Kingda Ka - Coasterpedia - The Roller Coaster And Flat Ride Wiki

Ride experience

Two of Kingda Ka's trains advance out of the station onto the block section. The first train waits about 30–40 seconds as a catch car rolls down the launch track and attaches to the train. After the brake fins lining the launch lower, a train is launched at up to 128 mph towards the 456ft top hat. The train gradually raises the ride tower 90 degrees and then twists to the left 90 degrees. Once the train reaches the tower summit of 456 feet, it drops at a 90-degree angle down the tower as it turns 270 degrees. The train pulls out of the spiral and down the tower near 120 mph into a hill 129ft high. At the peak of the 129ft hill, the train begins to hit the brakes. After a final brake stop, the train turns left and returns to the station. The average time of the ride experience is only 28 seconds. The official ride time is 50 seconds. Also, after the train has been locked and checked, it slowly advances out of the station to the launch area. The train goes through a switch track, which allows four trains on two tracks to load simultaneously. Once the train is in position, the hydraulic launch mechanism accelerates the train from 0 to 128 mph in 3.5 seconds, pulling about 1.67g.[29] At the end of the launch track, the train climbs the central tower, or top hat, twisting 90 degrees to the left before reaching 456 feet. The train then descends 418 feet straight down through a 270-degree right-hand vertical spiral. Finally, the train climbs the second hill of 129 feet, producing a moment of weightlessness before being smoothly stopped by the magnetic brakes. The train then makes a U-turn and enters the station. The ride lasts 28 seconds from the launch to the end of the brake run but has an official ride time of 59 seconds. The hydraulic launch motor can produce a 20,800 horsepower (15.5 MW) peak. Because of the trains' high speed and openness, the ride will not operate in light rain, as rider contact with raindrops can cause discomfort.

Theme

Kingda Ka was themed to a mythical tiger named after the 500 lb. (230 kg) golden tabby Bengal tiger that lives in a pen beside the ride. The ride's sign and station all have mythical Indian-style theming. The ride's queue line is surrounded by bamboo, which adds to the jungle theming. Jungle music is played during the wait and throughout the entire Golden Kingdom section of the park, which was built for the ride. As of Summer 2010, one of the park's male tigers is named after the ride.

Rollbacks

Sometimes, a train could rollback and travel backward down the top hat into the launch area. Kingda Ka included retractable magnetic brakes on its launch to stop a train from rolling backward down the launch track. Rollbacks are more common in breezy weather or just after wet weather. Many riders look forward to a rollback as they are treated to another launch. Rollbacks are frequent during safety tests to ensure all brakes on the runway are in working condition. Another issue even rarer than a rollback is for the train to "stall" or stop at the top of the tower. This is so rare because the train must be perfectly balanced for this to happen. If this happens, there is an elevator so workers can get up the support tower and push the train (usually down the descent side).

Launch

It was hard to know exactly when Kingda Ka's launch would occur. When the signal to launch is given, the train rolls back slightly to engage the catch car, then the brakes on the launch track retract. Occasionally, a voice will say, "arms down, head back, and hold on." The launch will occur five seconds after the hissing sound of the brake fins retracting or the warning voice. Previously, Kingda Ka's horn sounded before every launch, but it has been turned off because of noise complaints from nearby residents. The horn now only sounds when Kingda Ka first launches after being idle for a certain period. Kingda Ka's launch mechanism can launch a train every 45 seconds, resulting in a capacity of 1400 guests per hour.

Station

Kingda Ka had a dual station, which is a station with two platforms. Each of the station's tracks accommodates two trains so that each of the four trains has its own station. Each train only loads and unloads at its station; it does not go to any others. The trains on one side are loaded during operation while the trains on the other side are launched. This system works efficiently as long as all four trains are running and there are no significant delays in loading and checking the trains. This system was not used in 2006 because only two trains worked that year. It also results in a very fast-moving line before the station but a long wait inside the station, especially if waiting for the front row. An employee directs riders in line to a particular side of the station, but riders are then allowed to choose the front or rear of the train. Two operators load, check, and dispatch each train, and one launches the trains. Kingda Ka's music is by Safri Duo; almost their entire Episode II album is played in the queue and station. The other is the remix version of "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor. Both of these records could be heard during the queue and station.

Trains

Kingda Ka had four trains painted green, dark blue, teal, and orange. Each train had five cars and seated 18 people. The first four cars seated four riders in two rows of two, while the last car had only one row of two riders. The rear row of each car was positioned higher than its front row for better visibility.

Each of Kingda Ka's trains had a panel behind the last row of seats covering an extra row of seat mounts. These panels could be removed to install additional seats in the future. This modification would increase the capacity of each train from 18 to 20 guests and the hourly capacity of the coaster from 1400 to 1600 guests per hour. Kingda Ka's station is already set up for this modification; it has the entrance gates for the nonexistent row of seats.

Restraints

Kingda Ka's over-the-shoulder harness system consisted of a thick, rigid lap bar and two thin, flexible over-the-shoulder restraints. Because the over-the-shoulder portions of the restraint were not rigid, the hand grips were mounted to the lap bar.

These restraints used a locking system (rather than a ratchet) that allowed them to be pulled down to any position; when locked, they could move down to any position but not up. In contrast, a ratchet-based restraint only locks at each notch and will often be too loose or uncomfortably tight. Kingda Ka's restraints are also held down by a belt in case the primary locking system fails. Riders were asked to secure their own restraints if possible to speed up loading.