TOP10STEELCOASTERS — #9 ______________________ Is it a bird, a plane, or is it the world’s tallest floorless coaster**? Don’t be silly, it’s neither of the first two things. Obviously. Iron Rattler might be Fiesta Texas’ flagship coaster, but SKC is a close second. This is one of the BEST steel looping coasters I’ve ever been on, and I got a chance to ride in both the front and back rows. It soars through 6 inversions over its 2 minute 35 second ride time, including a first drop that reaches the coaster’s top speed of 70mph. Being located so close to the park’s perimeter was all part of Boliger & Mabillard’s custom layout, utilizing the nearby quarry wall for full effect. Both the turnaround after the lift hill(immediately preceding the first drop) and the helix between the vertical loop and zero-g-roll extend over the quarry wall, a unique and very thrilling feature. ~Special elements~ *145-foot vertical loop; held record for world’s tallest inversion until 2013 *Righthand helix over the quarry wall *Zero-g-roll *Cobra roll *Interlocking corkscrews Normal operation is 3 trains of 32 riders per train(4 across in 8 rows), so 96 people per cycle. This allows operators to quickly crank through guests on busier days. My dad and I noted that operators were NOT being diligent in filling empty seats, particularly when only two people were seated in a given row. Typical protocol is to ask«2? Need 2?» and use hand signals to try and fill the remaining seats, but they didn’t care. This is something Cedar Point does wonderfully but Six Flags could do to improve. Overall, a spectacular ride that should be ridden in the front on the far right side for maximum effect. One of the better custom looping coasters in the country, in my opinion. ** — Technically, Griffon and ShieKra(at Busch Gardens Williamsburg and BG Tampa, respectively) are taller and have floorless coaster trains, but they’re considered B&M ‘dive machines’ and are categorized separately from this sit-down. And now you know :)
