Superman- Ultimate Flight is a Bolliger & Mabillard flying coaster at the Six Flags parks.
Located at Six Flags Over Georgia, Six Flags Great America, and Six Flags Great Adventure,
these were some of the earliest flying coasters and they are still some of the most popular
attractions in their respective parks.
But how does it stack up to the newer flyers?
Find out in this review!
After some smaller flying coasters were developed in the mid-1990s, Vekoma unveiled their flying
dutchman model.
The first would be Stealth at California’s Great America in 2000.
And then Vekoma would build two more for the 2001 season, both for Six Flags parks.
Six Flags Worlds of Adventure would receive X-Flight while Six Flags America would receive
Batwing.
These flyers had exciting layouts, but there were three disadvantages to future flying
coasters.
One, riders spent more time on their back, which was a less-exciting riding position.
Two, the load procedure was cumbersome.
Riders boarded the train sitting down and then the vehicles lowered into the lie-down
position before dispatching.
Three, the electronics to raise and lower the trains were located on the trains themselves,
subjecting them to extra stresses, which caused downtime.
Bolliger & Mabillard debuted two flying coasters in 2002.
The first was Air at Alton Towers.
Just a month later, Superman- Ultimate Flight opened at Six Flags Over Georgia.
The latter would be the most well-received flying coaster yet.
For one, Superman would spend more time letting guests fly.
Riders were raised into the flying position in the station and the only time guests would
find themselves on their back would be during inversions.
Two, it was more comfortable.
The B&M flyers are glass-smooth.
This ride’s popularity prompted Six Flags to install two clones at Six Flags Great Adventure
and Six Flags Great America in 2003.
But these rides had three key differences from the prototype.
First, Over Georgia’s Superman had a dual load platform.
This would allow three trains to operate simultaneously for maximum capacity.
However, this ride regularly runs with just one or two trains.
And to save money on staffing, the ride typically uses just one load platform.
Knowing this, Six Flags only put one load platform on the Superman clones at Great Adventure
and Great America.
Two, Over Georgia’s Superman had a 7 car train, seating up to 28 riders.
As a concession for losing the dual load platform, the new Superman clones had an 8 car train
to seat an extra 4 riders per cycle.
I don’t find the extra car to make much of a difference on the ride experience, but
extra capacity is always welcome.
Three, the layout was originally designed for Six Flags Over Georgia.
At that park, it’s a terrain coaster hugging the park’s rolling hills and even diving
underground.
But at the other two Six Flags parks, Superman was built on a flat parking lot.
There also was a fourth Superman clone built at Happy Valley Beijing in China named Crystal
Wing.
I haven’t ridden this version, but Crystal Wing may have the best setting as the coaster
is built around a fake mountain similar to the Disney coasters.
I think the Six Flags versions look pretty good.
The red track and blue supports capture Superman’s iconic colors and the trains compliment the
track perfectly.
And the version at Great Adventure looks particularly nice since it was recently repainted.
Each one has a nice entrance archway followed by a long queue line.
This queue line has 2D displays of Superman’s most famous allies and villains, which is
fun for comic book fans.
And that’s the full extent of this ride’s theming, which isn’t too surprising for
a Six Flags park.
But for coaster fans, the best part of the wait is how the line is routed through the
center of the coaster, offering some fun vantage points.
No matter when you visit Six Flags Over Georgia, Six Flags Great Adventure, or Six Flags Great
America, Superman always seems to have one of the longest lines in the park.
This coaster regularly has hour long waits between its popularity and capacity.
Hitting this coaster early in the day is a wise decision.
Otherwise, the Flash Pass is a major help for this coaster.
Great America had a single rider line for this coaster that saved a boatload of time,
but I believe it was discontinued after the covid-19 pandemic.
Operations for this coaster are typically slow.
This is common with all the B&M flyers, especially since the trains need to raise and lower in
the station itself.
I find the operations to be particularly glacial at Over Georgia since the employees often
need to manually unlock restraints with a key.
I can’t recall seeing this on any other B&M flyer.
The harnesses are comprised of over-the-shoulder restraints that tightly hug your chest plus
ankle restraints.
They need to be snug given the dynamics of the ride, but I find them comfortable all-things
considered.
As for seat selection, I don’t have much of a preference on Superman.
The forces feel identical across the train.
The view is marginally better up front, so that is my row of choice as long as it doesn’t
have a massive additional wait.
Once dispatched, you turn out of the station and ascend the 106 foot or 32 meter tall lift
hill.
The lift doesn’t offer the best views due to the riding position, but it does emphasize
the ride’s height as the gap between you and the ground keeps growing.
Once at the top, you navigate a 100 foot or 30 meter tall twisting drop.
This drop is pretty shallow, even by B&M standards.
So it doesn’t deliver much in the force or whip department.
The pullout does have some decent speed and positive Gs, but it’s just the appetizer
for what’s to come.
The second element is the pretzel loop, which is the signature element on any B&M flyer.
Think of it as an upside-down vertical loop.
You start and finish at the top and invert at the bottom.
This element is downright insane and one of the best in the world for sustained positive
Gs.
It’s also super disorienting.
Diving towards the ground and lying on your back while experiencing crazy forces is an
unnatural feeling, but I love it.
I just wish the rest of Superman could match this level of intensity.
And fun fact, Superman doesn’t reach its top speed at the bottom of the first drop.
Rather, it reaches its max speed of 51 mph or 82 kph at the bottom of the pretzel loop
since it goes below ground level.
The rest of Superman is far tamer.
You then navigate three consecutive overbanks.
These turns aren’t the least bit forceful.
They’re mostly about the visuals.
They work well on Over Georgia’s since you’re hugging the hillside, accentuating the ride’s
speed.
And you even dive into a tunnel at one point.
On the other clones, you’re just turning above the queue line.
The finale starts with a 270 degree upwards helix.
It is similarly tame like the prior turns, but it leads into a slow inline twist.
This inversion sneaks up on you since it continues out of the helix.
And it offers some nice hangtime.
You then hop into the brake run and this abrupt element gives a weak pop of airtime, which
is always a weird feeling in the flying position.
You then head back towards the station and pray the ride is either running just one train
or ready to dispatch the next.
Otherwise, you’ll be uncomfortably staring down at the brake run.
It’s the worst part of any B&M flyer without a doubt.
So what would I rate Superman Ultimate Flight?
I would give the version at Six Flags Over Georgia a 7 out of 10 while the other two
earn a 6 out of 10.
I love the pretzel loop.
The crushing forces are a thrill-seekers dream.
And the final inversion is a wonderful contrast with all that hangtime.
But the middle section feels like filler.
It doesn’t have much variety or force to it.
The setting on Georgia’s accentuates these turns at least, which is why that version
earns an extra point.
While the pacing isn’t all that good, Superman is super smooth and about as comfortable as
a flying coaster can be.
I find B&M’s later flying coasters more dynamic and engaging, but Superman helped
pave their way.
So those are my thoughts on Superman Ultimate Flight, the B&M flying coasters at the Six
Flags parks.
What are your thoughts on this coaster?
Let me know your thoughts on this coaster down in the comments.
If you enjoyed this review, I’d appreciate it if you gave this video a like and you considered
subscribing since there’s a lot more roller coaster and amusement park videos here at
Canobie Coaster.
Thanks for watching!