Image: Six Flags Magic Mountain Superman closeup

Description: Superman: The Escape is a launched shuttle roller coaster loated in the Samurai Summit area of Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California that opened in 1997. It is nearly identical to Tower of Terror, which opened two months prior in Australia. These two coasters were the first to utilize Linear Synchronous Motors (LSM - A form of Magnetic Levitation) technology to propel vehicles to top speed. Superman: The Escape was for a while the tallest roller coaster in the world, although its drop was the same as Tower of Terror. It was also tied with Tower of Terror as fastest roller coaster in the world. Today, it is fifth fastest. In 2001 the speed record was taken by Dodonpa in Japan. In 2003 Superman's height record was taken by Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point. The coaster has two parallel tracks. Riders are accelerated horizontally from 0 to 100 mph (160.9 km/h) in approximately 7 seconds (about 0.65 g). The track then pitches up 90 degrees to the vertical. Riders climb this vertical section, stop and follow the same path back to the start. During the entire vertical section of the ride, riders are completely weightless for about 6.5 sec, half going up and half coming back down. Contest Entry Challenge You Lost 2-10
Title: Six Flags Magic Mountain Superman closeup
Credit: Superman: the Escape - Magic Mountain
Author: Konrad Summers from Santa Clarita (Valencia) , California, USA
Usage Terms: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0
License: CC BY-SA 2.0
License Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0
Attribution Required?: Yes