Flying roller coaster
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A flying roller coaster is a roller coaster where the riders are secured in flying position with the track overhead. The loading process varies by manufacturer.
In a Bolliger and Mallibard's (B&M) Flying Coaster model, the passenger takes a sitting position with their legs dangling. The coaster then tilts them forward placing passengers in a flying position for the duration of the ride. B&M's flyng coaster is said to be more comfortable and features an intense Pretzel Loop element. But it is thought to be very expensive, priced at 12 million Euros.
B&M was however not the first to build these special flying coasters. Vekoma's 'Flying Dutchman' model was the first and came with two types, the prototype and a longer version costing around 17 million USD. The first flying coaster is Stealth (now relocated to another park under the name BORG Assimilator). These coasters are loaded more like a traditional seated coaster with the track below the rider. At the top of the lift hill, the track rotates a half turn to flip the riders into the flying position.
Then, it was Zamperla's turn to make flying coasters and came with the 'Volare' (Italian for To Fly) model. The cars hang from an upper rail, whose long car hangs down at a 45 degree angle, in which riders lay down in. The car is then lifted up into a flying position while holding the riders inside. This model is very compact and cheap (estimated to be 6 million USD)and comes with an ingenious spiral lift hill in which a tall spinning column with 2 vertical poles connected to it push the cars up the spiralling track. But riders have complained that it was quite uncomfortable as there is a lack of harnesses on the cars.