This is a good article. Click here for more information.

Galactica (roller coaster)

From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
Jump to: navigation, search

<templatestyles src="Module:Hatnote/styles.css"></templatestyles>

Not to be confused with Battlestar Galactica (roller coaster).
Galactica
Galactica Logo Alton Towers.jpg
Alton Towers
Park section Forbidden Valley
Coordinates Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Status Under Refurbishment
Opening date March 16, 2002
Cost £12 million
General statistics
Type Steel – Flying
Manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard
Designer John Wardley
Model Flying Coaster
Track layout Custom
Lift/launch system Chain lift hill
Height 20 m (66 ft)
Length 840 m (2,760 ft)
Speed 75 km/h (47 mph)
Inversions 2
Duration 3:06
Capacity 1500 riders per hour
G-force 3.5
Height restriction 140 cm (4 ft 7 in)
Trains 3 Crafts trains with 7 cars. Riders are arranged 4 across in a single row for a total of 28 riders per train.
Fastrack available
Single rider line available
Galactica at RCDB
Pictures of Galactica at RCDB

Galactica (previously Air) is a steel flying roller coaster located in the Forbidden Valley area of Alton Towers in Staffordshire, England. It was the first flying rollercoaster manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard, and as a result labeled as the first successful flying rollercoaster. Guests ride in a prone position and experience the feeling of flight by "flying" close to the ground, under footpaths, and narrowly past trees and rocks. From 2016 onwards, the ride has also become the world's first virtual reality dedicated roller coaster. The 840-metre-long (2,760 ft) ride reaches a top speed of 75 kilometres per hour (47 mph). Galactica was the third 'Secret Weapon' ride to have opened.

History

The concept of a flying roller coaster was first conceived in 1994 and was meant to debut at Alton Towers in 1998 but due to technological limitations at the time, its realisation was delayed.[1] Flying roller coasters are characterised by passengers riding parallel with the track.[2] Shortly afterward, Bolliger & Mabillard began designing their own flying roller coaster. Alton Towers began construction of Bolliger & Mabillard's prototype flying coaster in mid-2001. Later that year, Alton Towers officially announced the ride as being an unnamed "Aerial Inversion Ride" which would open in March 2002.[3] Alton Towers later revealed that the ride's name would actually be AIR, the abbreviation of Aerial Inversion Ride; it was subsequently altered to lowercase.[4][5]

In early 2002, testing of Air began with special crash test dummies. Costing £12 million to complete, Air was, at the time of its opening, tied with Oblivion as the most expensive ride at Alton Towers.[6][7] Air officially opened to the public on March 16, 2002.[6]

In July 2015, Alton Towers submitted planning permission to make improvements to the ride. These included the addition of a new photo kiosk, the addition of a photo opportunity into the queue, pre-show areas, walls around the station building and two new theming elements. These will debut in 2016, along with the restaurant. In October 2015, Alton Towers said to "prepare for a new flight" and to "watch this space", in a statement made on their website. In early November 2015, the Air Shop closed and on-ride photos stopped being sold, in preparation of the new changes. On 12 January 2016, Air was renamed Galactica as part of the new theme and refurbishment.

Characteristics

Design

Galactica was the first flying coaster installation by Swiss roller coaster manufacturer, Bolliger & Mabillard.[8] The ride was designed by John Wardley, the designer of many rides at Alton Towers and other Merlin theme parks.[9][10] The ride cost £12 million, which at the time of opening, was one of the most expensive rollercoasters ever made and the most technologically-advanced. [9]

Statistics

At the time of opening, Galactica was the tallest ride at Alton Towers, standing 20 metres (66 feet) tall.[6][7][11] The 840-metre-long (2,760-foot) ride reaches a top speed of 75 kilometres per hour (47 miles per hour). Riders can experience up to three-and-a-half times the force of gravity whilst on the ride. One cycle of the ride lasts approximately three minute's and six seconds.[6]

Trains

Galactica features a dual-platform loading station, permitting three trains to operate simultaneously. Each train has seven cars, with each car carrying four riders side-by-side in a single row. This configuration allows for up to 1500 riders per hour.[6]

Experience

<templatestyles src="Stack/styles.css"/>

A train in the loading position
A train ready to depart
A train in the loading position (left) and flying position (right)

Station and loading

Once in the station, riders board a train sitting down, in a similar style to inverted roller coasters.[12] Riders are restrained through a padded over-the-shoulder harness and a lap bar. At the ankles, two flaps hold the legs in position and close as the harness locks into place. After a train is fully locked and checked, riders are raised into the flying position and the train departs the station.[12]

Ride layout

A train navigating the fly-to-lie
A train navigating the inline twist
Trains navigating the fly-to-lie (left) and inline twist (right) elements.

Galactica departs the station and rises a chain lift hill. The ride's first drop dips to the right, rises up to a 180° turn, and continues down a large drop to ground level. The track then twists so the riders are on their backs.[13] This maneuver is known as a fly-to-lie.[6] The coaster then performs a large upward left turn before twisting again, returning riders to the prone position.[13] This maneuver is known as a lie-to-fly.[6] After exiting from the lie-to-fly element, Galactica passes underneath a small ravine before pitching up, into a tight turn.[13] A 360° inline twist[6] is followed by a series of straight flying, and several turns and dips in the track. The train then slows in the brake run before returning to one of the station's two platforms.[13]

Marketing

Preceding the ride's launch prior, and to it receiving a name, Alton Towers marketed the ride as Secret Weapon 5 (SW5).[14] This followed other similar project names at the park including SW3 and SW4 for the Nemesis and Oblivion coasters.[15][16] The pre-launch naming trend continued with SW6 and SW7 for Thirteen and The Smiler coasters, respectively.[17]

In 2002, Alton Towers entered into a five-year agreement with Cadbury Heroes, to become the ride's sponsor. This was part of a wider marketing campaign costing £4.5 million. The campaign featured the slogan "Assume the position" and consisted of a series of cinema and television commercials. Air was not marketed as a thrill ride, but rather a ride to simulate flight.[18][19]

The re-theme of Air was announced at the London Science Museum on 12 January 2016. Alton Towers have also released teaser videos for the attraction on YouTube and a new website has also been launched allowing users to find out more information about the ride and its accompanying space travel storyline.

Reception

The Tussauds Group, owners of Alton Towers in the early 2000s, claimed that Air contributed to the park's strong performance in 2002 and 2003.[20]

In Amusement Today's annual Golden Ticket Awards, Air was ranked in the top 50 steel roller coasters numerous times following its opening. It peaked at position 24 in 2003,[21] before dropping to position 34 in 2004 and 36 in 2005.[22][23] In 2006, it tied for position 49 with another Bolliger & Mabillard flying coaster, Superman: Ultimate Flight.[24] It has not appeared in the top 50 since until 2015 it peaked at 38.[25]

In Mitch Hawker's worldwide Best Roller Coaster Poll, Air peaked at position 36 in its debut year.[26] The ride's ranking in subsequent polls is shown in the table below.

Mitch Hawker's Best Roller Coaster Poll: Best Steel-Tracked Roller Coaster[26]
Year 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Ranking
36
64
61
54
75
94
107
96
106
[nb 1]
130
136

Virtual Reality

On 12 January 2016, Alton Towers confirmed at the London Science Museum that Air would become the world's first roller coaster dedicated to virtual reality, adopting the new name 'Galactica'. Mounted in each craft is a fleet of virtual reality headsets that riders can wear, simulating a flight through the cosmos. The virtual reality experience is optional, and guests are able to experience the ride as it currently stands. [27]

In addition to the virtual reality aspect of the new theme, various thematic structures such as 'the launch portal' and adaptations made to the station building are to be implemented. A brand new Rollercoaster Restaurant will also accompany the development in the ride's previous retail store.

Notes

  1. ↑ No steel roller coaster poll was held in 2011.

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

Retrieved from "https://infogalactic.com/w/index.php?title=Galactica_(roller_coaster)&oldid=726248662"