Firehawk (roller coaster)
| Firehawk | |
|---|---|
Firehawk in 2007
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| Previously known as X-Flight (2001-2006) | |
| Kings Island | |
| Park section | Coney Mall - X-Base |
| Coordinates | 39°20′33.84″N 84°15′45.82″W / 39.3427333°N 84.2627278°WCoordinates: 39°20′33.84″N 84°15′45.82″W / 39.3427333°N 84.2627278°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Opening date | May 26, 2007 |
| Geauga Lake | |
| Park section | 50's Midway |
| Coordinates | 41°21′03″N 81°22′49″W / 41.3509°N 81.3802°W |
| Status | Relocated to Kings Island |
| Soft opening date | May 24, 2001 |
| Opening date | May 26, 2001 |
| Closing date | September 17, 2006 |
| Cost | US$15 million |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel – Flying |
| Manufacturer | Vekoma |
| Model | Flying Dutchman (1018m) |
| Lift/launch system | Chain lift hill |
| Height | 115 ft (35 m) |
| Length | 3,340 ft (1,020 m) |
| Speed | 50 mph (80 km/h) |
| Inversions | 5 |
| Duration | 2:10 |
| Max vertical angle | 33° |
| Capacity | 1430 riders per hour |
| G-force | 4.3 |
| Height restriction | 54–80 in (137–203 cm) |
| Trains | 2 trains with 6 cars. Riders are arranged 4 across in a single row for a total of 24 riders per train. |
 Fast Lane Plus only available |
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Firehawk at RCDB Pictures of Firehawk at RCDB |
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Firehawk is a steel flying roller coaster built by Vekoma at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio. It originally opened as X-Flight at Six Flags Worlds of Adventure on May 26, 2001. Cedar Fair purchased Worlds of Adventure in 2004 and began efforts to downsize the park. In November 2006, Cedar Fair announced plans to relocate X-Flight. Kings Island was later revealed as the destination, and it officially reopened as Firehawk on May 26, 2007.
Firehawk may not have been the first Flying Dutchman model from Vekoma, a title that belongs to Nighthawk at Carowinds, but it was billed as the Midwest's first and only flying roller coaster when it opened in 2001. The notability was short-lived, as the opening of Superman: Ultimate Flight at Six Flags Great America two years later meant it was no longer alone in the region. In addition, Firehawk's layout is identical to Batwing, another Vekoma Flying Dutchman, located at Six Flags America in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.
While the park was still named Six Flags Ohio, plans for a new roller coaster known as X-Flight were revealed on January 4, 2001. Six days later, Six Flags purchased SeaWorld Ohio – next to Geauga Lake – with the intent of merging the two to create Six Flags Worlds of Adventure. The new venture advertised X-Flight as the first Flying roller coaster in the Midwest, and it was the park's tenth roller coaster overall – the fifth added since 2000. The new coaster was built on a former bus parking lot, and Geauga Lake Road had to be rerouted around the ride. Regarding the design of the attraction, Jake Bateman, Vice President and General Manager of Six Flags Worlds of Adventure, said:
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