A floorless roller coaster is defined as a coaster with trains that ride above the track and allow the passenger's legs to dangle. The manufacturer's web site (http://www.bolliger-mabillard.com/products/floorless_en.aspx) reads, "A new generation of Sitting Coasters with dangling feet close to the track."
The floorless roller coaster is a fairly new concept in roller coaster design brought forth by manufacturers, Bolliger & Mabillard. The first ever floorless coaster debuted in 1999 at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey, USA. The coaster, Medusa now named Bizzaro starting the 2009 season, opened to great reviews and continues to earn its place on the Amusement Today Top 50 Steel Coasters list. Recently, B&M have incorporated floorless trains on their Diving Machine roller coasters, such as Griffon and SheiKra. Though they contain floorless trains, the coasters are still not considered floorless coasters.
Design
As of 2007, only Bolliger & Mabillard, who invented the concept, are in the business of designing and manufacturing floorless coasters. Their designs employ a multi-inversion layout (usually four to seven) and high capacity (often two to three trains). These roller coasters are becoming more common with each passing year, ranging in heights of eighty feet or so, up to 168 feet. These coasters are known for their smooth rides, excellent reliability, and usually high cost.
The inversions usually include vertical loops, dive loops, zero gravity rolls, cobra rolls, serpents, heartline rolls, and corkscrews (usually interlocking corkscrews.)
Floorless Coasters
| Name | Height | Speed | Inversions | Location | Opened |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bizarro Formerly Medusa |
142 feet (43.3 m) | 61 miles per hour (98.2 km/h) | 7 | Six Flags Great Adventure, United States | 1999 |
| Superman: Krypton Coaster | 168 feet (51.2 m) | 70 miles per hour (112.7 km/h) | 6 | Six Flags Fiesta Texas, United States | 2000 |
| Medusa | 150 feet (45.7 m) | 65 miles per hour (104.6 km/h) | 7 | Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, United States | 2000 |
| Kraken | 149 feet (45.4 m) | 65 miles per hour (104.6 km/h) | 7 | Sea World Orlando, United States | 2000 |
| Insane Speed | 131 feet (39.9 m) | 53.4 miles per hour (85.9 km/h) | 4 | Janfusun Fancyworld, Taiwan | 2001 |
| Superman / la Atracción de Acero | 164 feet (50.0 m) | 62.1 miles per hour (99.9 km/h) | 7 | Parque Warner Madrid, Spain | 2002 |
| Batman The Ride | 117 feet (35.7 m) | 55 miles per hour (88.5 km/h) | 5 | Six Flags New England, United States | 2002 |
| Scream! | 150 feet (45.7 m) | 63 miles per hour (101.4 km/h) | 7 | Six Flags Magic Mountain, United States | 2003 |
| Dæmonen | 92 feet (28.0 m) | 48 miles per hour (77.2 km/h) | 3 | Tivoli Gardens, Denmark | 2004 |
| Hydra: The Revenge | 95 feet (29.0 m) | 53 miles per hour (85.3 km/h) | 7 | Dorney Park, United States | 2005 |
| Dominator Formerly Batman: Knight Flight |
157 feet (47.9 m) | 65 miles per hour (104.6 km/h) | 5 | Kings Dominion, United States Geauga Lake, United States |
2008 2000 to 2007 |
Note: Although SheiKra and Griffon are dive coasters featuring floorless trains, they are not considered floorless roller coasters [1]
External links
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