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Steel roller coaster
For the roller coaster at Six Flags New England previously named Superman – Ride of Steel, see Superman The Ride.
Superman – Ride of Steel is a steel roller coaster based on the DC Comics character Superman at two Six Flags theme parks in the United States. Both hypercoasters were manufactured by Intamin and feature identical layouts, opening one year apart; Six Flags Darien Lake in 1999 and Six Flags America in 2000. The roller coaster at Six Flags Darien Lake, was renamed in 2007, to Ride of Steel, dropping the character theme, when the company sold the park. (Six Flags Darien Lake was brought back to Six Flags, and has yet added any theme to the coaster.)
Both roller coasters are 208 feet (63 m) tall, feature a drop length of 205 feet (62 m), and reach a maximum speed of 73 mph (117 km/h).
On March 3, 2016, Six Flags announced that the ride would be one of several rides at various Six Flags parks to feature a VR system. Riders have the option of wearing a Samsung Gear VR headset, powered by Oculus to create a 360-degree, 3D experience while riding. It is themed to Superman saving a city from Lex Luthor's Lex Bots who are causing chaos with an anti-gravity ray. This theming was also added to Superman: Krypton Coaster at Six Flags Fiesta Texas and Superman The Ride at Six Flags New England.
Ride layout
Once the train has been dispatched from the station it makes a winding, 180-degree turn. The train ascends 208 feet (63 m) up the lift hill and then drops 205 feet (62 m) at an angle of 68 degrees. The train reaches the maximum speed of 73 mph (117 km/h) before entering a sharp turn and the first airtime hill. A 540-degree helix follows, in addition to another smaller airtime hill. The finale involves a 500-degree helix and several more airtime hills before reaching the brake run and returning to the station.
Elements
5 airtime hills (4 airtime hills and a twisted airtime hill)
On May 16, 1999, a passenger was thrown from the train at the Darien Lake installment on one of the final hills and suffered minor injuries.
On July 8, 2011, a disabled Iraq War veteran who lost both legs during his deployment in Iraq died after being ejected from the front seat of the Darien Lake coaster. The state's Department of Labor cited "operator error" as the cause of the accident and issued two violations, in which the park responded by retraining staff and updating ride safety signage before reopening the ride. A final report from the local sheriff's office detailed the negligence by employees, who should have been aware that the restraints required passengers to have both legs. Witnesses reported seeing the disabled vet reaching for his hat that flew off before he was ejected, and evidence suggested that the rider died instantly from blunt force trauma to the head when he came in contact with the front of a train car.
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Superman - Ride of Steel at Six Flags America
Flash Pass Available at Six Flags America
The Ride of Steel station, Six Flags Darien Lake
Superman's lift and first drop, Six Flags America
Superman's first airtime hill, Six Flags America
(Superman) Ride of Steel, Six Flags Darien Lake
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