R.I.P. Firehawk
Don Helbig
|
After nearly a week of social and news media speculation, Kings Island has revealed that Firehawk is the roller coaster that will be headed to the grave in October.
Final rides will begin this weekend, with its last days of operation occurring during the final weekend of Halloween Haunt and The Great Pumpkin Fest, October 26-28.
The steel coaster originally debuted in 2001 as X-Flight at World of Adventure in Aurora, Ohio. After six seasons of operation there, the ride was relocated by the Cedar Fair Entertainment Company to Kings Island, opening as Firehawk in 2007.
Firehawk has been a guest favorite throughout its 12 seasons at Kings Island, which is why the announcement was made now so fans of the coaster can get in their final rides before it closes in five weeks. Although it remains popular, the ride has reached the end of its service life.
Firehawk takes willing test pilots more than 115 feet into the air and through five inversions in a flying position, facing the ground and watching everyone and everything below it race by in a blur.
Once riders are seated, the train seats are tilted backwards into a laying down position and dispatched. The train travels in reverse out of the station, turns left and then travels up the 115-foot lift at a 33-degree angle. At the top of the lift, it dips down into a twist that turns the trains upside down into a flying position where riders face the ground and experience the unconceivable feeling of flight. Riders fly at speeds up to 51 mph along 3,340 feet of track.
Firehawk has given over 6.7 million rides since opening at Kings Island in 2007. Its record year was 2014, when 624,016 rides were given.