wood. This process is done repeatedly until the structure of the coaster is complete.
As of December 5th, the park has built the support structure for the section of the ride consisting of the pullout of the first drop and the adjacent return section, When the ride is completed, it will stand 45 feet tall, have 1280 feet of track, and will reach speeds of 35 MPH.
The new lead car of the coaster has been displayed at a few events over the last month. The train was unveiled at the IAAPA trade show last month, and was spotted again at the Greater Ohio Coaster Club holiday party this weekend. For those that haven’t seen the train yet, check out the video below to see the impressive lead car for the new coaster!
If you can’t wait to experience the new coaster, take a POV test ride right now in the video below!
For tickets, season passes, and more information, visit the official Kentucky Kingdom website by clicking here.
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