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"Superman: Krypton Coaster"
Posted by Neil Cole
Superman: Krypton Coaster is a Bolliger & Mabillard Floorless Coaster at the Six Flags Fiesta Texas amusement park in San Antonio, Texas, USA. Opened in 2000, Superman: Krypton Coaster was one of the first floorless roller coasters in the world. The well-received ride held the title for the world's tallest vertical loop (145 feet) from its opening until 2013.
In 1999, Six Flags Great Adventure spent $42 million on new attractions including a prototype Floorless Coaster by Bolliger & Mabillard, Medusa (later Bizarro). The immediate popularity of the ride, led to Six Flags Fiesta Texas and three other amusement parks to announce plans to install Floorless Coasters in 2000; aside from the announcement of Superman: Krypton Coaster on November 1, 1999, Six Flags Discovery Kingdom announced Medusa, Geauga Lake announced Dominator, and SeaWorld Orlando announced Kraken. The $20 million Superman: Krypton Coaster was announced as part of a wider multi-million-dollar expansion of Six Flags Fiesta Texas.
At the time of the ride's announcement, construction had already begun on unused land bordered by quarry walls and an irrigation pond. The initial plans for the ride specified it would have seven inversions including a 114-foot-tall (35 m) vertical loop and a 96-foot-tall (29 m) dive loop. Following the ride's announcement, the design was altered to remove the dive loop and increase the size of the vertical loop to 145 feet (44 m). This saw Superman: Krypton Coaster obtain the record for the world's tallest vertical loop when it officially opened to the public on March 11, 2000.
On March 6, 2010, Six Flags Fiesta Texas offered exclusive ride time on Superman: Krypton Coaster to help celebrate the ride's 10th anniversary. On June 22, 2013, Superman: Krypton Coaster lost the title of having the world's tallest vertical loop since Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California opened Full Throttle which features a 160-foot-tall (49 m) vertical loop, 15 feet (4.6 m) taller than the loop on Superman: Krypton Coaster.
