CoasterGlobe: Articles: The History of the Suspended Coaster

The History of the Suspended Coaster

Most coaster enthusiasts have some idea of what the first suspended coaster was. Many think it started with XLR-8 and The Big Bad Wolf and some know about The Bat; however, few people know the true history of the suspended coaster.
Some rides that appeared in the late 1800s were quite similar to modern suspended coasters. Bisby's Spiral Airship at Long Beach California, for example, had cars that were held underneath a track and could swing freely. The cars travelled up a incline, and then descended a long helix around a tower before returning to the station.

The first modern suspended roller coaster actually appeared at Oktoberfest in 1975. Alpenflug (Alpine Flight), was built by the German aircraft company Messerschmitt. It ran trains of six cars, each car holding four people. The cars swung out as much as 80° during the course of the ride. Unfortunately, it failed to meet government standards, and was dismantled and destroyed after only 16 days in operation.

"Das wäre genauso, wenn wir Flugzeuge und Hubschrauber bauen würden"
[From German: "It would be the same if we tried to built planes and helicopters."]
-Anton Schwarzkopf talking anout Alpenflug

The next suspended coaster came from a company we all know, Arrow Dynamics. During the winter of 1980, King's Island Theme Park constructed the first Arrow Suspended Coaster, The Bat. It opened in April 1981, and it operated from 1981 through 1983. The track on the Bat was not banked, which caused heavy wear on the shock absorbers. In fact, there was so much wear that the park had to replace them almost weekly. Another design problem was that the brakes were located on the bottom of the cars, which caused heavy wear to the wheel assemblies. In 1984, technical problems forced it to be closed.

1984 saw the loss of what many claim was the best Suspended Coaster, but it also brought the first successful suspended coasters. XLR-8 at Six Flags Astroworld was built by Arrow, who had made improvements to their design. The brakes on XLR-8 were on the top of the bogeys, and the track banked with the cars. Both of these helped to greatly reduce the amount of wear on the wheel assemblies. XLR-8 still operates at Six Flags Astroworld.

Also in 1984, a Schwarzkopf suspended coaster was to be built at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. About 75% of this "Flugbahn" (Flight Coaster) coaster was actually fabricated, but mismanagement forced Schwarzkopf out of business. All the calculations were given to Arrow, and they installed The Big Bad Wolf, which also still operates today. Much of the support structure for the Big Bad Wolf was actually built by Schwarzkopf.

Ten Arrow suspended coasters were installed in total (including The Bat), between 1980 and 1993. Vekoma has also designed successful suspended coasters, such as the colourful Air Race at Bobbejaanland (Kasterlee, Belgium); however, Vekoma is not as well known for them as Arrow. The last major suspended coaster to be built was Top Gun, which opened on April 9th 1993. Ironically, it was built at King's Island, the same park which built The Bat more than ten years earlier.

A likely cause for the end of Suspended Coaster production is the introduction of the Inverted Coaster in 1992. The theory was that an inverted coaster could do anything that a suspended coaster could do and more. Both types of coasters definitely are fun to ride, but anybody who's ridden a suspended coaster knows that the two types really can't be compared.

A modern spin-off of the suspended coaster is the flyer, or junior suspended coaster, which seems to be getting very popular today. When the Batflyer was built at Lightwater Valley in 1997, it started a trend that seems to be growing more and more popular every year. Many interesting adaptations of this ride are showing up everywhere. Hopefully, they will bring back some interest in major suspended coasters.

Written by James Kay
© Coasterglobe.com
Photos: Amusement Point, The Coaster Station

The History of the Suspended Coaster
	Most coaster enthusiasts have some idea of what the first suspended coaster was. Many think it started with XLR-8 and The Big Bad Wolf and some know about The Bat; however, few people know the true history of the suspended coaster. Some rides that appeared in the late 1800s were quite similar to modern suspended coasters. Bisby's Spiral Airship at Long Beach California, for example, had cars that were held underneath a track and could swing freely. The cars travelled up a incline, and then descended a long helix around a tower before returning to the station.
	The first modern suspended roller coaster actually appeared at Oktoberfest in 1975. Alpenflug (Alpine Flight), was built by the German aircraft company Messerschmitt. It ran trains of six cars, each car holding four people. The cars swung out as much as 80° during the course of the ride. Unfortunately, it failed to meet government standards, and was dismantled and destroyed after only 16 days in operation. "Das wäre genauso, wenn wir Flugzeuge und Hubschrauber bauen würden" [From German: "It would be the same if we tried to built planes and helicopters."] -Anton Schwarzkopf talking anout Alpenflug
	The next suspended coaster came from a company we all know, Arrow Dynamics. During the winter of 1980, King's Island Theme Park constructed the first Arrow Suspended Coaster, The Bat. It opened in April 1981, and it operated from 1981 through 1983. The track on the Bat was not banked, which caused heavy wear on the shock absorbers. In fact, there was so much wear that the park had to replace them almost weekly. Another design problem was that the brakes were located on the bottom of the cars, which caused heavy wear to the wheel assemblies. In 1984, technical problems forced it to be closed.
	1984 saw the loss of what many claim was the best Suspended Coaster, but it also brought the first successful suspended coasters. XLR-8 at Six Flags Astroworld was built by Arrow, who had made improvements to their design. The brakes on XLR-8 were on the top of the bogeys, and the track banked with the cars. Both of these helped to greatly reduce the amount of wear on the wheel assemblies. XLR-8 still operates at Six Flags Astroworld.
	Also in 1984, a Schwarzkopf suspended coaster was to be built at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. About 75% of this "Flugbahn" (Flight Coaster) coaster was actually fabricated, but mismanagement forced Schwarzkopf out of business. All the calculations were given to Arrow, and they installed The Big Bad Wolf, which also still operates today. Much of the support structure for the Big Bad Wolf was actually built by Schwarzkopf.
	Ten Arrow suspended coasters were installed in total (including The Bat), between 1980 and 1993. Vekoma has also designed successful suspended coasters, such as the colourful Air Race at Bobbejaanland (Kasterlee, Belgium); however, Vekoma is not as well known for them as Arrow. The last major suspended coaster to be built was Top Gun, which opened on April 9th 1993. Ironically, it was built at King's Island, the same park which built The Bat more than ten years earlier.
	A likely cause for the end of Suspended Coaster production is the introduction of the Inverted Coaster in 1992. The theory was that an inverted coaster could do anything that a suspended coaster could do and more. Both types of coasters definitely are fun to ride, but anybody who's ridden a suspended coaster knows that the two types really can't be compared.
	A modern spin-off of the suspended coaster is the flyer, or junior suspended coaster, which seems to be getting very popular today. When the Batflyer was built at Lightwater Valley in 1997, it started a trend that seems to be growing more and more popular every year. Many interesting adaptations of this ride are showing up everywhere. Hopefully, they will bring back some interest in major suspended coasters.