New thrill ride
Indiana Beach introducing ‘Steel Hawg’ roller coaster for 2008By Melissa Soria
THE PHAROS-TRIBUNE (LOGANSPORT, Ind.)
MONTICELLO, Ind. —
With a height of 96 feet, a top speed of 41 miles per hour and a plunging first drop at 120 degrees, roller coaster enthusiasts will have much to look forward to next summer.
The Steel Hawg’s manufacturer, S&S Worldwide, Inc., calls the style of the coaster “El Loco,” which means “crazy” in Spanish.
Indiana Beach recently announced its sixth and newest roller coaster, Steel Hawg. It is the first major steel coaster to be constructed in the state and the first to take riders upside-down at the amusement park.
The coaster track is 1,200 feet long, allowing individuals a 75-second ride. It features four cars with four seats per car.
“We were looking for a new thrill element, and this is definitely going to be it,” said Tom Spackman, Jr., Indiana Beach executive vice president. “The coaster will be a very distinctive ride with tight turns, 90-degree banks, inversions and one-of-a-kind elements. It rolls upside down and around like a fighter plane would.”
Steel Hawg will be located near the main park entrance at the northwest end of park next to the Hoosier Hurricane and Rocky’s Rapids Log Flume rides.
It is expected to be fully operational by May 17, 2008, two weeks after the park opens.
Ginny Davis, resort operations specialist at Indiana Beach, assisted in selecting the coaster.
“This is something completely new for Indiana,” she said. “It has some different, innovative designs in it.”
Davis said there were a number of different factors they looked into when selecting the coaster, including the thrill factor, design and ride-ability.
“We asked ourselves, ‘Is this something you’d want to ride over and over again?’” she said. “One of the biggest things we look for is its safety, for adults and children.”
Davis toured multiple facilities, including one in Italy, but in the end, a custom-design roller coaster made by S&S Worldwide, Inc., located out of Logan, Utah, was chosen.
S&S Worldwide, Inc. came up with a design and presented it to representatives from Indiana Beach last summer. The coaster is the first of this design. The company calls the style of Steel Hawg, “El Loco,” which means “crazy” in Spanish.
Davis and several others were able to help with the look and feel of the coaster by choosing features such as colors and location.
Spackman said Steel Hawg is different from everything that’s currently in the park.
“It fit the profile we were looking for,” he said.
Steel Hawg will feature loops, rolls and plunging drops. Its top speed is 41 miles an hour, and it includes a 120 degree drop.
According to Davis, it will be a fun, family ride.
Spackman said parts will start coming in February, and construction will begin in March.
Davis said it can take a minimum of a year for an amusement park to implement a new roller coaster, depending on how detailed the design is.
Roller coasters can run anywhere from $3 to $15 million, she said.
According to Spackman, the amusement park tries to add something new every year, as well as a major piece every 3-4 years. The Lost Coaster of Superstition Mountain was added to the park in 2002.
Spackman said he’s looking forward to the arrival of Steel Hawg.
“It’s going to be an exciting addition,” he added.
Quelle: The Moultrie Observer
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