Tatsu

Infobox roller coaster
name= Tatsu


caption= Tatsu's Logo
location= Six Flags Magic Mountain
section= Samurai Summit
type= Steel
type2= Flying
status= Operating
opened= May 13, 2006
manufacturer= Bolliger & Mabillard
model= Flying coaster
track= Terrain
lift= Chain lift hill
height= 170
drop= 111
length= 3602
speed= 62
inversions=4
duration= 3:30
capacity= 1600
cost= $21 million
gforce=
rcdb_number= 3305

Tatsu is a steel flying roller coaster operating at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California. It opened May 13, 2006.

History

nihongo|"Tatsu"| is the Japanese word (Kanji) for "dragon," and the ride is being promoted with a Japanese mythology theme.

Overview

Built by Bolliger & Mabillard, Seating is designed to simulate flight (like at Six Flags Great Adventure, Over Georgia, and Great America, and the ride Air at Alton Towers in Staffordshire, UK). After the riders are harnessed, the seat is rotated 90°From the upright to a face-down position. The face-down position is kept for the duration of the ride. The 3,602-foot track passes over four areas of the park and features an elevation change of 263 feet. The ride has a maximum speed of 62 mph and broke records with a 124-foot pretzel loop. [Gieszl, Eric: [http://www.ultimaterollercoaster.com/coasters/records/more_records.shtml "More Record Breaking Attractions"] , "Ultimate Rollercoaster"]

Tatsu is a one-and-a-half-minute ride (a little more than one minute "in flight") and accommodates an average of 1800 riders per hour. Two trains can be loaded with passengers at the same time. As with Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure, a switch track exists on both sides of the station's exit. The station's floor has a unique design that eliminates the need for a movable floor, which was used on B&M's previous flying coasters. The floor under each car is recessed to allow the seats to flip into flying position with plenty of clearance for the riders' feet, while the floor between the cars are the same height as the rest of the station to allow riders to board easily. B&M's previous flying coasters would include a retractable floor that would drop down once the seats were in flying position.

*The show "Who Wants To Be A Superhero" makes use of Tatsu for season two's third episode.
*The MTV series "NEXT" featured footage of two contestants riding Tatsu.
*Discovery Channel program "Mega Builders" dedicated a documentary of the construction of Tatsu.

References

External links

* [http://www.sixflags.com/magicMountain/rides/Tatsu.aspx Official site]