The design process has begun for Falcon’s Flight, the centrepiece attraction for the new Six Flags theme park at Qiddiya, the mega-resort development to the south of Riyadh, the Saudi capital.
The Qiddiya Investment Company, in partnership with Intamin Amusement Rides, has begun the work on the coaster, which is projected to be the tallest roller coaster in the world.
The ride will also be the longest and fastest coaster, at four kilometres in length, and feature a vertical cliff dive manoeuvre into a 160m deep valley using magnetic motor acceleration to achieve speeds of 150kph. The ride will also feature a parabolic airtime hill allowing a weightlessness airtime experience.
Qiddiya’s CEO, Philippe Gas, said: “Roller coaster fans around the world have been eagerly anticipating this ride since it was announced as there is nothing quite like it anywhere else. Now we are in the design stage with the experts at Intamin and the engineering team at Six Flags, the excitement is building! Falcon’s flight will dominate the skyline at Qiddiya weave all the way around our destination, right out of the theme park, up the cliffside and down the cliff face – the greatest drop of any ride in the world; it won’t be for the fainthearted!”
Up to 20 passengers at a time will be accommodated in the three-minute ride, experiencing the exhilaration of three electro-magnetic propulsion launch systems and panoramic views of Six flags Qiddiya and the core of the resort.
Daniel Schoppen, vice president design and development, Intamin Amusement Rides, said: “I will never forget the moment when I was standing at the edge of the 200-meter-high cliff on the Tuwaiq Mountain in Qiddiya, looking into the valley and imagining the creation of a future record-setting roller coaster. I knew that exactly at this spot, The Falcon Flight will dive down along the cliff, ending in a unique exhilarating 250+ km/h proximity flight close to the ground. The worldwide unique setting and heights such as the natural cliff will enable us to design an architectural masterpiece in steel.”
Covering 32 hectares (79 acres) and featuring 28 rides and attractions across six themed lands, Six Flags Qiddiya is set to become the theme park that breaks all records of entertainment in Saudi Arabia and the region.
