Galactica is a steel flying roller coaster manufactured by B&M.
Not only was it the first flying coaster to be produced by the Swiss company,
but was also the first roller coaster to be fully dedicated to virtual reality.
Unlike the many other VR Rides in existence,
riders on Galactica do not have to opt in or pay extra to experience the coaster with virtual reality.
This is very different to the model found in many other parks in which guests pay more to ride with a VR headset.
Galactica first opened to the public on the 16th of March 2002.
At this point the ride was named Air,
an abbreviation of Aerial Inversion Ride
Unlike many other rides which seat riders above or below the track,
flying coaster seat riders in a prone position.
Guests face the floor and experience the feeling of flight as they navigate the track.
The original concept for Air was developed roughly 12 years before its opening date in 1990.
The ride was originally planned to open in 1998,
however this date was ultimately delayed due to technological limitations.
Instead Oblivion the world's first dive coaster opened that year.
Throughout its planning stages Galactica was codenamed, SW5,
for short for Secret Weapon 5.
The ride can be found at Alton Towers Resort, a theme park in the United Kingdom.
It costs the part roughly twelve million pounds to construct in 2002,
although, further money since be spent on the coaster due to its retheme.
Riders of Galactica are sent up to a height of 20m (65ft),
before entering the classic B&M pre drop.
The trains complete a 180-degree turn to the right and enter the small first drop.
The entire layout features a total of two inversions,
a fly to lie and a lie to fly which places the riders on their back for a short period of time,
and a final inline twist.
The track of the ride measures 840m (2756ft) long,
allowing for the trains to navigate the track in roughly 51 seconds.
That's measured from the first pre drop to the final brake run.
Galactica currently has three trains which navigate the track.
Each train is made up of seven cars, with riders seated in rows of four.
This results in a total of 28 riders per train.
Like many other flying roller coasters Produced by B&M,
the ride features two stations.
Each station can house a single train, while the third completes the circuit.
As a result Galactica has a theoretical throughput of 1500 riders per hour.
However, due to the addition of virtual reality,
the time required to load and unload each train has been increased.
Therefore the actual capacity of the ride is well below this figure.
Upon opening, Air was themed to that the experience, flying.
The layout of the ride features gradual descents and smooth curves,
leading to the top speed of only 75kmh (47mph).
This has been done to best mimic the flying sensation.
Riders fly close to that at the ground, narrowly passing through ravines and under footpaths.
As a result, the ride is not very intense,
but offers an experience that cannot be matched by other roller coaster models.
Towards the end of the 2015 season it was announced that Air would be changing.
On the 12th of January 2016, Alton Towers stated that Air would be rethemed to Galactica,
a virtual reality roller coaster experience that takes riders through the cosmos.
The regeneration of the ride brought a new theme, a new soundtrack created by IMAscore,
and additional theming features.
A new photo building was constructed in the queue line,
while a large portal structure was built around the first drop.
As riders fly towards the portal it charges up,
before emitting light and sounds as the train enters the portal.
The station building of the ride was also expanded to house a roller coaster restaurant,
similar to that a Food Loop at Europa Park.
Like many other virtual reality rides galactica utilizes the Samsung Gear VR Headset (now Pico Neo VR).
The headset is attached to every single seat,
and cannot be removed from the car.
As a result, each rider can choose whether to ride Galactica with or without VR, at no extra cost.
The VR content revolves around space travel.
Riders embark on a mission to several planets, namely, Nero 5 and Kepler 9.
As the trains to navigate the track guests fly across the landscapes of the two planets,
resulting in a surreal experience
Some fans of the ride were upset to see the original Air theme disappear.
Others have argued that the quality of the virtual reality is quite poor and can be seen as a gimmick.
However it cannot be argued that the retheme of the ride has enhanced the entire area in which Galactica is situated.
The Roller coaster restaurant offers an interesting dining style,
while the themed elements further tie into the story and create a great atmosphere.
VR Is slowly making its way to more and more roller coasters.
Is this a good thing?
What's your opinion?