Tallest rollercoaster made from steel

Tallest rollercoaster made from steel
Who
Six Flags Great Adventure, Kingda Ka
What
139 metre(s)
Where
United States (Jackson,)
When
2005

Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure near Jackson, New Jersey, USA, reaches a maximum height of 139 m (456 ft) above ground level, making it the world's tallest rollercoaster made from steel. It opened on 21 May 2005 and was, at the time of its opening, the world's fastest rollercoaster with riders reaching speeds of 206 km/h (128 mph) just seconds after launch. This record has since been surpassed, and is currently held by Formula Rossa at Ferrari World in the UAE.

Design and Engineering

Kingda Ka is a hydraulically launched coaster, which means each ride is initiated by a high amount of acceleration.

It’s a strata coaster, and the second of its kind ever built. The name refers to a type of coaster with a height or drop of at least 120 m  (400 ft).

The first strata ever opened was Top Thrill 2 at Cedar Point in Ohio, USA, although that one – standing at 130 m (420 ft) – isn’t as tall as Kingda Ka.

History and Development 

Kingda Ka was first announced as an addition to Six Flags on 29 September 2004, and it opened eight months later the following May.

It was manufactured by Liechtenstein-based company Intamin Amusement Rides from a design by prolific rollercoaster designer and engineer Werner Stengel.

He’s the founder of Stengel Engineering and has been working on amusement park rides since 1963.

His collaboration with engineer Anton Schwarzkopf is responsible for a number of innovations in rollercoaster design, including the first modern vertical looping coaster.

Stengel set out with the goal to build the world’s tallest and fastest rollercoaster and Six Flags CEO Kieran Burke is reported to have said at the time that this coaster was the “first step in a process of really transforming” the park.

The coaster was originally due to be opened on 23 April 2005, but it was delayed until 21 May as the park needed more time to test it.

Kingda Ka's tower

Its new technology also meant that Six Flags Great Adventure had to bring in a dedicated maintenance team to look after it.

Issues with the maintenance meant the ride had to be closed for almost two months during its first season and again for a further three weeks at the start of the 2006 season.

In 2014, Kingda Ka was temporarily closed again so that new attraction Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom could be integrated with its drop tower.

It was fully reopened when Zumanjaro was completed in July 2014.

Kingda Ka has been temporarily closed a few other times over the years for various incidents, including being struck by lightning in 2009 and being damaged by Hurricane Irene in 2011.

Notable Features 

Kingda Ka is set apart from other rollercoasters due to its layout including an airtime hill on the return portion of the track.

An airtime hill – also known as a camelback or a camelback hill – is a hump-shaped hill that adds an extra thrill by lifting riders out of their seats.

The lift creates a feeling of weightlessness.

Watch this video to see what it’s like to ride Kingda Ka:

The coaster’s hydraulic launch mechanism launches riders up to a speed of 206 km/h (128 mph) in just 3.5 seconds.

The motor produces 20,800 horsepower. For context, a Lamborghini reaches a peak of 1,000 horsepower.

It has a top hat tower (a 90-degree ascent) that reaches a dizzying height of 139 m (456 ft).

The coaster then descends 127 m (418 ft) down through a 270-degree clockwise spiral.

Riders then climb a second hill of 39 m (129 ft), where the moment of weightlessness is experienced, before coming to a stop.

The ride lasts 50 seconds and covers a distance of 950 m (3,118 ft).

The coaster – in The Golden Kingdom section of the park - has a jungle theme and portrays a mythical Bengal Tiger.

Safety Measures 

Before Kingda Ka pulls away, a recording tells riders: “Arms down, head back, hold on”.

A warning sign about rollbacks is also displayed.

It reads: “Attention Riders: On occasion, Kingda Ka’s train will not travel over the hill.

“This is a normal occurrence. The train is designed to safely roll back and reset to be launched again”.

Top 5 Tallest Steel Rollercoasters in the World 

Kingda Ka’s days as the tallest steel rollercoaster could be numbered, as there are plans to build one called Falcon’s Flight at Six Flags Qiddiya in Saudi Arabia, that would stand at 195 m (640 ft) tall.

But for now, the five tallest steel rollercoasters in the world are:

1. Kingda Ka, Six Flags Great Adventure, USA – 139 m (456 ft)

2. Top Thrill 2, Cedar Point, USA – 130 m (420 ft)

3. Superman: Escape from Krypton, Six Flags Magic Mountain, USA – 126 m (415 ft)

4. Red Force, Ferrari Land, Spain – 112 m (367.3 ft)

5. Fury 325, Carowinds, USA – 99 m (325 ft)

    Frequently Asked Questions 

    What is the tallest rollercoaster in the world right now? 

    Kingda Ka is not just the tallest rollercoaster made from steel but also the outright tallest rollercoaster in the world.

    What are the 3 tallest rollercoasters? 

    1. Kingda Ka, Six Flags Great Adventure, USA – 139 m (456 ft)
    2. Top Thrill 2, Cedar Point, USA – 130 m (420 ft)
    3. Superman: Escape from Krypton, Six Flags Magic Mountain, USA – 126 m (415 ft)

    Is Top Thrill 2 taller than Kingda Ka? 

    Top Thrill 2 is 130 m (420 ft) tall meaning it is 9m (36 ft) shorter than Kingda Ka.

    What are the top 3 fastest roller coasters? 

    1. Formula Rossa, Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, UAE – 240 km/h (149.1 mph)
    2. Kingda Ka, Six Flags Great Adventure, USA – 206 km/h (128 mph)
    3. Top Thrill 2, Cedar Point, USA – 190 km/h (120 mph)

    What is the most extreme rollercoaster in the world? 

    Kingda Ka is widely regarded as the most extreme rollercoaster in the world thanks to the combination of its massive height and brain-rattling speed.

    What are the top 5 rollercoasters in the world? 

    Captain Coaster, a site that invites rollercoaster fans to rank the ones they’ve ridden ranks the top 5 coasters as:

    1. Steel Vengeance, Cedar Point, USA
    2. Iron Gwazi, Busch Gardens Tampa, USA
    3. Zadra, Endergylandia, Poland
    4. VelociCoaster, Universal Islands of Adventure, USA
    5. Eejanaika, Fuji-Q Highland, Japan

    What is the number one scariest rollercoaster? 

    Travel site MapQuest lists Kingda Ka as the scariest rollercoaster in the world, saying: “The most important contributors to a rollercoaster’s ability to instil fear in its patrons are its speed and height. The minds behind the Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey clearly understood this, as they combined speed and height to create the scariest roller coaster in the world.”

    What is the steepest rollercoaster? 

    According to travel site TripSavvy, TMNT Shellraiser at Nickelodeon Universe at American Dream in New Jersey, USA, is the steepest rollercoaster at 121.5 degrees.

    Images: Dusso Janladde/Wikimedia Commons