Kingda Ka is a steel accelerator roller coaster located at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson,
New Jersey, United States. It is the world's tallest roller coaster, the world's second
fastest roller coaster, and was the second strata coaster ever built. It was built by
Stakotra, a subcontractor to Intamin. The train is launched by a hydraulic launch
mechanism to 128 miles per hour in 3.5 seconds. At the end of the launch track, the train
climbs the main top hat tower, reaching a height of 456 feet and spanning over a 3,118-foot-long
track by the end of the ride.
History Plans to build Kingda Ka were announced on
September 10, 2004 at an event held for the media and roller coaster enthusiasts. The
event revealed the park's goal to build "the tallest and fastest roller coaster on earth",
reaching 456 feet and accelerating up to 128 miles per hour in 3.5 seconds. On January
13, 2005, Kingda Ka's tower construction was completed, and on May 21, 2005, the ride opened
to the public. Kingda Ka became the "tallest" and "fastest" roller coaster in the world,
taking both world records from Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point. It lost the title
of world's fastest when Formula Rossa at Ferrari World opened in November 2010. Intamin designed
both Kingda Ka and Top Thrill Dragster, and the two share a similar design and layout
that differs primarily by the theme and the additional hill featured on Kingda Ka. Both
rides were built by Stakotra and installed by Martin & Vleminckx.
On August 29, 2013, Six Flags Great Adventure officially announced Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom
for the 2014 season. The new attraction was attached to the Kingda Ka coaster. The drop
tower features three gondolas integrated into the existing structure which is also be built
by Intamin. Kingda Ka closed at the start of the 2014 season in order construct Zumanjaro:
Drop of Doom on to Kingda Ka. Kingda Ka reopened on weekends on Memorial Day Weekend and fully
reopened when Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom was completed on July 4, 2014.
Ride experience Kingda Ka's layout and experience is nearly
identical to Top Thrill Dragster. After the train has been locked and checked, it moves
slowly out of the station to the launch area. It passes through a switch track, which allows
four trains to load simultaneously. When the signal to launch is given, the train rolls
back slightly and the brakes on the launch track retract. There is a voice that says
"arms down, head back, and hold on". The launch occurs five seconds after the hissing sound
of the brake fins retracting or the warning voice. Kingda Ka's horn previously sounded
before each launch, but it was silenced due to noise complaints from nearby residents;
the horn now sounds only when Kingda Ka first launches after being idle for a length of
time. When the train is in position, the hydraulic launch mechanism accelerates the train from
0 to 128 miles per hour in 3.5 seconds. At the end of the launch track, the train climbs
the main tower and rolls 90 degrees to the right before reaching a height of 456 feet.
The train then descends 418 feet straight down through a 270-degree right-hand spiral.
The train climbs the second hill of 129 feet, producing a moment of weightlessness before
being smoothly brought to a stop by the magnetic brakes; it then makes a left-hand U-turn and
enters the station. The ride lasts 28 seconds from the start of the launch.
Theme
Kingda Ka is themed as a mythical tiger, named for the 500 lb Golden Tabby Bengal tiger
who lived in an adjacent exhibit before moving to the park's safari. The ride's sign and
station have a Nepalese style. The queue line is surrounded by bamboo, which augments the
jungle theme. Jungle music is played during the wait and throughout the Golden Kingdom
section of the park, which was built for the ride.
The hydraulic launch motor is capable of producing 20,800 peak horsepower. Because of the high
speed and open nature of the trains, the ride will not operate in light rain.
Trains and station Kingda Ka's four trains are color-coded for
easy identification and are numbered; the four colors are also used for the seats and
restraints. Each train seats 18 people. The rear car has one row, while the rest have
two. The rear row of each car is positioned higher than its front row for better visibility.
Each of Kingda Ka's trains has an extra row of seat mounts. The panels could be removed
for the installation of additional seats in the future. This modification would increase
the capacity of each train from 18 to 20, and the hourly capacity of the coaster from
1400 to 1600 riders per hour. Kingda Ka's station is prepared for this modification,
with entrance gates for the currently-nonexistent row of seats.
Kingda Ka's over-the-shoulder restraint system consists of a thick, rigid lap bar and two
thin, flexible over-the-shoulder restraints. Because the over-the-shoulder portions of
the restraint are not rigid, the hand grips are mounted to the lap bar. Kingda Ka's restraints
are also held down by a belt, in case the main locking system fails. To speed loading,
riders are asked to secure their own restraints if possible.
Kingda Ka's station has two parallel tracks, with switch tracks at the entrance and exit.
Each of the station's tracks is designed to accommodate two trains, so each of the four
trains can be operated from its own station. While all of the trains are mechanically identical
and able to load and unload at each of the four individual station bays the original
plan was for all trains to operate at the same time and for each train to load and unload
at their own station. During normal operation, trains on one side are loaded while trains
on the other side are launched. When both sides of the station are in use an employee
directs riders in line to go to a particular side, where they can choose to sit in the
front or rear of the train. During recent seasons it has become common that only one
train bay be used for the loading, unloading, and dispatching of trains and that the other
train or trains in operation on any given day wait either in the station behind a loading/unloading
train or outside of the station on the brakes that follow the second hill. Two operators
load, check and dispatch each train; another launches the trains. Kingda Ka's music is
by Safri Duo; almost their entire Episode II album is played in the queue and station.
The other is the remix version of Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger", played by DJ Quicksilver.
Both of these may be heard during the queue and in the station.
Rollbacks
A train may occasionally experience a rollback following a launch. A rollback occurs when
the train fails to make it over the top of the tower and descends back down the side
it was launched. Kingda Ka includes retractable magnetic brakes on its launch track to prevent
a train from rolling back into the loading station.
Incidents Bolt failure
During a test run with no passengers on June 8, 2005, a bolt failed inside a trough that
the launch cable travels through. This caused the liner to come loose creating friction
on the cable and preventing the train from accelerating to the correct speed. The rubbing
of the cable against the inside of the metal trough caused sparks and shards of metal to
fly out from the bottom of the train. The ride was closed for almost two months following
the incident. Damage occurred to the launch cable which
was frayed and required replacement, to the engine including minor damage to seals, and
to many of the brake fins. The brake fins in the launch section are mounted to keep
fast-moving trains from moving backward into the station. However, the fast-moving train
being pulled forward caused an unexpected stress on a number of fins bending them forward.
Not all required replacement, but there were more damaged brake fins than Six Flags had
replacements for. Extra brake fins had to be ordered from the manufacturer, Intamin
in Switzerland, and the ride had to undergo thorough testing following the repair. Kingda
Ka reopened on August 4. Lightning strike
Kingda Ka was struck by lightning in early May 2009 and suffered serious damage. After
being closed for three months, Kingda Ka reopened on August 21, 2009.
Hurricane Irene
On August 27, 2011, Kingda Ka suffered unspecified damage shortly before Hurricane Irene. On
Saturday, August 27, Six Flags Great Adventure did not open due to the approaching hurricane.
While it is unknown whether additional damage occurred due to the storm, the coaster was
damaged to the extent that it could not run before Irene. Kingda Ka remained closed until
the start of the 2012 operating season on April 5.
Bird strike Shortly before 5:00 pm on July 26, 2012,
a young boy was sent to the hospital after suffering minor injuries from being struck
by a bird during normal operation. The ride resumed normal operation shortly after the
incident. Awards
Records References
External links Official Kingda Ka page
Kingda Ka Preview Article Kingda Ka