Kings Dominion began teasing a new attraction in the summer of 1995 by cutting a "crop circle" in a nearby field which featured a UFO, the face of an alien and the letter "F" written in binary.[4] In mid-August 1995, Kings Island officially announced more details revealing that their new-for-1996 attraction would be an indoor roller coaster named "The Outer Limits: Flight of Fear".[5] Reaching a top speed of 54 mph (87 km/h) in only four seconds, it was originally described as utilizing a "laser-controlled catapult system" that would propel riders through a series of inversions in the dark.[6] The experience would be "heightened by Hollywood-type special effects", according to Carolyn Boof who was the park's manager of marketing communications.[6] Boof also confirmed it would cost significantly more than the $7 million that was cited in earlier reports, and that its alien theme would be based on the 1960s science-fiction TV series, The Outer Limits. Later, reports confirmed a site being renovated in Coney Mall on the back side of The Racer.[6] The new ride would sit on some of the land formerly occupied by the Wild Animal Habitat. The rest of the former spot was used for other new attractions, including Son of Beast, Xtreme Skyflyer and Thunder Alley.[7] On January 13, 1996, Flight of Fear was previewed at the 16th annual Non Coaster-thon Coaster Conference in Chicago.[8]
Premier Rides and park engineers performed the first successful launch at the Kings Dominion location on the evening of April 11, 1996, proving that linear induction motors could produce enough force through the use of magnetic fields to quickly accelerate roller coasters.[9] Each launch required 3 megawatts of electric power, which caused frequent voltage sags to neighboring utility customers.[10]Square D by Schneider Electric was hired to develop a complex solid-state capacitor bank which solved the sagging issue by reducing the load on the local electric utilities.[10]
Flight of Fear was originally scheduled to open in April 1996, but it was later delayed until June.[11] Both park installations opened to the public on June 18, 1996,[2][1] setting a world record among roller coasters for fastest acceleration.[12] A media preview event was held the previous day.[9] The attraction was awarded several top honors at the 1995 International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions trade show.[13]
Paramount Parks filed a lawsuit against Premier Rides in September 1996 regarding cost overruns during development and construction.[14] Premier spokeswoman Courtney Simmons said in November 1997 that the absence of LIM technology in the original plans was a factor, and that the suit was essentially about money.[14] It was later settled, and Premier expected to continue working with Paramount in future endeavors.[14] After a lease agreement that allowed Paramount to license the sci-fi TV series expiried, The Outer Limits was dropped from the name in 2001 at both locations.[15]
The Kings Island installation was constructed in a small subsection of Coney Mall. After the addition of Firehawk in 2007, the area was named X-Base, themed to space and the paranormal.[16][17] Flight of Fear was one of the two attractions that made their Winterfest debut in 2018, with the other one being Shake, Rattle & Roll, the park's Troika flat ride. The ride was dubbed as Flight of Cheer and featured Christmas decorations.[18] Following Kings Island's August 2019 announcement of Orion, a new roller coaster replacing Firehawk, it was revealed that X-Base would be overhauled and renamed Area 72.[19][20] For the 2020 season, Flight of Fear's entrance at Kings Island was updated with an extended outdoor line queue, which provides guests with view of Orion.[21] A security van, a meteor and a fence were placed in front of the building. The exit area was improved with a new photo booth.[22]
Characteristics
Flight of Fear uses linear induction motor technology instead of a traditional chain lift hill. This system utilizes fins on both sides of the ride vehicles. These fins pass through a gap in the magnets, creating a current and propelling forward. Alternating current (AC) is applied to the magnets to create a magnetic field.[15]
The launch track features 44 LIM motors to launch the train. Flight of Fear includes four inversions which are a cobra roll, a sidewinder and a corkscrew. It also features 30 vertical curves and 25 compound horizontal turns.[23] The ride weighs 1,000,000 pounds (450,000 kg) of steel, stretching over 2,705 feet (824 m) of track and sits on 1 acre (0.40 ha) of land.[24] The main structure of the building is a completely enclosed air-conditioned octagon. This dark arena features multi-colored lights and a ceiling crane used for maintenance.[24]
The building housing the queue is designed as an Area 51-inspired military installation hangar. The outside is marked with the number 18, and riders enter the line through a "press area" located under an awning to the side of the building. Various announcements regarding the operation of the base and broadcasts from WERD ("weird"), a fictitious radio station, are played over speakers in the outside queue area. The queue line slightly descends down a short, narrow tunnel as guests enter the building, making a left into the interior of the hangar. It contains one-half of a full-sized mockup UFO flying saucer, which appears to be complete as the back wall of the building is entirely lined with mirrors to complete the illusion. A video is played over multiple screens to describe the ride's backstory, explaining how the spacecraft crash-landed not far from the park. While some base personnel are running tests on the vessel, others are convinced that it's a hoax and decided to allow the press in to view it. Hazmat suits and computer equipment with active monitors can be seen in various locations inside the hangar.
Theming inside the saucer
Strobe and dimming lighting effects are utilized throughout the indoor portion of the queue, which are synchronized with the pre-recorded video during moments of power surges and power failures. At Kings Island, the line winds around the inside of the hangar before entering the underside of the UFO up a short flight of stairs. At Kings Dominion, the line goes straight directly into the UFO, as the rest of the queue building's interior was later converted into a haunted house formerly used for the park's Halloween Haunt event, although much of the UFO-related theming remains.[28]
The inside of the saucer features a display with alien markings and originally played various sound effects. Guests can hear each launch, which resonates throughout this portion of the queue. The walkway turns to the right, continues into another room, and turns left into the boarding area. The loading and unloading stations are in separate rooms, so riders in the loading area witness an empty train returning. The loading station features human-sized cryotube props containing mannequins wrapped in plastic, adding to the alien theme. While the train is loading and waiting to be dispatched, a sound effect imitating the warm-up of a jet engine can be heard, and another take-off sound is played as the train launches.
The ride was originally themed to The Outer Limits TV series. However, Paramount's licensing for the show expired in 2001, causing all references to The Outer Limits to be removed.[15] The attraction features an original soundtrack composed by Rob Pottorf, and its theming was co-designed by Bob Dennis and David Ferguson of Paramount Parks Design & Entertainment.[29]
Layout
Riders are launched from the station, accelerating from 0 to 54 mph (0 to 87 km/h) in four seconds down a 220-foot (67 m) launch tunnel. The Kings Island location has an on-ride camera that takes photos of the riders during the launch.[22] The ride emerges into a "spaghetti bowl" of track inside of the 110-foot (34 m) tall ride building.[30] Following the launch, the train immediately enters a cobra roll, which contains two of the ride's four inversions. The ride layout continues with a sidewinder and multiple turns. After passing through the mid-course brake run, riders spiral downward to the left, continuing to maneuver through the twisted ride structure. The train picks up speed as riders dive at the floor of the building, finally passing through a corkscrew before arriving at the final brake run.
Trains
The station of Flight of Fear at Kings Island
The trains on the ride originally featured over-the-shoulder restraints, but these were changed to individual lap bar restraints in 2001 at both locations, along with the name change.[2] Each train also originally featured six cars, but that was later reduced to five.[2] Kings Dominion operates three trains, while Kings Island typically operates two trains despite owning four.[1][2]
Incidents
Kings Island
At approximately 2:45 p.m. on June 2, 2014, emergency crews received a report of a fire at the ride. Smoke from an overheated electrical motor had filled the ride building. Two of the eighteen people exposed to the smoke were treated at the scene. Emergency crews cleared the building around 3:45 p.m.[31][32]
Smoke coming from a panel outside of the ride building was reported at 10:35 a.m. on June 14, 2014. The panel was the only part of the building to suffer damage; the ride was unaffected, with no flames or injuries reported. The ride later reopened around 12:15 p.m.[33][34][35]
^Knippenberg, Jim (August 18, 1995). "Paramount parks push Outer Limits". Cincinnati Enquirer. Archived from the original on October 9, 2020. Retrieved October 8, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
^"Coaster: Still out in the cold". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. June 29, 1997. Archived from the original on December 22, 2021. Retrieved October 8, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
^ abKnippenberg, Jim (June 21, 1996). "Coaster creators reach Outer Limits". Cincinnati Enquirer. Archived from the original on September 3, 2021. Retrieved September 3, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^"Joker's Jink". RCDB.com. Archived from the original on October 23, 2013. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
^"Poltergeist". RCDB.com. Archived from the original on August 13, 2014. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
^"Crazy Cobra". RCDB.com. Archived from the original on August 14, 2014. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
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