Goliath (Six Flags Over Georgia)

Infobox roller coaster
name=Goliath

---

caption=Goliath's convert|170|ft|m|sing=on first drop
location=Six Flags Over Georgia
section= USA Section
type=Steel
status=Open
opened=April 1, 2006
manufacturer=Bolliger & Mabillard
designer=Bolliger & Mabillard
model=Mega Coaster
track=Out and Back
lift=Chain lift hill
height=200
drop=175
length=4480
speed=70
inversions=0
duration=2:45
angle=59
capacity=1200
cost=$20,000,000
acceleration=
gforce=4.1
restriction=54
rcdb_number=3290

"Goliath" is a roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia. Designed by Bolliger & Mabillard and opened in April 2006, "Goliath" reaches a height of convert|200|ft|m, and a top speed of convert|70|mi/h|km/h|abbr=on. Its convert|4480|ft|m of track is spread out over an convert|8.5|acre|m2|sing=on site. "Goliath" is classified as a hypercoaster, and is the second such attraction located in the Southern United States, the first being Apollo's Chariot at Busch Gardens Europe in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Attraction history

In August 2005, Six Flags Over Georgia announced it was closing down its long-standing Great Gasp attraction, as well as its lesser-known Looping Starship, to make way for a future attraction. "Goliath" was first hinted at in a teaser flier sent to media outlets, with the official announcement made in early September 2005.

Construction began in earnest after the removal of the two closed attractions, with the main structure completed in early 2006. After testing and media previews, "Goliath" debuted to the public on April 1, 2006.

Theme

"Goliath" is located in the park's USA section. In the early 1990s, the section was renovated and given a theme reminiscent of 1950s America, as evidenced by its Dee Jay's Diner restaurant and Drive-In theater. On the surface, an ultra-modern roller coaster would seem thematically out of place. However, the attraction's queue uses many novelty music tracks from the 1950s, all with science-fiction or outer-space themes (including both versions of the theme song to the "Lost in Space" television series). This would suggest that "Goliath" is a vision of the future as seen during the early days of the Space Age.

Track layout

"Goliath" begins as the roller coaster leaves the station and turns left to start up the convert|200|ft|m|sing=on lift hill. Upon reaching the top, it drops convert|170|ft|m to the midway below. The roller coaster angles to the left slightly as it climbs the second hill, crossing over three other attractions in a single bound. The second drop, the tallest on the ride at convert|175|ft|m, travels down towards the park's entrance road and out of the park grounds. At the bottom of the hill, the roller coaster makes another left turn above a pond and climbs again. The third hill leads to a convert|129|ft|m|sing=on drop, also over water.

"Goliath" starts its return trip by climbing to the top of a 540-degree spiral, making a full circle and half of another as it descends. After another hill, the roller coaster then enters a sharply-banked right turn, returning to the station via a series of smaller hills. "Goliath's" on-ride camera takes the riders' photographs before the train makes a final left-hand turn with a short hop into the magnetic brakes, ending the ride.

Awards

Incident

On July 27, 2006, a rider suffered a heart attack on the ride and later died. See Incidents at Six Flags parks for more information.

Layout

References

External links

* [http://www.sixflags.com/overGeorgia/Rides/goliath.aspx Official Page From Six Flags Over Georgia]