Shockwave (Six Flags Great America)
| Shockwave | |
|---|---|
| Six Flags Great America | |
| Coordinates | 42°22′16″N 87°56′03″W / 42.371180°N 87.934270°WCoordinates: 42°22′16″N 87°56′03″W / 42.371180°N 87.934270°W |
| Status | Removed |
| Opening date | June 3, 1988 |
| Closing date | 2002 |
| Replaced by | Superman: Ultimate Flight |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel |
| Manufacturer | Arrow Dynamics |
| Model | Megalooper |
| Lift/launch system | Chain lift |
| Height | 170 ft (52 m) |
| Drop | 155 ft (47 m) |
| Length | 3,900 ft (1,200 m) |
| Speed | 65 mph (105 km/h) |
| Inversions | 7 |
| Duration | 2:20 |
| Capacity | 2000 riders per hour |
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Shockwave at RCDB Pictures of Shockwave at RCDB |
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Shockwave (occasionally stylized as ShockWave or Shock Wave) was a roller coaster manufactured by Arrow Dynamics at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois. Standing 170 feet (52 m) tall and reaching speeds of 65 miles per hour (105 km/h), it opened in 1988 as the world's tallest and fastest looping roller coaster with a record-breaking seven inversions: three vertical loops, a boomerang (also known as a batwing), and two regular corkscrews. Shockwave was closed in 2002 and has been dismantled.
Shockwave was designed by Ron Toomer at Arrow Dynamics and broke the world record for number of inversions when it opened. The previous world record was six on Vortex at Kings Island, which opened the year before.
A year after Shockwave opened, The Great American Scream Machine debuted at Six Flags Great Adventure; this coaster had exactly the same layout that Shockwave had, but was three feet taller and had a top speed of 68 mph (109 km/h). A year later in 1990, Viper opened at Six Flags Magic Mountain and set the records for tallest (188 feet tall) and fastest (70 miles per hour (110 km/h)) looping coaster. All three coasters were designed by Arrow Dynamics, and all three had the same inversions in the same order.
Shockwave was plagued with some operational issues throughout its lifetime. Due to the speed and stress from the train negotiating the first vertical loop, a track fracture developed and needed attention on a regular basis in order to remain safe for operation. The wheels for the ride were quite expensive and, according to some ride operators, wore out quickly, which required a vigilant crew and frequent closures for a period of ten to fifteen minutes for maintenance staff to be dispatched to change them out. The coaster gained a reputation as being an overly intense ride, as evidenced by postings in roller coaster enthusiast newsgroups and forums. Finally, a rumored accident involving a wheel separation in August 2002, coupled with these issues, may have led to the ride being taken down in fall 2002 to make way for Superman: Ultimate Flight, which had originally been slated to replace the smaller Whizzer roller coaster. Since Whizzer was far more popular than Shockwave, the decision was made to keep Whizzer and tear down Shockwave instead. The ride was dismantled and placed into storage behind the park and offered for sale. After attempts to sell the coaster or relocate it to another Six Flags park failed, it was scrapped at the end of Six Flags Great America's 2004 season.
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