The Joker's Jinx
| The Joker's Jinx | |
|---|---|
 A train exits the Cobra Roll | |
| Six Flags America | |
| Location | Six Flags America |
| Park section | Gotham City |
| Coordinates | 38°54′36″N 76°46′34″W / 38.910°N 76.776°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Opening date | May 8, 1999 |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel – Launched |
| Manufacturer | Premier Rides |
| Designer | Werner Stengel |
| Model | LIM Coaster |
| Lift/launch system | LIM launch |
| Height | 78.8 ft (24.0 m) |
| Length | 2,705 ft (824 m) |
| Speed | 60 mph (97 km/h) |
| Inversions | 4 |
| Duration | 1:15 |
| Capacity | 975 riders per hour |
| Acceleration | 0 - 60 in 3 seconds |
| G-force | 4.5 |
| Height restriction | 54 in (137 cm) |
| Trains | 2 trains with 6 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 24 riders per train. |
 Flash Pass Available | |
| The Joker's Jinx at RCDB | |
The Joker's Jinx is a steel roller coaster at Six Flags America in Prince George's County, Maryland. The ride utilises linear induction motor technology to launch the train from 0 to 60 mph (97 km/h) in just over three seconds.
The Joker's Jinx was designed by Premier Rides and fabricated by Intermountain Lift, Inc.[1]
Ride Layout
Joker's Jinx is located in the Gotham City section of the park near Superman: Ride of Steel roller coaster and Whistlestop Park. After boarding Joker's Jinx, riders are launched through a narrow launch tunnel into a "spaghetti bowl" of track which contains a cobra roll, a sidewinder, and many twists and turns. The coaster doesn't have a mid-course brake run like the similar rides at Kings Island and Kings Dominion; instead the coaster has multiple rings that the train goes through. After the rings, riders spiral downward and to the left, and after more twists and turns they pass through a corkscrew before arriving at the ride's final brake run.
Premier Rides built several of these LIM Catapult roller coasters from 1996 to 1999, although only the two Flight of Fear rides are indoors. The other outdoor LIM Catapult coaster in the United States is Poltergeist at Six Flags Fiesta Texas; that opened in 1999. In addition, a LIM Catapult coaster called Mad Cobra operated at Suzuka Circuit in Japan from 1998–2003; Mad Cobra was moved to China and reopened at Kingdoms of Discovery in 2006.[2][3] The five Premier LIM catapult coasters share a similar layout and have the same technical specifications.
Premier Rides gave the trains an overhaul in 2002 and replaced the restraints with lap bars.[4]
Ride Elements
Awards
| Mitch Hawker's Best Roller Coaster Poll: Best Steel-Tracked Roller Coaster | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ranking | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Incidents
On April 13, 2017, a train stalled 100 feet (30 m) off the ground at a 30-degree angle stranding 24 riders. They were evacuated safely, and there were no reported injuries.[5][6] The roller coaster was stuck in the same position it was in when a similar incident occurred in 2014, where it took more than four hours to evacuate the stranded riders.[7]
See also
- Poltergeist, a similar ride at Six Flags Fiesta Texas
- Flight of Fear, similar, but enclosed, rides at Kings Island and Kings Dominion
- Incidents at Six Flags parks
References
- ^ "Amusement". Intermountain Lift, Inc. July 30, 2011. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Mad Cobra (Suzuka Circuit)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 9 July 2011.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Mad Cobra (Discoveryland)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 9 July 2011.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Joker's Jinx (Six Flags America)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 9 July 2011.
- ^ "Officials rescue over a dozen people stuck on Six Flags roller coaster in Maryland". Fox News. April 13, 2017. Retrieved April 16, 2017.
- ^ Menza, Kaitlin (April 16, 2017). "These People Trapped on a Roller Coaster Are Living Your Nightmare". Seventeen. Retrieved April 16, 2017.
- ^ Boyette, Chris (April 13, 2017). "For two dozen, getting stuck on Six Flags ride no joking matter". CNN. Retrieved April 16, 2017.