View source for Suspended roller coaster

{{Short description|Type of steel roller coaster}}
{{distinguish|text=the Vekoma inverted roller coaster designs, [[Suspended Looping Coaster]] and [[Suspended Family Coaster]]}}
{{ Infobox attraction model
| name                = Suspended roller coaster
| logo                = <!--Use ONLY the filename, not a full [[Image:]] link-->
| logo_width          = <!--Default is 250px-->
| image               = Iron Dragon Cedar Point.JPG
| imagedimensions     = 250px
| caption             = Trains swinging on an [[Arrow Development]] manufactured suspended roller coaster [[Iron Dragon (roller coaster)|Iron Dragon]] at [[Cedar Point]]
| status              = In Production
| first_produced      = 1902
| installations       = About 37
| manufacturer        = <!--Must not be linked.-->
| manufacturer2       = [[Arrow Development]], Aerial Tramway Construction Co., Big Country Motioneering, Caripro, R&C Entertainment, Setpoint, and [[Vekoma]]
| designer            = <!--Should be linked.-->
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| rcdb_number         =  <!--The number in the URL of the coaster's RCDB page. This parameter should only be used for roller coaster models.-->
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A '''suspended roller coaster''' is a type of [[steel roller coaster]] in which the car hangs from the bottom of the [[rolling stock]] by a pivoting [[Fulcrum (mechanics)|fulcrum]] or hinge assembly. This allows the car and riders to swing side to side as the train races along the track. Due to the swing designs, these roller coasters cannot invert riders.

== History ==
One of the earliest suspended roller coasters was known as ''Bisby's Spiral Airship'', built in [[Long Beach, California|Long Beach]], [[California]] in the early 1900s.<ref name="BSA">{{cite web|url=http://www.rcdb.com/2427.htm|title=Bisby's Spiral Airship|work=Roller Coaster DataBase|access-date=2010-05-17}}</ref> Riders on ''Bisby's Spiral Airship'' rode in square gondolas suspended from the track above, which were then carried via [[lift hill]] to the top of a tower. The gondolas then rolled down the track, which spiraled down the tower back to the loading platform. The attraction operated at least until the mid-1910s.<ref name="BSA"/>

In 1975, German aircraft manufacturer [[Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm|Messerschmitt]] debuted ''Alpenflug'' at the annual [[Oktoberfest]] fair in [[Munich]], [[Germany]].<ref name="Alpen">{{cite web|url=http://69.90.47.57/coasterglobe.com/features/lostlegends-alpenflug/|title=Lost Legends: Alpenflug|author=James Kay|access-date=2010-05-17}}</ref> Featuring multi-car trains and a 2700-foot twisting, spiraling layout, ''Alpenflug'' was a hit during the 16-day fair.<ref name="Alpen"/> However, the design was scrapped after analysis revealed significant stress in the track, whose curves were not banked, and in the wheel assemblies, as the train's brake fins were located at the bottom of the train's gondolas instead of near the track itself.<ref name="Alpen"/>

The first permanent modern suspended roller coaster was ''[[The Bat (Kings Island; opened 1981)|The Bat]]'' at [[Kings Island]]. Built by [[Arrow Development]], ''The Bat'' opened April 21, 1981, but it was soon plagued with problems. The problems included: excessive stress on the support springs due to the unbanked curved track sections and stress on the wheels because the brakes were mounted at bottom of the swinging cars. Kings Island's US$3.8 million ride closed in 1983 and was later scheduled for demolition. ''The Bat's'' former site was occupied by the Arrow designed looping coaster ''[[Vortex (Kings Island)|Vortex]]'' until its demolition in 2019.  The suspended coaster would return to Kings Island in 1993 with the addition of ''[[The Bat (Kings Island; opened 1993)|Top Gun]]'', which. after a period of being called ''Flight Deck'', was renamed ''The Bat'' in 2014, a reference to the original 1981 coaster.

[[File:Vampire Chessington.jpg|thumbnail|left|200px|[[Vampire (roller coaster)|The Vampire]] at [[Chessington World of Adventures#Theme park|Chessington World of Adventures]]]]
Arrow-Huss refined its suspended roller coaster designs, culminating in the debut of ''[[Big Bad Wolf (roller coaster)|The Big Bad Wolf]]'' at [[Busch Gardens Williamsburg]] and ''[[XLR-8]]'' at [[Six Flags Astroworld]] in 1984. After 1984, as Arrow Dynamics, they manufactured ten suspended roller coasters, including ''[[Iron Dragon (roller coaster)|Iron Dragon]]'' at [[Cedar Point]], ''[[Ninja (Six Flags Magic Mountain)|Ninja]]'' at [[Six Flags Magic Mountain]], ''[[Vampire (roller coaster)|Vampire]]'' at [[Chessington World of Adventures]], and [[Vortex (Canada's Wonderland)|Vortex]] at [[Canada's Wonderland]].

Other manufacturers have also constructed their variations on the suspended roller coaster. Before contacting Arrow-Huss for The Big Bad Wolf, Busch Gardens contacted [[Anton Schwarzkopf]] to design a suspended coaster, dubbed the "Flugbahn". However, Schwarzkopf went bankrupt, completing only a model and the footers of the actual coaster.<ref name="Schwarzkopf">[http://schwarzkopf.coaster.net/ESflugbahnGF.htm ''Flying Coaster'' at Schwarzkopf Coaster Net]</ref> Dutch designer [[Vekoma]] manufactured a suspended model dubbed "Swinging Turns," of which three copies were constructed. Vekoma offers both Arrow-style traditional car designs as well as floorless cars where the riders' feet dangle, similar to Vekoma's [[Inverted roller coaster|inverted coasters]] but the cars are able to swing. In 2001, [[Vampire (roller coaster)|Vampire]] at [[Chessington World of Adventures]] was modified to use Vekoma's floorless trains. Caripro, another designer based in The Netherlands, manufactured twelve suspended roller coasters and American designer Setpoint manufactured four.

== Installations ==

[[Image:Bigbadw.JPG|150px|thumb|A former [[Arrow Dynamics|Arrow Huss]] suspended roller coaster, [[Big Bad Wolf (roller coaster)|Big Bad Wolf]] at [[Busch Gardens Williamsburg]]]]
[[Image:HP-Roller Soaker.jpg|150px|thumb|A Setpoint suspended roller coaster, [[Roller Soaker]] at [[Hershey Park]]]]
<!-- Image with inadequate rationale removed: [[Image:Xlr8.jpg|150px|thumb|A promotional poster for the [[Arrow Dynamics]] manufactured [[XLR-8]] at [[Six Flags Astroworld]]]] -->
[[Image:PKI-Top Gun.jpg|150px|thumb|Trains swinging on an [[Arrow Dynamics]] manufactured suspended roller coaster [[Flight Deck (Kings Island)|The Bat]] at [[Kings Island]]]]

{| class= "wikitable sortable"
|-
|+ Incomplete list of suspended roller coaster installations
! Name !! Park !! Manufacturer !! <small>Open</small> !! Status
|-
| Aerial Glide || Shipley Glen Pleasure Grounds || || 1900s || {{No|Removed}}
|-
| Bisby's Spiral Airship || Queens Park || || 1902 || {{No|Removed}}
|-
| Aerial Coaster || [[Riverview Park (Chicago)|Riverview Park]] || Aerial Tramway Construction Co. || 1908 || {{No|Removed}}
|-
| Alpenflug || [[Oktoberfest]] ([[Munich]]) || [[Messerschmitt]] || 1975 || {{No|Removed}}
|-
| [[The Bat (Kings Island; opened 1981)|The Bat]] || [[Kings Island]] || [[Arrow Dynamics|Arrow Development]] || 1981 || {{No|Removed}}
|-
|  [[Big Bad Wolf (roller coaster)|Big Bad Wolf]] || [[Busch Gardens Williamsburg]] || [[Arrow Dynamics|Arrow Huss]] || 1984 || {{No|Removed}}
|-
| [[XLR-8]] || [[Six Flags AstroWorld]] || [[Arrow Dynamics|Arrow Huss]] || 1984 || {{No|Removed}} 
|-
| [[Iron Dragon (roller coaster)|Iron Dragon]] || [[Cedar Point]] || [[Arrow Dynamics]] || 1987 || {{Yes|Operating}}
|-
| Dream Catcher || Bobbejaanland || [[Vekoma]] || 1987 ||{{Yes|Operating}}
|-
| [[Ninja (Six Flags Magic Mountain)|Ninja]] || [[Six Flags Magic Mountain]] || [[Arrow Dynamics]] || 1988 || {{Yes|Operating}}
|-
| [[Vampire (roller coaster)|Vampire]]* || [[Chessington World of Adventures]] || [[Arrow Dynamics]] || 1990 || {{Yes|Operating}}
|-
| [[Vortex (Canada's Wonderland)|Vortex]] || [[Canada's Wonderland]] || [[Arrow Dynamics]] || 1991 || {{Yes|Operating}}
|-
| Eagle Fortress || Everland || [[Arrow Dynamics]] || 1992 || {{No|Removed}}
|-
| Hayabusa || Tokyo SummerLand || [[Arrow Dynamics]] || 1992 || {{No|Removed}}
|-
| [[The Bat (Kings Island; opened 1993)|The Bat]]|| [[Kings Island]] || [[Arrow Dynamics]] || 1993 || {{Yes|Operating}}
|-
| Sky Coaster<br /><small>Formerly Centrifuge</small> || [[Dream World (Bangkok)|Dream World]]<br /><small>[[World Expo 88|World Expo Park]]</small> || [[Vekoma]] || 1994<br /><small>1988</small> || {{Yes|Operating}}
|- 
| Batflyer || [[Lightwater Valley]] || Caripro || 1996 || {{No|Removed}}
|-
| Batflyer** || [[Duinrell]] || Caripro || 1997 || {{No|Removed}}
|-
| [[Scooby's Ghoster Coaster]] || [[Kings Island]] || Caripro || 1998 || {{No|Removed}}
|-
| Clone Zone || Milky Way || Caripro || 1997 || {{Yes|Operating}}
|-
| Pteranodon Flyers || [[Islands of Adventure]] || Caripro/Setpoint || 1999  ||{{Yes|Operating}}
|-
| Flying Super Saturator || [[Carowinds]] || Setpoint || 2000 || {{No|Removed}}
|-
| Spellbreaker || [[Legoland California]] || Caripro || 2000 || {{No|Removed}}
|-
| Hydra Fighter II || [[Wet 'n Wild Emerald Pointe]] || Caripro || 2001 || {{No|Removed}}
|-
| Boramae Coaser || Wonder Zone || R&C Entertainment || 2001 || {{No|Removed}}
|-
| Sky Rider || [[Skyline Park]] || Caripro || 2001 || {{Yes|Operating}}
|- 
| Batflyer || Nasu Highland Park || Caripro || 2001 || {{Yes|Operating}}
|-
| [[Roller Soaker]] || [[Hersheypark]] || Setpoint || 2002 || {{No|Removed}}
|-
| Aeroplanes || Aerocity Parc || Big Country Motioneering || 2003 || {{No|Removed}}
|-
| Batflyer || World In Miniature || Caripro || 2003 || {{No|Removed}}
|-
| Unknown || Dreamland Park||  || 2006 || {{Yes|Operating}}
|-
| Vertigo || [[Walibi Belgium]] || Input || 2007 || {{No|Removed}}
|-
| Padrinos Voladores || [[Parque de Atracciones de Madrid]] || [[Zamperla]] || 2007 || {{Yes|Operating}}
|-
| Slippery When Wet || [[Freestyle Music Park|Hard Rock Park]] ||Caripro || 2008 || {{No|Removed}}
|-
| [[Canopy Flyer]] || [[Universal Studios Singapore]] || Setpoint || 2010 || {{Yes|Operating}}
|-
| Zooom! || [[Flamingo Land Resort]] || [[Zamperla]] || 2011 || {{Yes|Operating}}
|-
| Çelik Kartal** || [[Wonderland Eurasia]] || [[Zamperla]] || 2019 || {{No|SBNO}}
|-
| Télégraphe || [[Galeries de la Capitale|Méga Parc]] || Extreme Engineering || 2019 || {{Yes|Operating}}
|-
| Bat Glider<br /><small>Formerly Batflyer</small> || [[Trans Studio Cibubur]]<br /><small>Hamanako Pal Pal</small> || Caripro || 2019<br /><small>2001-2015</small> || {{Yes|Operating}}
|-
| Bat Glider<br /><small>Formerly Vleermuis</small> || Trans Studio Bali<br /><small>[[Plopsaland De Panne]]</small> || Caripro || 2019<br /><small>2000-2018</small> || {{Yes|Operating}}
|-
| Eagle Wingspan || VinWonders Phú Quốc || Extreme Engineering || 2020 || {{Yes|Operating}}
|-
| Hummel Brummel || Schwaben Park || Wiegand || 2020 || {{Yes|Operating}}
|-
| Fly With Flap || [[Doha Oasis Mall|Doha Quest]] || Extreme Engineering || 2021 || {{Yes|Operating}}
|-
| Samba Gliders || [[Genting SkyWorlds]] ||Setpoint || 2022 || {{Yes|Operating}}
|-
|}
<small><nowiki>*</nowiki> Operates with [[Vekoma]] trains<ref name="rcdb.com">{{cite web | url=http://www.rcdb.com/945.htm | title=Batflyer - Duinrell (Wassenaar, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands) }}</ref><br />
<nowiki>**</nowiki> Never operated<ref name="rcdb.com"/></small>

== See also ==
* [[Suspension railway]], a similar design used in public transport applications

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{commons category|Suspended roller coasters}}
*[http://www.setpointinc.com Setpoint's Official Website]
*[http://www.vekoma.com/ Vekoma's Official Website]

{{Rollercoaster tracks}}
{{Intamin}}

[[Category:Suspended roller coasters| ]]
[[Category:Types of roller coaster]]