Wild Eagle
| Wild Eagle | |
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Part of Wild Eagle's layout
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| Dollywood | |
| Park section | Wilderness Pass |
| Coordinates | 35°47′41″N 83°31′48″W / 35.794675°N 83.530127°WCoordinates: 35°47′41″N 83°31′48″W / 35.794675°N 83.530127°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Soft opening date | March 23, 2012 |
| Opening date | March 24, 2012 |
| Cost | $20,000,000 ($20.9 million in 2017 dollars) |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel – Wing Coaster |
| Manufacturer | Bolliger & Mabillard |
| Model | Wing Coaster |
| Lift/launch system | Chain lift hill |
| Drop | 135 ft (41 m) |
| Length | 3,127 ft (953 m) |
| Speed | 61 mph (98 km/h) |
| Inversions | 4 |
| Duration | 2:22 |
| Height restriction | 50–78 in (127–198 cm) |
| Trains | 2 trains with 7 cars. Riders are arranged 4 across in a single row for a total of 28 riders per train. |
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TimeSaver Pass available
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 Must transfer from wheelchair |
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Wild Eagle at RCDB Pictures of Wild Eagle at RCDB |
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Wild Eagle is a steel Wing Coaster built by Bolliger & Mabillard at the Dollywood amusement park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. It is the first of its kind in the United States and opened to the media on March 23, 2012 before opening to the public on March 24, 2012. The roller coaster reaches a height of 210 feet (64 m) and reaches speeds of 61 miles per hour (98 km/h). In September 2012, the ride was voted as the best new ride of 2012 in Amusement Today's Golden Ticket Awards.
Speculation of Wild Eagle began in March 2011 when plans to discuss Dollywood's 2012 attraction were submitted to the Pigeon Forge Planning Commission. On March 24, 2011, those plans were approved and though city officials could not tell exactly what the plans were, some believed it looked to be a roller coaster. On September 4, 2011, Wild Eagle was officially announced to the public as the first wing coaster to open in the United States. On October 7, 2011, the lift hill was completed, and by the end of October 2011, the track layout was complete. On February 28, 2012, Dollywood unveiled a steel sculpture of an eagle with a wing span of 42 feet (13 m) and a total weight of 8,000 pounds (3,600 kg) that would be placed near the entrance of the ride. The ride soft opened to the media on March 23, 2012, before officially opening to the public on March 24, 2012.
After departing from the station, the train makes a left turn leading into the 210-foot (64 m) chain lift hill. Once at the top, the train drops 135-foot (41 m), reaching a top speed of 61 miles per hour (98 km/h). The train enters a 110-foot (34 m) vertical loop followed by a slight left then a zero-gravity roll where riders experience the feeling of weightlessness. Upon exiting the roll, the train immediately enters an immelmann loop. The train then goes through a trim brake, before entering a corkscrew, then a camelback hill which is a common way of achieving air-time on roller coasters. The train then makes a sharp left turn before making a sharp right turn which leads into the brake run. The train then makes a left turn into another set of brakes before entering the station where the next riders board the train. One cycle of the ride lasts about 2 minutes and 22 seconds.
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Wikipedia