Out of the Loop: Dollywood’s Wild Eagle to be first U.S. wing rider coaster

Column by Andy Guinigundo

To bolster my claim that the wing rider coaster will be the next big thing in coaster construction (check out my previous story Here), Dollywood announced Sunday that it would open the first wing rider roller coaster in the United States. The third announced Bolliger & Mabillard wing rider coaster this summer may be the first to debut in 2012. Thorpe Park’s The Swarm and Six Flags Great America’s X Flight are expected to debut in the spring also.

Opening speculation:
Dollywood has announced a March 2012 opening date for Wild Eagle. The countdown timer on their website expires opening day on March 24, 2012. As for Thorpe’s The Swarm, they speak of a “spring” opening. Technically, spring starts March 20 and Thorpe opened March 17 in 2011. Six Flag’s X Flight will probably have to wait until May; in 2011, the season opened May 7 for Great America. The lone Intamin designed wing rider coaster announced is the Skyrush at Hershey Park that is aiming for a spring opening too.

Let’s go Wild Eagle’s stats:
Track length: 3127 feet
Top speed: 61 mph
Features: Giant loop, Zero-G roll, Inclined Immelmann, Giant Flat Spin, Camel Back, Spiral, Eight Curve
Inversions: Four
Height: 210 feet
Manufacturer: Swiss Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M)

• Andy Guinigundo is the author of the Out of The Loop column in “Orlando Attractions Magazine”. Out of the Loop keeps you up-to-date with attraction news outside of Central Florida. Andy lives in Cincinnati, Ohio with his wife and three daughters. He grew up frequenting theme parks around Ohio and making trips to Orlando with his family. While for most of the year, he’s out of the Orlando loop, he tries to visit Florida at least once a year.