Griffon (roller Coaster)
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Griffon is a
steel roller coaster A steel roller coaster is a type of roller coaster classified by its steel Railway track, track, which consists of long steel tubes that are run in pairs, supported by larger steel columns or beams. Trains running along the track typically rely ...
located at
Busch Gardens Williamsburg Busch Gardens Williamsburg (formerly Busch Gardens Europe and Busch Gardens: The Old Country) is a amusement park in James City County near Williamsburg, Virginia, United States, located approximately northwest of Virginia Beach. The park w ...
amusement park in
James City County, Virginia James City County is a county (United States), county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 78,254. Although politically separate from the county, the county seat is the ad ...
, United States. Designed by
Bolliger & Mabillard Bolliger & Mabillard, officially Bolliger & Mabillard Consulting Engineers, Inc. and often abbreviated B&M, is a roller coaster design consultancy based in Monthey, Switzerland. The company was founded in 1988 by engineers Walter Bolliger and Cl ...
(B&M), the
Dive Coaster The Dive Coaster is a steel roller coaster model developed and engineered by Bolliger & Mabillard. The design features one or more near-vertical drops that are approximately 90 degrees, which provide a moment of free-falling for passengers. T ...
model opened to the public on May 18, 2007. It climbs to a height of and reaches a maximum speed of . It features two Immelmann loops, a splashdown, two vertical drops, and was the first B&M Dive Coaster to use floorless trains. Griffon was well-received by media and enthusiasts, and it placed third in 2007 in the category of Best New Ride polled by ''
Amusement Today ''Amusement Today'' is a monthly periodical that features articles, news, pictures and reviews about all things relating to the amusement park industry, including parks, rides, and ride manufacturers. The trade newspaper, which is based in Arl ...
'' for their annual
Golden Ticket Awards ''Amusement Today'' is a monthly periodical that features articles, news, pictures and reviews about all things relating to the amusement park industry, including parks, List of amusement rides, rides, and ride manufacturers. The trade newspape ...
. Since its debut, it has also consistently ranked in the top 50 among steel roller coasters worldwide in the same annual publication, peaking at #19 in 2010.


History

On June 30, 2006, Busch Gardens Williamsburg announced that ''LeMans Raceway'' would be closing to the public on July 5, 2006 in order to make room for the next year's new attraction. Construction for Griffon began the next day with the demolition of the raceway. A trademark for the name "Griffon" was filed by
SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment United Parks & Resorts Inc. (formerly SeaWorld Entertainment Inc. or SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment) is an American theme park and entertainment company headquartered in Orlando, Florida. The company owns and operates twelve recreational destina ...
on July 12, 2006. The roller coaster was announced to the public on August 23, 2006. On December 11, 2006, two cranes installed the highest piece of Griffon with an evergreen tree. The vertical drop and Immelmann loop were completed in January 2007 and the final piece of track was installed in late February. After testing was complete, the roller coaster opened on May 18, 2007; one week earlier than its original scheduled opening date. When Griffon opened it 2007, it held the records for the tallest and fastest Dive Coaster in the world, both of which were previously held by
SheiKra SheiKra (, ) is a steel Dive Coaster roller coaster at the Busch Gardens Tampa Bay amusement park in Tampa, Florida, United States. The roller coaster was proposed by Mark Rose, vice-president of design and engineering for the park, and design ...
at
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is a animal theme park located in Tampa, Florida, United States, with the entire park landscaped and designed around themes of Africa. Owned and operated by United Parks & Resorts, the park opened on June 1, 1959. The pa ...
. Griffon was also the first Dive Coaster to feature floorless trains. When
Happy Valley Shanghai Happy Valley Shanghai () is an amusement park in Shanghai, China. The park is located in Songjiang District, approximately from downtown Shanghai. It covers an area of . Opened on August 16, 2009, it is the fourth installation of the Happy Vall ...
opened Diving Coaster in 2009, it took the drop length record at .


Ride experience

After the floors drop and the front gate opens, the
train A train (from Old French , from Latin">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles th ...
is dispatched from the
station Station may refer to: Agriculture * Station (Australian agriculture), a large Australian landholding used for livestock production * Station (New Zealand agriculture), a large New Zealand farm used for grazing by sheep and cattle ** Cattle statio ...
and makes a downward right turn immediately followed by an upward right turn which leads directly to the 47-degree inclined
chain lift hill A lift hill, or chain hill, is an upward-sloping section of track on a roller coaster on which the roller coaster train is mechanically lifted to an elevated point or peak in the track. Upon reaching the peak, the train is then propelled from ...
. Once the train reaches the top of the lift, it makes a right turn into a holding brake where the train slowly moves over the first drop, stops for five seconds, and then is released down the 90 degree drop. By the time the train makes it to the bottom of the drop, it reaches its maximum speed of . Then, the train enters a 146-foot (44 m)
Immelmann loop Roller coasters are widely known for their drops, inversions, airtime (rides), airtime, and other intense ride elements that contribute to the ride. They are also made up of a variety of features and components responsible for the mechanical opera ...
before dropping back to the ground and making a banked upward left turn into the mid course brake run. After the train slows down, it enters a second near 90 degree drop into another Immelmann loop. Following a small airtime hill, the train goes through a
splashdown Splashdown is the method of landing a spacecraft or launch vehicle in a body of water, usually by parachute. This has been the primary recovery method of American capsules including NASA’s Mercury, Gemini, Apollo and Orion along with th ...
where the car's rear scoops spray two plumes of water into the air. Finally, the train makes a banked turn to the left leading into the final
brake run A brake run on a roller coaster is any section of track that utilizes some form of brakes to slow or stop a roller coaster train. There are various types of braking methods employed on roller coasters, including friction brakes, skid brakes, a ...
. The ride lasts three minutes.


Characteristics


Track

Griffon's steel track is long and its lift is approximately high. There is an elevator that can return riders to ground level if a train must be evacuated on the lift hill. The supports are light blue and the track is a darker blue. The track was fabricated by
Clermont Steel Fabricators Clermont Steel Fabricators (abbreviated as CSF) is a private steel products manufacturing company known for making Bolliger & Mabillard roller coasters. The plant is located in Batavia, Ohio. CSF was founded in 2004 after the closing of Southern O ...
in Batavia,
Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...
, which manufactures Bolliger & Mabillard's roller coasters.


Trains

Griffon operates with three steel and fiberglass trains, colored red, yellow, and black. Each train has three rows that seat ten riders across for a total of 30 riders per train; each seat has its own individual over-the-shoulder restraint with a seatbelt. This configuration allows the ride to achieve a theoretical hourly capacity of 1,400 riders. Unlike traditional coasters, Griffon's trains are floorless, allowing the riders' legs to dangle throughout the ride. Riders also experience up to 4 times the
force of gravity In physics, gravity (), also known as gravitation or a gravitational interaction, is a fundamental interaction, a mutual attraction between all massive particles. On Earth, gravity takes a slightly different meaning: the observed force b ...
.


Reception

Preston Wong from ''Hampton Roads'' said, " he floorless trainsgiv riders a sense of vulnerability and, for those in the front row, an idea of what it must feel like to fly" and that enthusiasts would like the ride. Nicole Paitsel, Lisa Deaderick, and Joe Atkinson from ''Daily Press'' each rated the roller coaster for its vomiting and scream factors. Nicole and Lisa rated the vomiting factor a one (out of five) for the roller coaster's smoothness; Joe gave a four as he began feeling ill after his second ride. For the scream factor Nicole gave a five, Lisa gave a ten, and Joe gave a four. Mike from ''NewsPlusNotes'' praised the first drop for its freefall experience. In Griffon's opening year, it was voted the third best new ride for 2007 and the 27th best steel roller coaster in ''
Amusement Today ''Amusement Today'' is a monthly periodical that features articles, news, pictures and reviews about all things relating to the amusement park industry, including parks, rides, and ride manufacturers. The trade newspaper, which is based in Arl ...
's''
Golden Ticket Awards ''Amusement Today'' is a monthly periodical that features articles, news, pictures and reviews about all things relating to the amusement park industry, including parks, List of amusement rides, rides, and ride manufacturers. The trade newspape ...
. It peaked at #19 in 2010 when it tied with
SheiKra SheiKra (, ) is a steel Dive Coaster roller coaster at the Busch Gardens Tampa Bay amusement park in Tampa, Florida, United States. The roller coaster was proposed by Mark Rose, vice-president of design and engineering for the park, and design ...
, another Dive Coaster. Griffon has also made several television appearances. It was featured on
Discovery Channel Discovery Channel, known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery, is an American cable channel that is best known for its ongoing reality television shows and promotion of pseudoscience. It init ...
's television series ''
Build It Bigger ''Extreme Engineering'' is a documentary film, documentary television series that aired on the Discovery Channel and the Science Channel. The program featured future and ongoing engineering projects. After ending of season 3 it airs under the ' ...
'' and
Travel Channel Travel Channel (stylized as Trvl Channel since 2018) is an American pay television television channel, channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, who previously owned the channel from 1997 to 2007. The channel is headquartered in Manhattan, with ...
's television series' ''
Bert the Conqueror ''Bert the Conqueror'' is an American reality television series which premiered on the Travel Channel on June 16, 2010. In the show, American stand-up comedian Bert Kreischer travels across the United States to amusement parks and other ente ...
'' and '' Insane Coaster Wars: World Domination''.


Incidents

On August 5, 2010, five riders sustained minor injuries and were sent to a hospital after colliding with a balloon. The balloon was in the process of being deflated when it broke free and was carried into Griffon's path due to strong winds. On June 29, 2021, one of Griffon's trains carrying 28 riders stopped midride near the ground. All passengers were safely evacuated and no injuries were reported.


References


External links


Griffon's Official Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Griffon (Roller Coaster) Roller coasters in Virginia Busch Gardens Williamsburg Busch Gardens Tampa Bay Roller coasters introduced in 2007 Roller coasters operated by United Parks & Resorts Hypercoasters