Boomerang (roller coaster)

Boomerang
Boomerang at Pleasure Island
Status	In Production
First manufactured	1984
No. of installations	45
Manufacturer	Vekoma
Height	35.51 m (116.5 ft)
Length	285 m (935 ft)
Speed	47 mph (76 km/h)
G force	5.2
Capacity	760 riders per hour
Vehicles	1
Riders per vehicle	28
Rows	14
Riders per row	2
Duration	About 1:48 minutes
Restraint Style	Over-the-shoulder
Inversions	6 [transversed twice] otherwise 3
Boomerang at RCDB

Boomerang is a model of roller coaster built by Vekoma, and named after the hunting implement based on the traditions of the Indigenous Australians. As of 2012 there are 45 Boomerangs operating.

The Boomerang consists of a single train with seven cars, capable of carrying 28 passengers. The ride begins when the train is pulled backwards from the station and up the first lift hill by a catchcar. After being released, the train passes through the station, enters a Cobra roll element (referred to as a boomerang by the designers), and then travels through a vertical loop. After being pulled up a second lift hill, the train is released to head backwards through each inversion once more, making the total number of inversions per ride six. The train slows down as it passes through the station backwards, and then comes to a complete stop in the station. This coaster model is popular among Six Flags amusement parks in the United States, but it has appeared at amusement parks around the world.

Boomerang coasters have occasionally stalled, often in the Cobra Roll element. As a precaution, many Boomerang coasters are built with an access platform just under the Cobra Roll/Boomerang element.

There are three main design variants based on the Boomerang layout, all of which are produced by Vekoma.

The first variant of the Boomerang is the Invertigo. While retaining the same layout as the Boomerang, the Invertigo has inverted track, turning it into an inverted roller coaster. Each car has two rows of seats that are back-to-back, so the riders in the back row of each car would be facing those in the front of the trailing car. The first Invertigo, HangOver at Liseberg in Gothenburg, Sweden was supposed to open in 1996 with a new linear induction motor (LIM) or LSM lift. However, development problems delayed the ride's opening to 1997, and the design was remade to include a traditional chain lift like the original Boomerang. Only four Invertigo models were ever built.