Suspended roller coaster facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Suspended roller coaster
Trains swinging on an Arrow Development manufactured suspended roller coaster Iron Dragon at Cedar Point
Status	In Production
First manufactured	1902
No. of installations	About 37
Manufacturers	Arrow Development, Aerial Tramway Construction Co., Big Country Motioneering, Caripro, R&C Entertainment, Setpoint, and Vekoma

A suspended roller coaster is a type of steel roller coaster where the cars hang from the track above. Unlike regular roller coasters where you sit on top of the track, here you swing freely below it! This design allows the cars and riders to sway from side to side as the train speeds along. Because of this swinging motion, these roller coasters don't go upside down.

The Exciting History of Suspended Coasters

Early Swinging Rides

One of the very first suspended roller coasters was called Bisby's Spiral Airship. It was built in Long Beach, California in the early 1900s. Riders sat in square cabins that hung from a track above. A lift hill took them to the top of a tall tower. Then, the cabins rolled down a spiraling track, bringing them back to where they started. This ride was popular until at least the mid-1910s.

In 1975, a German company named Messerschmitt introduced a ride called Alpenflug at the famous Oktoberfest fair in Munich, Germany. This coaster had multiple cars and a long, twisting track. It was a big hit! However, engineers later found that the track and wheels were under a lot of stress. This was because the curves weren't banked (tilted), and the brakes were in a tricky spot. So, the design wasn't used again.

The First Modern Suspended Coasters

The first modern suspended roller coaster to be built permanently was The Bat at Kings Island. It opened on April 21, 1981, but it quickly ran into problems. The track's curves put too much stress on the ride's parts. Also, the brakes, located on the swinging cars, caused issues. This ride, which cost a lot of money, closed in 1983 and was later taken down. Interestingly, Kings Island brought back a suspended coaster in 1993. This newer ride, after being called Flight Deck, was renamed The Bat in 2014, honoring the original.

The Vampire at Chessington World of Adventures

After learning from these early designs, the company Arrow-Huss improved their suspended roller coasters. They launched successful rides like The Big Bad Wolf at Busch Gardens Williamsburg and XLR-8 at Six Flags Astroworld in 1984. Later, as Arrow Dynamics, they built ten more suspended coasters. These included Iron Dragon at Cedar Point, Ninja at Six Flags Magic Mountain, Vampire at Chessington World of Adventures, and Vortex at Canada's Wonderland.

Other Creative Manufacturers

Other companies also created their own versions of suspended roller coasters. The Dutch company Vekoma made a model called "Swinging Turns". They even offer cars where your feet dangle freely, similar to their inverted coasters, but these cars still swing! In 2001, the Vampire coaster at Chessington World of Adventures was updated with Vekoma's floorless trains. Another Dutch company, Caripro, built twelve suspended roller coasters. The American company Setpoint also built four.

Where to Find Suspended Roller Coasters

Many theme parks around the world have suspended roller coasters. These rides offer a unique swinging experience that makes them different from other types of coasters. Here is a list of some of these exciting installations:

A former Arrow Huss suspended roller coaster, Big Bad Wolf at Busch Gardens Williamsburg

A Setpoint suspended roller coaster, Roller Soaker at Hershey Park

Trains swinging on an Arrow Dynamics manufactured suspended roller coaster The Bat at Kings Island

* Operates with Vekoma trains
** Never operated

Explore More

• Suspension railway, a similar design used in public transport applications