After my rainy Cedar Point trip and Top Thrill Dragster’s closure, I anticipated Six Flags Great Adventure for its unique Strata Coaster, Kingda Ka, holding world records for height and speed. Launching riders at over 120 mph, it ascends a 40-story hill at 90 degrees before spiraling back down. Despite slow loading and only two active trains, my Flash Pass reduced waits to 15 minutes. While I missed Top Thrill Dragster’s theming, Kingda Ka’s launch area lacked visibility due to foliage, a missed opportunity by Six Flags. The coaster’s imposing presence stirred intense reactions, with riders joking about their fate. Kingda Ka’s sheer height and exhilarating launch left a lasting impression on park-goers, making it a thrilling experience despite its flaws.
The fierce Kingda Ka Roller Coaster Six Flags is the tallest coaster in the World, and the fastest in North America. This remarkable thrill ride breaks all world records for coaster speed and height, zooming from 0 to 128 mph in 3.5 seconds and catapulting you 45 stories into the sky. One girl frantically told her boyfriend that she loved him just before the launch. She begged him to put his arms down for fear that they might be dislocated by the intense launch. Some baggy-clothed onlookers standing near the launch area were yelling to their scared friends waiting to be launched.
History
Six Flags officially unveiled the Kingda Ka Roller Coaster on September 29, 2004, proclaiming it the tallest and fastest roller coaster globally, soaring 456 feet (139 m) high and accelerating to 128 miles per hour (206 km/h) in 3.5 seconds. Designed by Intamin, it claimed these records from Ohio’s Top Thrill Dragster. Both rides share a similar layout, with Kingda Ka featuring a distinctive post-tower “camel hump” hill. Construction culminated on January 13, 2005, and the coaster opened to the public on May 21, 2005. However, a bolt failure during a test run on June 6, 2005, led to its closure until August 2005. Subsequent lightning strikes in May 2009 necessitated extensive repairs, resulting in sporadic closures until August 21, 2009.
The ride
Theme
The Kingda Ka Roller Coaster at Six Flags is themed after a mythical tiger and named after a 500 lb (230 kg) Golden Tabby Bengal tiger that used to live in an exhibit next to the ride. The ride’s sign and station all have mythical Nepalese-style theming. Bamboo surrounds the ride’s queue line, adding to the jungle theming. During the wait, jungle music plays, continuing throughout the Golden Kingdom section, specifically built for the ride.
Ride experience
Operators guide the train from the station to the launch area via a switch track, allowing multiple trains to load simultaneously. The hydraulic launch system propels the train to 128 mph in 3.5 seconds, subjecting riders to 1.67 G of force. After the launch, the train climbs a 456-foot tower, then descends 418 feet through a spiral before a weightless ascent and magnetic brake-assisted stop. The ride lasts 28 seconds. The hydraulic launch motor peaks at 20,800 horsepower (15.5 MW). It doesn’t operate in light rain for rider comfort, given its high speed and open design.
Seat restraints
Kingda Ka’s over-the-shoulder restraint system consists of a thick, rigid lap bar and two thin, flexible over-the-shoulder restraints. Because the over-the-shoulder portions of the restraint are not rigid, they mount the hand grips to the lap bar. But later on, they replaced the flexible over-the-shoulder restraints with non-flexible shoulder restraints. These restraints use a locking system, allowing riders to adjust them down to any position but not up once locked. In contrast, a ratchet-based restraint only locks at each notch, and will often be too loose or uncomfortably tight. A belt also holds down Kingda Ka’s restraints in case the main locking system fails. To speed up loading, the staff asks riders to secure their own restraints if they can.
Rollbacks, brake failures, and stalls
Sometimes, a train on the Kingda Ka Roller Coaster at Six Flags may experience a rollback. This occurs when the train fails to ascend over the top and instead reverses direction, rolling back down the track. Retractable magnetic brakes on Kingda Ka’s launch track safely stop a train that rolls back. Rollbacks are more frequent in breezy or wet weather conditions. Many riders actually look forward to this phenomenon, as it provides them with an additional launch experience. Kingda Ka is a popular destination at Six Flags, especially for thrill-seekers.
During safety tests, rollbacks happen more frequently to ensure all brakes are functioning properly. A more rare issue is a “stall,” where the train stops at the top of the lift. This is extremely unlikely because the train must be perfectly balanced. If a stall occurs, workers access the tower top via an elevator to push the train down the descent side.
The exact timing of Kingda Ka’s launch is unpredictable. When signaled, the train rolls back slightly to engage the catch car, and the brakes retract from the launch track. Occasionally, a voice instructs riders to prepare for launch, indicating it will occur five seconds later. Previously, a horn sounded before every launch, but now it only sounds when the coaster launches after being idle. Kingda Ka’s launch can propel a train every 30 seconds, allowing up to 1,400 guests per hour on the ride.