Banshee (roller coaster)
| Banshee | |
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_Logo.jpg){kind=logo} |
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| Kings Island | |
| Park section | Action Zone |
| Coordinates | 39°20′44.39″N 84°15′55.70″W / 39.3456639°N 84.2654722°WCoordinates: 39°20′44.39″N 84°15′55.70″W / 39.3456639°N 84.2654722°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Opening date | April 18, 2014 |
| Cost | US$24,000,000 |
| Replaced |
Son of Beast Thunder Alley |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel – Inverted |
| Manufacturer | Bolliger & Mabillard |
| Model | Inverted Coaster |
| Track layout | Terrain |
| Lift/launch system | Chain lift hill |
| Height | 167 ft (51 m) |
| Drop | 150 ft (46 m) |
| Length | 4,124 ft (1,257 m) |
| Speed | 68 mph (109 km/h) |
| Inversions | 7 |
| Duration | 2:40 |
| Capacity | 1,650 riders per hour |
| Height restriction | 52–78 in (132–198 cm) |
| Trains | 3 trains with 8 cars. Riders are arranged 4 across in a single row for a total of 32 riders per train. |
 Fast Lane Plus only available |
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Banshee at RCDB Pictures of Banshee at RCDB |
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Banshee is a steel roller coaster located at Kings Island amusement park in Mason, Ohio. Designed and built by Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M), Banshee opened on April 18, 2014. The roller coaster features 4,124 feet (1,257 m) of track making it the longest inverted roller coaster. Banshee is also the first inverted coaster built in the United States since the Patriot debuted at Worlds of Fun in 2006.
Banshee was built at the former location of the Son of Beast, a wooden roller coaster plagued with issues and demolished in 2012, and the Thunder Alley go-kart attraction that was removed the same year. In the queue line there is a memorial for the Son of Beast. Following their removal, it was not immediately clear what would replace the attractions. Construction on a new attraction began, however, on April 22, 2013. A trademark for the name "Banshee" was filed on April 24, 2013. Owner Cedar Fair had previously considered using the name for a roller coaster at Cedar Point, but it was later changed to Mantis.
Kings Island began teasing the new attraction on the first day of the 2013 season. Along the perimeter of the former Thunder Alley go-kart track, a fence was set up with a sign that read, "Due to the increasing occurrence of mysterious and bone-chilling screams, it has become necessary to close this section of the park until the cause of this evil phenomenon can be identified." During the course of the summer, several clues about the attraction were set up around the construction site. On June 10, 2013, the park launched their social media campaign by posting a photo showing the construction site with the caption, "Field of Dreams". The campaign continued with five scarecrows around the construction site and several Twitter posts about the future attraction. Then, at the beginning of July 2013, recordings of someone screaming could be heard by park guests near the construction area. Two weeks later, farm owls were placed in nearby trees. On July 31, 2013, Kings Island detailed plans to reveal a new world record-breaking attraction at 10pm on August 8, 2013. Media packages containing a silver comb, artificial hair and a tag were sent out to media outlets to notify them of the upcoming announcement. A limited amount of tickets were also made available to the public giving access to a tour of the construction site prior to the revealing and reserved seats at the event, with net proceeds being donated to breast cancer research. Blueprints for the project were leaked to the public on August 1, 2013.
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