Pandemonium (Six Flags Fiesta Texas)
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2010) |
| Big Spin | |
|---|---|
| File:Bigspin.jpg | |
| Status | Operational |
| Manufacturer | [[Gerstlauer]] |
| Duration | 1 & 2: 1:51 3: 1:00 |
Big Spin (formerly Tony Hawk's Big Spin) is a Gerstlauer spinning roller coaster at Six Flags Theme Parks. The rides are located at Six Flags Fiesta Texas (opened March 10, 2007), Six Flags Over Texas (opened May 17, 2008), and Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (opened May 23, 2008).
History
The ride was originally billed as the "total Tony Hawk experience" and was designed to have the look and feel of a giant red-and-black skatepark. It offered a full "extreme sports" experience, with monitors in the queue lines displaying highlights of the history of action sports and a large spinning Tony Hawk figure crowning the ride, as well as Tony Hawk's Big Spin merchandise available at the ride exit. The ride was named after the skateboarding trick of the same name, which is a body varial with the skateboard rotating fully once, or 360 degrees. Prior to the opening of the ride, Tony Hawk’s Boom Boom HuckJam toured through several Six Flags parks in 2006 and 2007.
In late 2010, Six Flags began the process of cancelling licensed intellectual property deals they had with various brands including Tony Hawk. Tony Hawk's Big Spin was renamed and rethemed to the Big Spin at all locations.[1], except for the Six Flags St. Louis Tony Hawks Big Spin. That will be renamed and rethemed to Pandemonium for the 2011 season.
Ride
The coaster at Fiesta Texas as well as the ride at Six Flags Over Texas are exact clones with heights of 53 ft (16 m) and speeds of 31 mph (50 km/h). Discovery Kingdom's ride is a smaller, more compact model that is approximately 40 feet (12 m) shorter in length, stands 49 ft (15 m) tall, and travels at 34.2 mph (55.0 km/h); it replaced Zonga, which stood at the location until 2006.
Auxiliary equipment
Because of the unusual car design, traditional track-mounted cameras cannot be used with Big Spin. The latest installation, at Discovery Kingdom, instead uses a wireless video system permanently affixed to each car. Six Flags contracted with CDR!de, a coaster memorabilia company, to install and maintain the system. However, due to company internal problems, the video ride contract was canceled and will no longer be available.
| Location | Open | Operating |
|---|---|---|
| Six Flags Fiesta Texas | 2007 | Yes |
| Six Flags Over Texas | 2008 | Yes |
| Six Flags Discovery Kingdom | 2008 | Yes |
References
- ^ MacDonald, Brady (25 November 2010). "Six Flags amusement parks prepare for thematic makeovers". LA Times. Retrieved 26 November 2010.