The Flying Cobras facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Flying Cobras |
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| Previously known as The Mind Eraser (1996-2003) Head Spin (2004-2007) Carolina Cobra (2009-2016) |
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Top: Former logo at Carowinds. Bottom: The Flying Cobras when it was Head Spin at Geauga Lake
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| Carowinds | |
| Park section | County Fair |
| Coordinates | 35°06′09″N 80°56′34″W / 35.102582°N 80.942915°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Opening date | March 28, 2009 |
| Replaced | Flying Super Saturator |
| Geauga Lake | |
| Coordinates | 41°20′59″N 81°22′44″W / 41.349632°N 81.378940°W |
| Status | Relocated to Carowinds |
| Opening date | May 10, 1996 |
| Closing date | September 16, 2007 |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel – Shuttle – boomerang |
| Manufacturer | Vekoma |
| Model | Boomerang |
| Lift/launch system | Cable and Chain Lift |
| Height | 116.5 ft (35.5 m) |
| Length | 935 ft (285 m) |
| Speed | 47 mph (76 km/h) |
| Inversions | 3 (each traversed twice) |
| Duration | 1:48 |
| Max vertical angle | 65° |
| Capacity | 760 riders per hour |
| G-force | 5.2 |
| Height restriction | 48 in (122 cm) |
| Trains | Single train with 7 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 28 riders per train. |
 Fast Lane available |
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| The Flying Cobras at RCDB | |
The Flying Cobras is an exciting steel roller coaster at Carowinds theme park in Charlotte, North Carolina. It's known for its unique design where you go forwards and then backwards! This ride has had a few names over the years, like The Mind Eraser, Head Spin, and Carolina Cobra. A company called Vekoma built it.
The Flying Cobras was the first new roller coaster added to Carowinds after Cedar Fair bought the park in 2006. Before coming to Carowinds, it was at a park called Geauga Lake from 1996 to 2007. It moved to Carowinds in 2008. After the 2016 season, the coaster got a cool new look and its current name, The Flying Cobras, in 2017.
Contents
History of the Coaster
Starting at Geauga Lake
In late 1995, Geauga Lake amusement park in Ohio got permission to build a very tall roller coaster. The local community helped make this possible. The park was also sold to a new owner, Premier Parks, around this time.
Premier Parks spent a lot of money on new rides for 1996. Two big rides opened that year. One was a Vekoma Boomerang coaster called The Mind Eraser. The other was a water ride called Grizzly Run.
The Mind Eraser originally had bright turquoise tracks and white supports. In 2004, Geauga Lake was sold again, this time to Cedar Fair. The coaster was then renamed Head Spin.
Moving to Carowinds
Geauga Lake theme park closed for good on September 16, 2007. Head Spin was still standing at the park in 2008, but it wasn't operating.
On September 10, 2008, it was announced that Head Spin would move to Carowinds. It would get a new name: Carolina Cobra. The ride officially opened at Carowinds on March 28, 2009.
The Carolina Cobra took the place of another roller coaster called the Flying Super Saturator. That ride was taken apart and sold after the 2008 season. Carolina Cobra was the first new roller coaster at Carowinds since Nighthawk opened in 2004.
Becoming The Flying Cobras
On August 18, 2016, Carowinds announced some big changes for the 2017 season. They were expanding the County Fair area of the park. As part of this, the Carolina Cobra got a makeover!
It was renamed The Flying Cobras. This new name was chosen to honor the old air shows that used to happen at the Carolina County Fair. The coaster also got a fresh new paint job, with blue tracks and white supports.
Ride Experience
The Flying Cobras is a type of roller coaster called a "Boomerang." There are over 50 Boomerang coasters around the world built by Vekoma. But The Flying Cobras was special because it was the first to use Vekoma's brand new MK-1212 trains.
Here's how the ride works:
- First, the train is pulled backwards up a tall lift hill, about 125 feet high.
- Then, riders are dropped down about 120 feet!
- You zoom back through the station and into a "Cobra Roll." This is a cool twisty loop that looks like a cobra's head.
- Next, you go through a full 360-degree vertical loop.
- After that, you're sent up a second tall hill, also about 125 feet high.
- The train pauses at the top of this hill.
- Finally, you're sent back down to do the whole circuit again, but this time, you go backwards!
