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Flight of Fear
Previously known as The Outer Limits: Flight of Fear (1996-2001)
Flight of Fear at Kings Island
Kings Island
Park section	Area 72
Coordinates	39°20′34.58″N 84°15′48.79″W / 39.3429389°N 84.2635528°W / 39.3429389; -84.2635528
Status	Operating
Soft opening date	June 17, 1996 (1996-06-17)
Opening date	June 18, 1996 (1996-06-18)
Cost	US$10 - 15 million
Kings Dominion
Park section	Safari Village
Coordinates	37°50′20.34″N 77°26′21.30″W / 37.8389833°N 77.4392500°W / 37.8389833; -77.4392500
Status	Operating
Soft opening date	June 17, 1996 (1996-06-17)
Opening date	June 18, 1996 (1996-06-18)
General statistics
Type	Steel – Launched – Enclosed
Manufacturer	Premier Rides
Designer	Werner Stengel
Model	LIM Catapult
Lift/launch system	LIM Launch
Height	74.2 ft (22.6 m)
Length	2,705 ft (824 m)
Speed	54 mph (87 km/h)
Inversions	4
Duration	1:00
Capacity	2000 riders per hour
Acceleration	0 to 54 mph (0 to 87 km/h) in 4 seconds
G-force	4.5
Height restriction	54 in (137 cm)
Trains	4 trains with 5 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 20 riders per train.
Restraint	Lap bar
Fast Lane available at Kings Dominion Fast Lane Plus only available at Kings Island
Must transfer from wheelchair
Flight of Fear at RCDB

Flight of Fear is an enclosed roller coaster located at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio and Kings Dominion in Doswell, Virginia. Both locations opened on as The Outer Limits: Flight of Fear on June 18, 1996, themed after the 1960s TV series of the same name. Built and designed by Premier Rides, they were the world's first launched roller coasters to feature linear induction motor (LIM) technology. The Paramount Parks branding was removed in 2001, dropping "The Outer Limits" from the name.

History

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. In August 1995, Kings Island had announced more details revealing that the new attraction was an indoor roller coaster to be called "The Outer Limits: Flight of Fear". 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. The experience would be "heightened by Hollywood-type special effects", according to Carolyn Boof who was the park's manager of marketing communications. 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.

Premier Rides and Paramount's Kings Dominion performed the first successful launch of the ride 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. Each launch required 3 megawatts of electric power, which caused frequent voltage sags to neighboring utility customers. Square D by Schneider Electric was hired to develop a complex solid-state capacitor bank to reduce the load on the electric utility.

The Outer Limits: Flight of Fear was set to open in April 1996, but the opening was delayed to June. Both ride locations held a media day on June 17, 1996, and opened to the public on June 18, 1996. When the rides opened, they had the fastest acceleration of any roller coaster in the world. The Outer Limits: Flight of Fear was also the second Premier Rides coaster to open, with the first one being Runaway Mountain at Six Flags Over Texas which opened six days prior on June 12. The attraction was awarded top honors for Major Theme/Amusement Park Ride/Attraction and Technology Applied to Amusements at the November 1995 International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions trade show.

Due to a licensing agreement expiration, the park dropped "Outer Limits" from the ride's name at both locations in 2001, changing to simply Flight of Fear.

The Kings Island location was originally placed in a small subsection of Coney Mall. During the 2007 season, the ride was equipped with on-board video cameras that recorded riders with the option to purchase the video at the ride exit. After the addition of Firehawk that year, the area was named X-Base, themed to space and the paranormal. X-Base existed through the 2019 season, a year after Firehawk was removed. Following Kings Island's August 2019 announcement of Orion, Firehawk's replacement, it was revealed that X-Base would be overhauled and renamed Area 72. For the 2020 season, Flight of Fear was updated to fit in with the new section. A Fort Mason security van and fences were added in front of the building. The ride exit was redone with a new photo booth containing references to other rides. In addition, the ride was given a new entrance with an expanded outdoor queue line.

Premier Rides built other LIM Catapult models from 1996 to 1999, including Joker's Jinx at Six Flags America, Poltergeist at Six Flags Fiesta Texas and Crazy Cobra at Discoveryland. The two Flight of Fear rides are the only indoor versions. All share a similar layout and have the same technical specifications.

Ride experience

Layout

Riders are launched from the station, accelerating from 0 to 54 miles per hour (0 to 87 km/h) in four seconds down a 220-foot (67 m) launch tunnel. The ride emerges into a "spaghetti bowl" of track inside of the 110-foot (34 m) tall ride building. Following the launch, the train immediately enters a 74.2-foot (22.6 m) cobra roll, which contains two of the ride's four inversions. The ride layout continues with a 70-foot (21 m) 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.

Theme

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.

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 turns directly up into the UFO, as a portion of the queue building's interior was later converted into a space for the Lockdown Halloween Haunt maze – although much of the UFO-related theming remains.

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. 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.

Trains

The trains on the ride originally featured over-the-shoulder restraints, but these were changed to individual lap bar restraints for the 2001 season along with the name change. Each train also originally featured six cars, but that was later reduced to five. Kings Dominion operates three trains, while Kings Island typically operates two trains despite owning four.

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.
• 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.

Gallery

Kings Island

Kings Dominion

References

1. ^ "Flight of Fear - Kings Dominion (Doswell, Virginia, USA)". rcdb.com. Retrieved January 9, 2018.
2. ^ "Flight of Fear - Kings Island (Mason, Ohio, USA)". rcdb.com. Retrieved January 9, 2018.
3. "Kings Island | Thrill Rides – Flight of Fear". Paramount Parks. Archived from the original on June 8, 2007. Retrieved February 5, 2012.
4. Brumfield, Dale (July 7, 2015). "Part 17: Reaching the Outer Limits". dalebrumfield. Retrieved January 9, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
5. ^ "Kings Island builds in-the-dark coaster". United Press International. August 18, 1995.
6. ^ Seifert, Jeffrey (2007). "100 Moments in Roller Coaster History: The First LIM launched coasters". RollerCoaster! Magazine. Vol. 28, no. 2. p. 26. ISSN 0896-7261.
7. "Square D solves a Roller Coaster's Voltage Sag Problem". Schnieder Electric. Archived from the original on September 23, 2006. Retrieved February 5, 2012.
8. "Coaster: Still out in the cold".
9. Premier Rides (January 19, 2018). "As seen in @ITPSnews! Do you know the answer? #PremierRides #FunFactFridaypic.twitter.com/7pvjpFo8gY". Twitter. Retrieved January 20, 2018.
10. "Runaway Mountain opens".
11. "Batman and Robin:The Chiller". Max Pages. October 26, 1999. Archived from the original on February 29, 2008. Retrieved February 5, 2012.
12. ^ Weisenberger, Nick (March 4, 2013). "A-Z Coaster of the Week: Outer Limits". Coaster101. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
13. Bonifield, Paul (August 7, 2007). "Flight of Fear". KIExtreme. Retrieved January 9, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
14. Keeter, John (May 15, 2017). "Something Old is New Again". Kings Island. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
15. Matarese, John (May 7, 2019). "New Kings Island coaster could be 'Orion' or 'Polaris'". Journal-News. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
16. Kleiman, Joe (August 22, 2019). "Take a ride to Orion on Kings Islands 2020 giga coaster". InPark Magazine. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
17. "Ohio theme park unveils Orion, a 'giga coaster' with a 300-foot drop". CNN. August 16, 2019. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
18. "Kings Island - Early August 2020 - The Coaster Kings".
19. "Joker's Jink". RCDB.com. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
20. "Poltergeist". RCDB.com. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
21. "Crazy Cobra". RCDB.com. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
22. "Flight of Fear". kicentral.com. Retrieved January 9, 2018.
23. "Lockdown | Halloween Haunt Attractions | Kings Dominion". www.kingsdominion.com. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
24. "Flight of Fear reopens at Kings Island". Cincinnati.com. Retrieved January 15, 2018.
25. Katko, Ben. "Kings Island coaster malfunction prompts evacuation". Retrieved January 15, 2018.
26. "Smoke reported near Kings Island ride". Cincinnati.com. Retrieved January 15, 2018.
27. "Fire crews sent to Kings Island's Flight of Fear... again". Retrieved January 15, 2018.
28. "Fire crews called to Kings Island". WDTN. June 14, 2014. Retrieved January 15, 2018.

External links

• Flight of Fear page at Kings Dominion
• Flight of Fear page at Kings Island
• Flight of Fear at Kings Dominion at the Roller Coaster DataBase
• Flight of Fear at Kings Island at the Roller Coaster DataBase
• COASTER-net Ride Gallery

• Operating roller coasters
• Roller coasters introduced in 1996
• Steel roller coasters
• Launched roller coasters
• Enclosed roller coasters
• Roller coasters manufactured by Premier Rides
• Kings Dominion
• Kings Island
• Roller coasters in Virginia
• Roller coasters in Ohio
• Roller coasters operated by Cedar Fair
• 1996 establishments in Ohio
• 1996 establishments in Virginia