Superman – Ride of Steel
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Superman – Ride of Steel is a steel roller coaster based on the DC Comics character Superman at two Six Flags theme parks in the United States. Both hypercoasters were manufactured by Intamin and feature identical layouts, opening one year apart; Six Flags Darien Lake in 1999 and Six Flags America in 2000. The roller coaster at Six Flags Darien Lake, was renamed in 2007, to Ride of Steel, dropping the character theme, when the company sold the park. While Six Flags Darien Lake was brought back to the Six Flags chain in 2019, the Superman theme has yet to be restored on Ride of Steel.
Both roller coasters are Template:Convert tall, feature a drop length of Template:Convert, and reach a maximum speed of Template:Convert.
On May 1, 2025, Six Flags announced that the Six Flags America park will close at the end of the 2025 season on November 2, 2025.[1] The status on the future of the Superman – Ride of Steel roller coaster was not given at the time of the announcement.[2]
VR experience
On March 3, 2016, Six Flags announced that the ride would be one of several rides at various Six Flags parks to feature a VR system. Riders have the option of wearing a Samsung Gear VR headset, powered by Oculus to create a 360-degree, 3D experience while riding. It is themed to Superman saving a city from Lex Luthor's Lex Bots who are causing chaos with an anti-gravity ray. This theming was also added to Superman: Krypton Coaster at Six Flags Fiesta Texas and Superman The Ride at Six Flags New England.[3]
Ride layout
Once the train has been dispatched from the station it makes a winding, 180-degree turn. The train ascends Template:Convert up the lift hill and then drops Template:Convert at an angle of 68 degrees. The train reaches the maximum speed of Template:Convert before entering a sharp turn and the first airtime hill. A 540-degree helix follows, in addition to another smaller airtime hill. The finale involves a 500-degree helix and several more airtime hills before reaching the brake run and returning to the station.
Elements
- 5 airtime hills (4 airtime hills and a twisted airtime hill)
- 2 helixes (540 degree and 500 degree)
Rankings
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The Ride of Steel station, Six Flags Darien Lake
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Superman's lift and first drop, Six Flags America
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Superman's first airtime hill, Six Flags America
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(Superman) Ride of Steel, Six Flags Darien Lake
Incidents
- On May 16, 1999, a passenger was thrown from the train at the Darien Lake installment on one of the final hills and suffered minor injuries.[4]
- On July 8, 2011, a disabled Iraq War veteran who lost both legs during his deployment in Iraq died after being ejected from the front seat of the Darien Lake coaster.[5] The state's Department of Labor cited "operator error" as the cause of the accident and issued two violations, in which the park responded by retraining staff and updating ride safety signage before reopening the ride.[6] A final report from the local sheriff's office detailed the negligence by employees, who should have been aware that the restraints required passengers to have both legs.[7] Witnesses reported seeing the disabled vet reaching for his hat that flew off before he was ejected, and evidence suggested that the rider died instantly from blunt force trauma to the head when he came in contact with the front of a train car.[7]
References
External links
Template:Darien Lake Theme Park Resort Coasters Template:SFA Coasters Template:Superman amusement rides
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