Stunt Pilot (roller coaster) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Stunt Pilot |
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| Silverwood Theme Park | |
| Location | Silverwood Theme Park |
| Park section | Rollercoaster Alley |
| Coordinates | 47°54′23″N 116°42′29″W / 47.906459°N 116.707939°W |
| Status | Under Construction |
| Opening date | 2021 |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel – Single-rail |
| Manufacturer | Rocky Mountain Construction |
| Designer | Alan Schilke |
| Model | Raptor – Prototype |
| Lift/launch system | Chain lift hill |
| Height | 113 ft (34 m) |
| Drop | 100 ft (30 m) |
| Length | 1,800 ft (550 m) |
| Speed | 52 mph (84 km/h) |
| Inversions | 3 |
| Max vertical angle | 90° |
| Trains | 2 trains with 10 cars. Riders are arranged 1 across in a single row for a total of 10 riders per train. |
| Stunt Pilot at RCDB | |
Stunt Pilot is an exciting steel roller coaster at Silverwood Theme Park in Athol, Idaho. It was built by Rocky Mountain Construction, a company known for making unique rides. Stunt Pilot is one of the first single-rail roller coasters in the world. It is also the very first of its kind in the Northwestern United States. This ride celebrates Silverwood's past with airplanes and their amazing airshows.
Contents
What is Stunt Pilot?
The Idea Behind the Ride
On September 3, 2020, Silverwood Theme Park started hinting about a big new ride. They posted clues on social media. People soon guessed it would be built in an empty area. This spot was between the Tremors roller coaster and the Roaring Creek Log Flume.
On September 17, the park officially announced Stunt Pilot. It would be a new single-rail steel roller coaster. The ride's design is inspired by Pitts Special biplanes. It honors Silverwood's history of flying and airshows.
Building the Coaster
Construction on Stunt Pilot began quickly. By February 2021, parts of the track started arriving. These pieces came from the nearby Rocky Mountain Construction factory. Soon after, the tall structure of the coaster began to rise. The ride was planned to open in 2021.
How Stunt Pilot Works
The Ride Experience
Your adventure on Stunt Pilot begins as the train leaves the station. It immediately starts climbing the 113 feet (34 m) tall chain lift hill. At the top, the train turns left in a big 180-degree curve.
Then, you plunge down a thrilling 90-degree drop. You will reach speeds of up to 52 miles per hour (84 km/h)! After this dive, you go through a dive loop. The train then rises over an airtime hill. This is followed by a banked upward turn. Next, you hit a sharp hairpin turn to the left and another drop. Riders then experience a cutback element. This is followed by a corkscrew. The ride finishes with a quick over-banked turn before reaching the brake run.
The Raptor Model
Stunt Pilot is a "Raptor" model coaster. It was built by Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC). RMC is a local company based in Hayden, Idaho. RMC has worked with Silverwood before. In 2010, they helped test a new track system on the Tremors coaster.
The Raptor model uses a special monorail-like track. The train rides on a single, thick rail. This design makes the ride very smooth and unique.
Coaster Layout Design
The layout of Stunt Pilot is a copy of another ride called RailBlazer. RailBlazer is located at California's Great America in Santa Clara, California. Stunt Pilot is also a mirror image of the Wonder Woman Golden Lasso Coaster. That ride is at Six Flags Fiesta Texas in San Antonio, Texas. These are the basic Raptor prototype layouts. Stunt Pilot has a few small changes, making it a slightly modified version.
Where to Find the Ride
Stunt Pilot is built in a small, open area. It sits between the Tremors roller coaster and the Roaring Creek Log Flume. This space used to host temporary scare mazes for Silverwood's yearly Scarywood event. Stunt Pilot is now part of Silverwood's Rollercoaster Alley. This area also features the Aftershock, Timber Terror, and Tremors roller coasters.
The Ride Trains
Stunt Pilot uses two trains. Each train can hold 10 passengers. This is different from Railblazer and Wonder Woman, which use three trains with 8 passengers each. Riders sit in a single line, one person per row. This creates a very streamlined and exciting experience. Stunt Pilot is the first coaster at Silverwood to use more than one train.
Silverwood's Flying History
Stunt Pilot honors Silverwood's past with airplanes. The park is built on land that used to be the Henley Aerodrome airfield. This airfield was active from 1973 until the late 1990s or early 2000s.
Silverwood Theme Park also had daily air shows. These shows ran from 1988 to 1996. However, the park stopped the air shows after some close calls. A serious crash happened during an air show at Fairchild Air Force Base in 1996. A respected pilot named Bob Heale died in that crash. He had performed in Silverwood's air shows for many years. This sad event was a major reason why Silverwood stopped its air shows.
- Stunt Pilot (roller coaster) at the Roller Coaster DataBase
