Sky Rocket facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sky Rocket
Kennywood Park
Location	Kennywood Park
Coordinates	40°23′11″N 79°51′53″W / 40.38639°N 79.86472°W / 40.38639; -79.86472
Status	Open
Opening date	June 29, 2010 (2010-06-29)
General statistics
Type	Steel
Manufacturer	Premier Rides
Lift/launch system	Linear Synchronous Motor
Height	95 ft (29 m)
Length	2,100 ft (640 m)
Speed	50 mph (80 km/h)
Inversions	3
Duration	1:05
Max vertical angle	90°
Acceleration	0 to 50 mph (0 to 80 km/h) in 3.0 seconds
G-force	0.8
Height restriction	52 in (132 cm)
Trains	2 trains with 2 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 3 rows for a total of 12 riders per train.
Sky Rocket at RCDB

Sky Rocket is an exciting steel roller coaster found at Kennywood amusement park. Kennywood is located in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, close to Pittsburgh. This ride was the first new roller coaster built at the park since 2001. It also brought back roller coasters with inversions (where you go upside down) to Kennywood!

Sky Rocket was finished in the spring of 2010. After some tests, it opened to riders at the end of June that year. In 2017, Kennywood announced a cool new option: starting in 2018, riders could choose to wear a virtual reality headset while on the ride!

The Sky Rocket was built where an older ride called the Turnpike used to be. The park plans to bring the Turnpike ride back in a new way someday.

What's the Ride Like?

Ready for a thrilling journey? Here's what happens on Sky Rocket:

The Launch

After you leave the station, your train turns around. Then, you line up for the launch! The ride uses special motors to shoot you from 0 to 50 miles per hour in just 3 seconds. That's super fast!

Upside Down and Twists

You'll zoom up a 95-foot tall "top hat" element. This means you go straight up and then straight down without turning. Right after that, you hit a "cutback" inversion. This is like two half-corkscrews joined together, which makes you turn 180 degrees.

Next, you'll experience a "Zero-G Roll." This part makes you feel weightless, like you're floating! Then, the train curves upwards into a mid-course brake run. You'll slow down almost to a stop, but don't worry, the fun isn't over!

Drops and Turns

Suddenly, you'll plummet almost straight down towards the ground! After that big drop, you go into a low "over-banked turn." This is a turn that's tilted a lot, but not completely upside down. You'll zoom under the cutback inversion you just went through.

Then comes a "corkscrew" inversion, which is a full twist that sends you upside down. This corkscrew goes over another part of the track, creating a "head-chopper" effect. It looks like your head might hit the track, but it's just an illusion!

You'll go through another over-banked turn, followed by a series of S-curves. These curves add more excitement and speed to your ride. Finally, you make one more turn into some "bunny hops." These are small hills that give you a fun feeling of airtime. The ride ends with one last twist before you reach the final brake run.

Ride Trains

The trains on Sky Rocket are painted bright red and black. The ride's logo is on the front of each train. Each train has two cars.

Sky Rocket uses a special harness system. It locks you in at your waist, not over your shoulders. This design gives riders a feeling of more freedom and movement. It's a unique feeling for a roller coaster that goes upside down!

Cool Facts About Sky Rocket

Sky Rocket is pretty special for a few reasons:

• It's a "powered launch coaster" that uses linear synchronous motors. This was the first time the company that built it, Premier Rides, used this type of launch system.
• It's one of only 14 roller coasters in the world that has a "cutback" inversion. Some other famous coasters with this feature include Space Mountain: Mission 2 at Disneyland Paris and SpongeBob SquarePants Rock Bottom Plunge at Nickelodeon Universe.

The ride was closed for a while in 2018 and early 2019. The park said they were having some issues with the generator. But good news! Sky Rocket re-opened on July 14, 2019, and has been thrilling riders ever since.

Awards

Sky Rocket has been recognized for its awesome design!