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Roller Coaster s are comprised of various elements, variations in normal track movement that add thrill or excitement to the ride. THRILL ELEMENTS Batwing A batwing is a Heart -shaped Roller Coaster Inversion that turns riders upside down twice. The train goes into a mini- Diving Loop , followed by a mini- Immelmann . This inversion is the inverse of a Cobra Roll . Like other inversions, the batwing has different names depending on the manufacturer. This element is called a “batwing” on at Carowinds . On Arrow Dynamics coasters, such as Great American Scream Machine at Six Flags Great Adventure , it is called a "boomerang." The first roller coaster to use the batwing element was Orient Express at Worlds Of Fun in Kansas City , where it was called a "kamikaze curve." The ride was also the second roller coaster to have "Interlocking Loops" where two Vertical Loop elements are threaded through each other. The ride was demolished after the 2003 season. Butterfly inversion A butterfly inversion is often found on Boomerang Roller Coasters . A butterfly begins like a normal loop, but as it the track goes up, it twists slightly to one side or the other, and then when it is headed down, the track twists back. The maneuver is then repeated, but in reverse. An example of this is found on Goudurix in Parc Asterix in Plaily, France Cobra roll The cobra roll is a Roller Coaster Inversion which resembles a Cobra's head. Riders traverse forward through an upwards half- Vertical Loop , corkscrew perpendicular to the first direction, enter another corkscrew that merges into a downward half-vertical loop that exits in the parallel but opposite direction of the entrance. It takes riders upside-down twice. There is much confusion pertaining to the correct naming of this inversion. This is because different roller coaster manufacturers give their own names to inversions. Cobra roll is the standard name used by Intamin and B&M for this type of inversion. On Vekoma coasters, it should be referred to as a boomerang. On Arrow coasters, it is called a '''Batwing'''. The first coaster to use a cobra roll was Vekoma's Boomerang model, the first of which was built in Mexico in the early 1980s. Other Vekoma Boomerangs and most other B&M 7-inversion coasters also have a cobra roll. Corkscrew riders go through a motion similar to sit-down Inversion which most often resembles a Loop that has been 'widened' in terms of the element's entrance and exit points being a distance away from each other. The main difference is that riders are inverted at a point angled 90° horizontally from the incoming track, whereas in a loop, the inversion comes parallel to the track, but travelling in the opposite direction. It was named due to its resemblance to the Corkscrew Tool used to remove corks from bottles. Riders enter the corkscrew element and are transported significantly to the left or right while being flipped upside down 360 degrees. Due to them being much smaller than many elements, corkscrews are normally found towards the end of layouts, and often exist in pairs. This may take the form of a double corkscrew, where the end of one leads straight into the next. It is also common to see ''' Interlocking Corkscrews ''', where the entrances and exits are parallel, but both corkscrews cross over the other corkscrew's track. Corkscrew is also the name of several roller coasters, including a three-loop coaster at Valleyfair in Shakopee, Minnesota , as well as a two-loop coaster at Genting Highlands theme park, Malaysia. The first roller coaster with a corkscrew element was the Arrow Dynamics designed Corkscrew , opened in 1975 at Knott's Berry Farm . In 1989, the ride was relocated to Silverwood where it continues to operate today. See also Screw Axis . Cutback A cutback is a Roller Coaster Inversion similar to a Corkscrew , except that the two half-corkscrews are in opposite directions so that the train exits the inversion in the same direction from which it entered. The defunct Drachen Fire at Busch Gardens Europe , Williamsburg, VA is the only known roller coaster ever to have a cutback inversion. Roller coaster designs today tend to incorporate overbanked turns, which are a much more fluid way of performing an exciting turn, rather than cutbacks. Diving loop (1995), PortAventura of Spain )]] A diving loop (also, dive loop) is a type of Bolliger & Mabillard Roller Coaster Inversion whose inspiration was taken from a stunt plane Maneuver . In this inversion, the track twists upwards and to the side, and then dives toward the ground in a half-vertical Loop . This element is seen on B&M sit-down, Stand-up and Floorless coasters. Arrow and Vekoma use a similar element known as a Reverse Sidewinder. Just as a Dive Loop is the reverse form of an Immelmann Loop , the Reverse Sidewinder is the reverse form of a Sidewinder element (Arrow and Vekoma's version of an Immelmann). It can be seen Arrow's Cyclone at Dreamworld in Australia (Formerly Big Dipper at Luna Park) and Vekoma's Ninja at Six Flags over Georgia near Atlanta (Formerly Kamikaze at Dinosaur Beach). Heartline roll ) where the center of gravity is on the rail center. The right is a heartline roll, where the center of gravity is (roughly) on the rider's hearts.]] A heartline roll is a Roller Coaster inversion in which the rider performs a 360-degree roll. Heartline rolls are commonly confused with Inline Twist s. In a heartline roll, the center of the train rotates on one axis. The track itself changes in elevation so as to keep the train moving in the same Line in which it started the element. In an Inline Twist , the track with the 360 degree twist remains straight. As such, the train moves downward and then back up during the twist. In some cases, such as Vekoma's flying dutchman coaster, the degree to which the train deviates from the line in which it enters the twist is so great, the element is indistinguishable from a corkscrew. There is also some confusion over the difference between a heartline roll and a Zero-g Roll . A zero-g roll is basically a standard hill with a 360 degree twist at the top. The trains ascend, twist, and then descend again (providing a brief moment of airtime). In a heartline roll, once again, the trains do not leave the line from which they entered the inversion. Immelmann loop 's Immelmann inversion.]] An Immelmann loop (colloquially "Immelmann") is a popular Inversion found on many Roller Coaster s. In an Immelmann, riders enter a half loop and then go through a half twist and curve out in the opposite direction in which they came. The inversion is very similar to the sidewinder. A sidewinder consists of a half loop and a half Corkscrew , and comes out closer to 90°, while the Immelman comes out in more of a straight line back to where it started. An Immelman traveled in reverse is a Diving Loop . It is most commonly found on Bolliger & Mabillard roller coasters. Name The name "Immelmann" comes from Max Immelmann , a German pilot, who created the similar Aircraft maneuver in World War I (see Immelmann Turn ). Inline twist An inline twist is a , and Firehawk (formerly X-Flight at Geauga Lake). It can also be confused with a Heartline roll. In a heartline roll the center of the train rotates on one axis so the Height of the average rider's heart never changes. Whereas on an inline twist the train rotates around the track and there is usually little to no elevation difference in the track. There is confusion over the difference between a heartline roll and a zero-g roll. In a heartline roll, there is no change in elevation as in the zero-g roll, which can be called a Camel back because the track goes upwards, twists, and comes back down. Interlocking corkscrews 's interlocking corkscrew element.]]Interlocking Corkscrews are a type of Roller Coaster Inversion found on B&M coasters. In this inversion, two separate Corkscrews spin around each other; one turns riders upside down over the other. Despite being close to each other, the two corkscrews are not necessarily taken consecutively. Examples of coasters with interlocking corkscrews:
Interlocking loops interlocking loops]] Interlocking loops are an element which consists of two at Worlds Of Fun and Loch Ness Monster at Busch Gardens Europe , which was the first coaster in the world to have interlocking loops. Now that Orient Express has closed, Loch Ness Monster is the only coaster in the World to have this element. Overbanked turn in England , through an overbanked turn.]] An overbanked turn is an element common on large steel at Six Flags New England , and Millennium Force at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio , which features three separate overbanked turns. Pretzel loop 's 124-foot pretzel loop]]The pretzel loop is a large inversion found on Bolliger & Mabillard Flying Coasters . It consists of a downward half loop and upward half loop. Since they overlap at the top, the entrance and exit points create the look of a Pretzel , hence the name; however, the pretzel shape is only visible from one particular viewpoint. There are only five roller coasters, (all 3 of which have the same layout) at Six Flags Great Adventure , Six Flags Over Georgia , and Six Flags Great America , Crystal Wings at Happy Valley (which is also a clone of Superman) and Tatsu at Six Flags Magic Mountain . While going through a pretzel loop, the rider is upside down at the beginning and on their back and going backwards at the bottom. The rider then regains normal flying position at the exit of the loop. Raven turn |
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