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May 29, 2024

Six Flags Great Adventure nearing completion of first 'super boomerang' roller coaster in U.S.

The Flash: Vertical Velocity hurtles passengers along a twisted track at up to 60 mph, pauses, then follows the same course in reverse.

Recreation Roller Coasters
Six Flags coaster Provided image/Six Flags Great Adventure

Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey will debut the first 'super boomerang' roller coaster in America this summer, called The Flash: Vertical Velocity. Construction is nearly complete, parks officials say.

A new roller coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure Resort will shoot riders along a twisted track with inversions and a sky-scraping tower and then send them flying back in reverse.


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Construction is nearly complete on The Flash: Vertical Velocity, which is set to open at the Jackson Township, New Jersey, amusement park later this summer. The last tower and final pieces of the track were added Monday, leaving just the trains of cars for passengers and testing to complete. The ride is named after the DC Comics superhero, and it promises to be just as speedy, reaching up to 60 mph.

When the ride finally opens, it'll be the first roller coaster of its kind in the U.S. The Flash: Vertical Velocity is a "super boomerang" coaster, a model created by the Dutch manufacturer Vekoma.

The ride does not travel along a complete circuit, but instead careens through inverted loops until it reaches the top of a 172-foot tower where the track ends. From there, the train slows and then glides back down the tower, hurtling through the track in reverse. The only other super-boomerang coaster in the world is the Cloud Shuttle at the Fantawild Wonderland in Xuzhou, China.


The Flash: Vertical Velocity was announced in 2023 as part of the theme park's 50th anniversary celebrations. Also part of the festivities is the debut of Savannah Sunset Resort & Spa, an overnight glamping experience in the Wild Safari Park that lets guests sleep near the giraffes. It is now accepting reservations.


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