Pitts Special is a Gerstlauer Infinity coaster at PowerLand in Finland.
This ride opened in 2020 and Pitts Special is not to be confused with Junker, another
Gerstlauer Infinity coaster located right next door with the same paint scheme and trains.
While the ride’s have a similar appearance, they ride far differently.
Whereas Junker is an intense blitz of forces, Pitts Special is…well…special.
In this video, I will review Pitts Special and give my thoughts on this interesting coaster.
In 2020, PowerLand started erecting green track with white supports adjacent to Junker.
Since the track color matched that of Junker and it was located next to Junker, a lot of
enthusiasts thought PowerLand may be extending Junker which would be almost unheard of.
But eventually PowerLand clarified they were building an all-new roller coaster next door
to Junker in Pitts Special.
While the decision to build two similar looking coasters next to each other was odd, it does
create a really cool visual as you approach the park and see what looks like one giant
green coaster.
It’s also cool that you have to pass under Pitts Special to enter the park.
If you park in the main lot, the bridge into the park passes under Pitts Special.
Or if you park in the hotel lot, you drive underneath it.
It creates a lot of kinetic energy for your entry experience.
Pitts Special isn’t really themed.
The name just references a type of plane, as with Junker.
The queue has a ramp leading into the station and as seen on Junker- and several other rides
at PowerLand- you have these paddles in each switchback.
So you sort of have to go side to side as you move through the queue.
I’m not sure if these were added for distancing during covid, but they were an odd quirk found
on several rides.
Pitts Special was running two trains, each seating 8 riders.
So I was a bit nervous what this coaster’s throughput would be.
I visited on a weekday towards the end of their summer season and the coaster had a
minimal wait all-day.
The ride was a total walk-on for the first hour, but I wouldn’t advise riding this
coaster at that time for reasons I’ll get into.
At worst, the line was about 15-20 minutes midday and the crew would usually have the
next train ready as the prior one hit the final brakes.
Part of that is how easy the restraints are to check on this coaster.
Pitts Special has no seat belts and just clamshell lap bar restraints, just like Junker.
The staff does tend to push these down really hard, but that’s the standard operating
procedure with most of the Gerstlauer EuroFighters and Infinity coasters with this restraint.
I do still enjoy the restraints since I find the contouring comfortable and your entire
upper body is free.
In terms of seat selection, the front and back rows felt identical in terms of forces.
The front was a little better for the unobstructed view.
Now onto the ride experience.
Pitts Special begins with a 143 foot or 44 meter tall vertical lift hill, making it the
tallest coaster at PowerLand by a slim margin over Junker.
And if Junker launches while you’re on the lift, you get a pretty neat view of that coaster
cresting its top hat if you look behind you.
You then approach what looks like a vertical drop, but it actually only has a max angle
of 85 degrees.
It’s a curious decision why this coaster didn’t get the usual beyond vertical drop
found on most Gerstlauers, but that symbolizes Pitts Special perfectly.
The coaster looks like it should be incredible, but many of the elements seem off and ride
a bit awkwardly.
That’s especially true if you ride this coaster in the morning.
It felt like Pitts Special would valley on every single element.
And unsurprisingly this coaster has valleyed before.
The first drop is easily the best part of the ride.
The airtime isn’t as intense as your usual EuroFighter or Infinity coaster, presumably
due to the less steep angle, but it still delivers weak sustained ejector airtime the
whole way down.
You hit 62 mph or 100 kph and then are blasted by intense positive Gs.
Pitts Special pulls 4.5 Gs and I started to greyout on all my rides.
But at this point, Pitts Special takes its foot off the gas.
You then crawl through this giant ampersand element.
It looks incredible off-ride.
I salivated at the prospect of airtime and laterals, but I got none of that.
All this element did was make me think I’d valley.
It was super slow and forceless.
At the bottom of the ampersand, you regain most of your speed and zip over a speed hill,
which passes over the bridge into the park.
And this hill delivers good ejector airtime.
It’s probably the single strongest airtime moment on the ride.
That’s followed by this large, elongated S-hill.
Like the ampersand, this element is pretty slow and forceless.
And in the morning, it feels like you’ll stall out here as well.
The pullout from the S-hill does give some decent Gs once the coaster is warmed up at
least.
You then coast through a wave turn, which I believe is Gerstlauer’s first attempt
at the element RMC popularized.
And this is yet another element that seems to be taken too slowly.
In the morning, rather than giving airtime, Pitts Special causes you to fall downwards
due to the lack of speed.
It’s an awkward bit of lateral hangtime.
When the coaster is warmed up, you do get some weak floater airtime that pulls you sideways,
which I think is how the element is supposed to ride.
That’s followed by another S-hill.
In the morning, this hill was another forceless dud.
But when the coaster warmed up, this was an interesting element.
It gave a tiny bit of floater airtime, but what really stood out where the laterals.
You get this abrupt lateral jolt that comically slams you to the side.
I enjoyed how raw and untamed it felt.
You then glide over back to back bunny hills.
The first passes over bridge while the second leads into the brake run.
These bunny hills don’t have the sharpest crests and in the morning, you get no airtime.
When the ride is warmed up, you get very weak floater airtime.
It was a bummer the coaster didn’t finish with more of a bang.
You then hit the brake run, ending the 2274 foot or 693 meter long coaster.
And it left me scratching my head a lot.
Seeing all the camelbacks and bunny hills made me think this coaster would be jam-packed
with airtime, which would compliment the lateral and inversion-based layout of Junker.
But that wasn’t the case.
Pitts Special is an awkwardly paced coaster.
While it has a few really nice elements like the first drop and first speed hill, it crawls
through too much of its layout and the forces suffer as a result.
75% of this coaster feels like a family ride rather than the thrill ride that it appears
to be.
In terms of smoothness, Pitts Special has a bit of a shuffle on some of the twisting
elements, but I didn’t find it uncomfortable.
This shuffle is something that you find on a lot of Gerstlauers.
So what would I rate Pitts Special?
I would give this coaster a 6 out of 10.
It’s a fun coaster, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I came off disappointed.
This coaster looks so much better than it actually is.
This coaster is dragged down by its atrocious pacing.
Almost every element feels a bit too tall or elongated for its own good.
That makes the standout elements like the first drop, speed hill, and final s-hill even
more shocking when they occur because they’re a stark contrast to the rest of the ride.
Just make sure to ride this coaster in the afternoon if possible.
A lot of coasters speed up throughout the day, but the difference on Pitts Special was
particularly noticeable.
Junker is easily the better ride for reasons I go talk about in a separate review, but
Pitts Special still adds something to PowerLand’s lineup and is fairly enjoyable.
Even if it’s not sure if it wants to be a thrill ride or a family ride.
So those are my thoughts on Pitts Special, the newest coaster at PowerLand.
What are your thoughts on this Gerstlauer Infinity coaster?
Do you think it’s a good fit for PowerLand?
I would love to hear your thoughts about this coaster down in the comments.
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