Falcon's Fury
| Falcon's Fury | |
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Falcon's Fury logo and the ride in operation
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| Busch Gardens Tampa | |
| Area | Pantopia |
| Coordinates | 28°2′15.5″N 82°25′22″W / 28.037639°N 82.42278°WCoordinates: 28°2′15.5″N 82°25′22″W / 28.037639°N 82.42278°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Cost | US$5,000,000 – 6,000,000 |
| Soft opening date | August 16, 2014 |
| Opening date | September 2, 2014 |
| Replaced | Sandstorm |
| General statistics | |
| Attraction type | Drop tower |
| Manufacturer | Intamin |
| Model | Sky Jump |
| Theme | Falcon |
| Height | 335 ft (102 m) |
| Drop | 310 ft (94 m) |
| Speed | 60 mph (97 km/h) |
| Site area | 3,600 sq ft (330 m2) |
| G-force | 3.5 |
| Capacity | 800 riders per hour |
| Vehicles | 1 |
| Riders per vehicle | 32 |
| Duration | 2:00 |
| Height restriction | 54–77 in (137–196 cm) |
Falcon's Fury is a free-standing Sky Jump drop tower attraction at the Busch Gardens Tampa amusement park in Tampa, Florida, United States. Manufactured by Intaride (a subsidiary of Intamin), the ride reaches a maximum height of 335 feet (102 m) making it North America's tallest free-standing drop tower. Riders experience about five seconds of free fall, reaching a speed of 60 miles per hour (100 km/h). The ride's name was chosen to invoke a falcon's ability to dive steeply at high speed to capture prey.
The project was originally planned to begin in 2012 with the ride opening in 2013, but it was delayed by one year. Construction began in 2013 with a scheduled opening date of May 1, 2014; however, the opening was delayed due to mechanical and technical issues. Following a preview opening to park employees in early August and a soft opening on August 16, 2014, Falcon's Fury officially opened to the public on September 2, 2014. Public response to the ride has been positive, praising the height of the tower and the drop experience.
Planning for Falcon's Fury began around the time the park completed its Cheetah Hunt ride in 2011. Ground tests in the Timbuktu area (now known as Pantopia) revealed "interesting soil conditions", with steel beams and concrete required to reinforce the site.
Rumors that Busch Gardens Tampa might replace its Sandstorm ride with a 200-foot (61 m) drop tower surfaced in the fall of 2011 when its sister park, Busch Gardens Williamsburg, opened Mäch Tower that August.Construction surveying was observed in January 2012. Two months later plans were filed with the city to build a drop tower, possibly for the 2013 season. Speculation about the new attraction's name began when SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, owners of Busch Gardens Tampa, filed trademark applications for "Desert Dive" and "Falcon's Fury" on May 2 and July 11, 2012, respectively, and bought the DesertDive.com domain name. When permits for the new ride differed from those for Mäch Tower in November 2012, rumors began that the seats would tilt forward. Due to the height of the attraction, approval from the Federal Aviation Administration was required. According to the FAA and the city of Tampa, the tower was supposed to be built in December 2012 and open to the public in 2013. For unknown reasons the project was delayed, with its construction pushed back to the second half of 2013.
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Wikipedia