POSTED BY

Rob Beschizza

AT 9:12 AM
Tuesday June 9, 2009

Vehicles

rollercoasters

Rip Ride Rockit Rollercoaster

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In Orlando, Universal Studios is building what it describes as the world's most high-tech rollercoaster, the Rip Ride Rockit. [Universal Studios]

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It'll feature "first-ever manuevers" and a "guest interface panel," with which riders select music to tear along to, and can set up production-quality video recordings of their presumably terrified faces.

2 Comments

TJ S

#1 – 9:59 AM June 9, 2009

The Wikipedia description of the track layout:

Rockit…will depart the station and climb its 167-foot vertical lift, reaching the top in just over 16 seconds. It then drops to the ground before entering the "double take," a circular element 103 feet in diameter; it looks like a standard vertical loop, yet the track twists around such that the train is right-side-up at the top of the loop. The train descends and twists again on the way down then climbs to reach the first of several mid-course brake sections.

The roller coaster exits the brakes and drops back towards street level, passing through a building exterior before entering a series of swooping curves called the "treble clef," which appears, from above, to have been inspired by the musical notation of the same name. The train climbs the treble clef and exits into another mid-course brake section. Now returning towards the station, the roller coaster enters a series of sharp turns. The first, nicknamed the "jump cut," is a unique element similar to a corkscrew, but without turning the riders upside-down. The second is the "crowd surfer," an overbanked turn that passes over portions of the queue line for the attraction.

Rockit then enters another mid-course brake section before it prepares to exit the park grounds. It next encounters "drop tuning," named for a type of guitar tuning, which is a quick drop into a landscaped area in front of the Sharp Aquos Theatre. Emerging above the ground, the roller coaster enters a 540-degree helix nicknamed the "plot twist" and then returns to the station via a short section of twists and turns. Riders will board the train by way of a people mover-like area in the station.

Yep, this thing is going to be fun as hell. I'm planning next year's vacation around Orlando now.

hep cat

#2 – 7:01 PM June 9, 2009

This is for dogs right ?

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