| Tatsu | |
 Tatsu's Logo |
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| Location | Six Flags Magic Mountain |
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| Park section | Samurai Summit |
| Type | Steel - Flying |
| Status | Open |
| Opened | May 13, 2006 |
| Manufacturer | Bolliger & Mabillard |
| Model | Flying coaster |
| Track layout | Terrain |
| Lift/launch system | Chain lift hill |
| Height | 170 ft (52 m) |
| Drop | 112 ft (34 m) |
| Length | 3,602 ft (1,098 m) |
| Max speed | 62 mph (100 km/h) |
| Inversions | 4 |
| Duration | 3:30 |
| Capacity | 1600 riders per hour |
| Cost | $21 million |
| Tatsu at RCDB Pictures of Tatsu at RCDB |
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Tatsu is a steel flying roller coaster operating at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California. It opened May 13, 2006.
Contents |
History
"Tatsu" (龍) is the Japanese word for "dragon," and the ride was promoted with a Japanese mythology theme.
Overview
Built by Bolliger & Mabillard, seating is designed to simulate flight (like Superman: Ultimate Flight at Six Flags Great Adventure, Over Georgia, and Great America, and the ride Air at Alton Towers in Staffordshire, UK). After the riders are harnessed, the seat is rotated 90° from the upright to a face-down position. The face-down position is kept for the duration of the ride. The 3,602-foot track passes over four areas of the park and features an elevation change of 263 feet. The ride has a maximum speed of 62 mph and broke records with a 124-foot pretzel loop. Even though the Tatsu is the tallest, fastest, and longest flying coaster in the world the tallest flying drop belongs to X2. The coaster has attracted many celebrities, such as,Paris Hilton, Jessica Alba, Macy Gray, Nick Cannon, Mariah Carey, Rihanna, Miley Cyrus, Jonas Brothers, Kelly Osbourne, Michael Rosenbaum, Melinda Clarke, and many others. [1]
Tatsu is a one-and-a-half-minute ride (a little more than one minute "in flight") and accommodates an average of 1800 riders per hour. Two trains can be loaded with passengers at the same time. As with Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure, a switch track exists on both sides of the station's exit. The station's floor has a unique design that eliminates the need for a movable floor, which was used on B&M's previous flying coasters. The floor under each car is recessed to allow the seats to flip into flying position with plenty of clearance for the riders' feet, while the floor between the cars are the same height as the rest of the station to allow riders to board easily. B&M's previous flying coasters would include a retractable floor that would drop down once the seats were in flying position.
- The show Who Wants To Be A Superhero makes use of Tatsu for season two's third episode.
- The MTV series Parental Control featured footage of two contestants riding Tatsu.
- Discovery Channel program Mega Builders dedicated a documentary of the construction of Tatsu.
References
- ^ Gieszl, Eric: "More Record Breaking Attractions", Ultimate Rollercoaster
External links
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Coordinates: 34°25′19″N 118°35′51″W / 34.42194°N 118.5975°W
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