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Where Knowledge Junkies Get Their Fix
So I’ve been reading a lot about Kingda Ka, the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world, which opened last year at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, NJ. I haven’t been, but would love to hear a report from any of you who have, because it looks like a pantload of fun!
I say this based only on seeing this cool virtual ride on The History Chanel and checking out the following wild factoids, courtesy of Wiki:
- Kingda Ka goes 0 to 128 mph in 3.5 seconds
- It is less than one foot taller than the Great Pyramid of Giza, however the original height of the pyramid was 481 ft. - 25 ft. taller than Kingda Ka.
- It is 151 feet (46 m) taller than the Statue of Liberty, including its pedestal and base. Interestingly, the Statue itself (not including its pedestal and base) is that exact height - 151 feet tall.
- At the top of the first hill, riders feel negative G force, its intensity varies with the speed of the launch.
- At the bottom of the first hill, riders experience 3-4 times the normal G force on earth.
- The ride never operates in the rain, even a slight drizzle, due to the potential hazards of traveling through the rain at 128 mph.
- The hydraulic launch motor is capable of producing 4,000 horsepower (3 MW) peak.
- One of the park’s tigers, a rare golden tabby bengal tiger cub, was named after the coaster.
- The skylines of Philadelphia to the left, New York City to the right and Atlantic City to the back-left can be seen from the top of the tower, although one would most likely not have time to see them while on the ride.
I’ve been on it. It’s fantastic. It’s very similar to the Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point in Ohio. Both rides have an interesting feature: There’s a chance the train won’t make it over the hill, so it’ll roll back (backwards) to the starting point. I saw this happen at Cedar Point. It happens because the train can’t be traveling too fast at the crest, otherwise it’ll be going too fast on the way down and/or it could produce some significant force on the vertical structure. It just means that some people get to ride it twice!
posted by Dave on 10-20-2006 at 9:29 am
I had a dreadful experience.. My mouth crashed into the protective thingamajig before me. I closed my eyes during the ride. When we made the dip from the apex of the ride, everything went downhill. It’s an EXTREMELY FAST ride.
posted by Sabrina on 10-21-2006 at 12:07 pm
Sabrina: ouch! Sounds dreadful, indeed. But based on Dave’s experience, especially if I get lucky and score two-for, I still can’t wait to try it.
Perhaps we’ll have to devote a Thingamajig Thursday to the protective arm… hmmm.
posted by David on 10-21-2006 at 1:28 pm
Front row is the only way to go..you’re waiting about 3 hrs in line anyway, may as well do it right!
You can feel the temperature drop significantly when you reach the top (I rode it on the hottest day of this past summer, so it was weird) and your face is pulled way back the entire time–SEXY!
posted by Anne on 10-23-2006 at 8:41 pm
I live in Jackson, NJ and can see the ride from my backyard. I’ve heard they originally failed their safety tests using dummies. Apparently the restraints opened halfway through.
posted by Steve on 11-2-2006 at 5:09 pm