Thrill-seekers are set to have a new ‘must-do’ added to their list next year, when a theme park in Saudi Arabia opens a new rollercoaster that will reach speeds of up to 155mph and feature a 650-drop – both world records.
The rollercoaster, called ‘Falcon’s Flight’, which will be in Six Flags Qiddiya, near Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, is currently being built by Intamin. The ride, which has 13,000 feet of track, is expected to be the centrepiece of the park, which is set to open its doors to the public in October next year.
Intamin has released a video simulating what the ride will be like – it is said one of the drops will emulate what if feels like to jump off a cliff.
Currently, the world’s tallest rollercoaster is the Kingda Ka, which is at the Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey in the USA. Meanwhile the record for the fastest rollercoaster is 150mph, which is held by Formula Rossa at Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi.
Falcon’s Flight will claim a third world record too as the longest – being more than 5,000 feet longer than Steel Dragon 2000, which is in Nagashima Spa Land in Japan. The length of Falcon’s Flight will meet it will need three electro-magnetic propulsion systems to keep it moving over the entirety of ride.
The Six Flags Qiddiya theme park is part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 initiative, which aims to promote Saudi Arabia’s economic, social and cultural diversification. If the rest of the park is like Falcon’s Flight, then it certainly won’t have any trouble attracting guests from all over the world coming to experience it.
