The launched roller coaster is a type of roller coaster that initiates a ride with high amounts of acceleration via one or a series of linear induction motors (LIM), linear synchronous motors (LSM), catapults, tires, chains, or other mechanisms employing hydraulic or pneumatic power, along a launch track. This mode of acceleration powers many of the fastest roller coasters in the world.

Electromagnetic

LIM / LSM

Linear induction motor (LIM) and linear synchronous motor (LSM) coasters use propulsion via

electromagnet An electromagnet is a type of magnet in which the magnetic field is produced by an electric current. Electromagnets usually consist of wire (likely copper) wound into a electromagnetic coil, coil. A current through the wire creates a magnetic ...

s, which utilize large amounts of electricity to propel the coaster train along its track into the ride elements (e.g. inversions, twists, turns and short drops). Ten design companies managing these types of rides are Vekoma, Intamin, Gerstlauer, Premier Rides, Maurer, Zierer, Mack Rides, Bolliger & Mabillard, Rocky Mountain Construction and S&S Worldwide. Both Rocky Mountain Construction and Bolliger & Mabillard established their first LSM launched coasters recently with the RMC Topper Track Coaster, Lightning Rod, at Dollywood, and B&M's wingrider, Thunderbird, at HolidayWorld. An example of an LSM launched roller coaster is Maverick at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. These launch systems transfer electricity through a motor on the roller coaster's track so that it controls the speed at which it will urge the cars and train either forward or backward on a segment. LIMs are mainly used in Premier Rides roller coasters and Intamin impulse and blitz coasters. However, LIMs can also be used for general transport, such as the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover in

Magic Kingdom Magic Kingdom Park is a Amusement park, theme park at the Walt Disney World, Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. It opened on October 1, 1971, and is owned and operated by the Walt Disney Company through its Disney Experiences, Expe ...

or monorail and

maglev Maglev (derived from '' magnetic levitation'') is a system of rail transport whose rolling stock is levitated by electromagnets rather than rolled on wheels, eliminating rolling resistance. Compared to conventional railways, maglev trains h ...

trains.

Fluid pressure

Hydraulic fluid

Hydraulic-launched roller coasters, pioneered by

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

manufacturer Intamin, give the riders greater acceleration with improved smoothness over the electromagnetic and catapult launch mechanisms. The acceleration from a hydraulic launch is greatest at the beginning and dies off rapidly, but the acceleration from a LIM/LSM launch remains fairly constant throughout the duration of the launch. The core of the system involves powerful hydraulic pumps, usually eight, that are each capable of producing approximately 500 horsepower (373 kW). In Kingda Ka's configuration, the system was able to produce a peak power of up to 20,800 hp (15.5 MW) for each launch. Hydraulic fluid is pumped into several different hydraulic accumulators – energy storing devices – containing two compartments that are separated by a piston. As the incompressible hydraulic fluid is pumped into one compartment,

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in the other compartment is compressed. At launch, the fluid under pressure from the accumulators is used to drive a number of hydraulic motors (commonly 16 or 32), which spin a large winch drum that rewinds a cable attached to the lead car of the train, called the catch-car, in a matter of seconds. The cable runs under the launch track, and the catch-car moves along a groove in the track's center. The motor is positioned at the opposite end of the catch-car on the launch track. While the train inches forward into a ready position, the pusher mechanism moves back from the motor toward the train. Once the pusher connects, the anti-rollback braking system drops beneath the track, giving the train the green light to be launched. The first hydraulic launch coaster was Xcelerator reaching in 2.3 seconds. Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure, was capable of reaching in 3.5 seconds. The fastest roller coaster in the world, Formula Rossa, reaches in 4 seconds using the hydraulic method. Accelerator Coasters manufactured by Intamin commonly place a top hat element after the launch, which is a hill in the shape of a tower with a 90-degree ascent and 90-degree drop. Trains enter and exit this element in opposite directions. Top Thrill Dragster, built in 2003, includes this element followed by a brake run, while Kingda Ka, built in 2005, adds a airtime hill before the final brake run. Some hydraulic coaster layouts omit the top hat element altogether. Another manufacturer, Vekoma, began producing hydraulic-launched coasters in 2004 with the opening of Booster Bike at Toverland in the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, reaching speeds up to .

Pneumatic (compressed air)

Using the same type of system as a hydraulic launch, a pneumatic launch uses compressed air to launch the vehicle. The technology was developed by S&S as the '' Thrust Air 2000'' model. The first coaster of this type was the '' Hypersonic XLC'', opened at Kings Dominion in Doswell, Virginia, USA in 2001. This coaster closed in 2007. Another incarnation, the Ring Racer, was open for only 4 days. Compressed air launches are able to provide more acceleration than traditional pneumatic launches, with Do-Dodonpa at Fuji-Q Highland in Japan having held the acceleration record from when it opened as Dodonpa in 2001 until its closure in 2024, launching passengers from 0 to 112 mph (180 km/h) in 1.56 seconds (this record is now held by Stealth at Thorpe Park, UK). S&S has brought back pneumatic launches in China with OCT Thrust SSC1000 and Bullet Coaster at Happy Valley Wuhan and Happy Valley Shenzhen respectively. Maxx Force at Six Flags Great America marked the return of pneumatic launches in the United States.

Other styles

Eddy current launcher (LEM)

Magnets are placed under the cars and a series of flywheels coupled to aluminum discs is in the launch zone: there is no contact between the two. The system can be used also for speed up intermediate launchers, and for braking, with static aluminum blades, at the end of the ride. Thanks to the energy stored in the flywheels, the power demand for launching is flat. Two operating examples of this technique are the ''Drifter'' at Sochi Park in the Sochi Olimpic Park and at FunWorks, Abu Dhabi (manufacturer I.E.Park)

Catapult

In the catapult launch, a dropped weight winds a cable to pull the train until it accelerates to its full speed. Dropped weights were used in early installations of Shuttle Loop. These rides are often not very tall, and usually achieve speeds of 60 mph (96 km/h).

Flywheel

Flywheel launches are used on some Anton Schwarzkopf designed shuttle loop coasters and Zamperla Motocoasters. A large flywheel is spun at high speeds and is attached to a cable that propels the train forward.

Electric motor and spring tension

Arrow Dynamics' Launched Loop coasters, which were popular in the 1970s and 1980s, use a powerful electric motor and tensioned springs to propel a launch car forward. The launch car pushes the train outward to a drop, and then returns to its position. After the train reaches the opposite platform, another catch car works the same way. An example of this is Irn Bru Revolution.

Friction wheels

Another type of launch is by friction wheels. The launch track consists of a series of horizontal tires that pinch the brake fins on the underside of the train. One example of this is the '' Incredible Hulk Coaster'' at Universal's Islands of Adventure.

Examples

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

* Jet Rescue ( Sea World) * Motocoaster ( Dreamworld) * Steel Taipan ( Dreamworld) * Surfrider ( Wet'n'Wild Gold Coast) * Superman Escape ( Warner Bros. Movie World) * Tower of Terror II ( Dreamworld) ''(removed)''

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

* Anubis The Ride ( Plopsaland) * Fury (

Bobbejaanland Bobbejaanland is a theme park in Lichtaart, Belgium. The park was founded by Bobbejaan Schoepen, a Flemish singer, guitarist, and entertainer who enjoyed international success in the fifties and early sixties. In 1959, he bought a 30 hectar ...

) * *

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( Walibi Belgium) *

The Ride to Happiness The Ride to Happiness is a steel spinning roller coaster located at Plopsaland De Panne in Adinkerke, Adinkerke, Belgium. It is Europe's first Mack Rides Xtreme Spinning Coaster, and holds the record for the most inversions on a spinning coaster. ...

(Plopsaland)

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

* Katapul ( Hopi Hari)

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

* AlpenFury (

Canada's Wonderland Canada's Wonderland, formerly known as Paramount Canada's Wonderland, is a amusement park located in Vaughan, Ontario, a municipality within the Greater Toronto Area. Opened in 1981 by the Taft Broadcasting, Taft Broadcasting Company and the Gr ...

) * Back Lot Stunt Coaster (

) * ThunderVolt ( Playland)

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

*Battle of Blue Fire ( Quancheng Euro Park) * Decepticoaster ( Universal Studios Beijing) *Legendary Twin Dragon (Chongqing Sunac Land) *Light Of Revenge ( Happy Valley Nanjing) *Hurricane Roller Coaster (Suzhou Amusement Land Forest World) *OCT Thrust SSC1000 ( Happy Valley Wuhan) * RC Racer ( Shanghai Disneyland) * Tron Lightcycle Power Run ( Shanghai Disneyland)

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

* Juvelen ( Djurs Sommerland)

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

* Half Pipe Coaster ( Särkänniemi) (defunct) * ( Särkänniemi) * Taiga (

Linnanmäki Linnanmäki (, colloquially ''Lintsi'', ) is an amusement park in Helsinki, Finland. It was opened on 27 May 1950 and is owned by the non-profit (, ), which operates the park to raise funds for Finnish child welfare work. In 2023, the foundatio ...

) * Junker ( PowerPark)

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Toutatis Teutates (spelled variously Toutatis, Totatis, Totates) is a Celtic god attested in literary and epigraphic sources. His name, which is derived from a proto-Celtic word meaning "tribe", suggests he was a national god, tribal deity. The Roman po ...

( Parc Astérix) * Objectif Mars ( Futuroscope) * RC Racer ( Walt Disney Studios Park) * Rock 'n' Roller Coaster ( Disneyland Paris) ''(closed)'' * Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain ( Disneyland Paris)

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

* Blue Fire Megacoaster ( Europa-Park) *Desert Race ( Heide Park) * Flucht von Novgorod ( Hansa-Park) * F.L.Y. ( Phantasialand) * Karacho ( Erlebnispark Tripsdrill) * ( Movie Park Germany) * ring°racer (

Nürburgring The () is a 150,000-person capacity motorsports complex located in the town of Nürburg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It features a Grand Prix motor racing, Grand Prix race track built in 1984, and a long configuration, built in the 1920s ...

) ''( defunct)'' * ( Holiday Park) * Star Trek: Operation Enterprise ( Movie Park Germany) * Taron ( Phantasialand) * Voltron Nevera ( Europa-Park)

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

* RC Racer ( Hong Kong Disneyland)

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

* ISpeed ( Mirabilandia) * Shock ()

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

* Do-Dodonpa ( Fuji-Q Highland) ''(Removed)'' * Takabisha ( Fuji-Q Highland) * Shuttle Loop ( Nagashima Spa Land)

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

* Booster Bike ( Amusement Park Toverland) * Formule X () *

Gold Rush A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, ...

( Slagharen) * Xpress: Platform 13 ( Walibi Holland)

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

* Speed Monster ( Tusenfryd)

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

* Abyssus (

Energylandia Energylandia is an amusement park located in Zator, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Zator, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Lesser Poland, in southern Poland. It is approximately away from Kraków and away from Warsaw, Poland's capital city. Energylandi ...

) * Formuła (Energylandia)

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

* Falcons Flight ( Six Flags Qiddiya)

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

* Battlestar Galactica: Human vs. Cylon ( Universal Studios Singapore)

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

* Golden Loop ( Gold Reef City)

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

* ( Parque Warner Madrid) * Furius Baco ( Port Aventura's Park) * Red Force ( Ferrari Land) * Uncharted: El Enigma de Penitence ( Port Aventura's Park)

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

* Helix ( Liseberg) * Kanonen ( Liseberg) ''(removed)''

UAE

* ( Motiongate) * Formula Rossa ( Ferrari World) * Turbo Track ( Ferrari World)

UK

Revolution In political science, a revolution (, 'a turn around') is a rapid, fundamental transformation of a society's class, state, ethnic or religious structures. According to sociologist Jack Goldstone, all revolutions contain "a common set of elements ...

( Blackpool Pleasure Beach) * Rita (

Alton Towers Alton Towers Resort ( ) (often shortened to Alton Towers) is a theme park and resort complex in Staffordshire, England, near the village of Alton, Staffordshire, Alton. The park is operated by Merlin Entertainments, Merlin Entertainments Group a ...

) *

Icon An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Catholic Church, Catholic, and Lutheranism, Lutheran churches. The most common subjects include Jesus, Mary, mother of ...

( Blackpool Pleasure Beach) *

Velocity Velocity is a measurement of speed in a certain direction of motion. It is a fundamental concept in kinematics, the branch of classical mechanics that describes the motion of physical objects. Velocity is a vector (geometry), vector Physical q ...

( Flamingo Land) * Stealth ( Thorpe Park) * Mandrill Mayhem (

Chessington Chessington is an area in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames within Greater London, which was historically part of Surrey. At the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 census it had a population of 18,973. The Bonesgate Stream, a tributary of ...

)

USA

* ( Nickelodeon Universe Mall of America) * Backlot Stunt Coaster ( Kings Dominion) ( Kings Island) (

) * Cheetah Hunt ( Busch Gardens Tampa Bay) * Copperhead Strike ( Carowinds) * DarKoaster: Escape The Storm ( Busch Gardens Williamsburg) * Flight of Fear ( Kings Dominion) ( Kings Island) * Full Throttle ( Six Flags Magic Mountain) * Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind ( Epcot) * Half Pipe Coaster ( Elitch Gardens) * Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts (

Universal Studios Florida Universal Studios Florida is a theme park located in Orlando, Florida, that opened on June 7, 1990. Owned and operated by NBCUniversal, it features numerous rides, attractions, and live shows that are primarily themed to movies, television, and ...

) * Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure (

Universal Islands of Adventure Universal Islands of Adventure, often shortened to Islands of Adventure, is a theme park located in Orlando, Florida, United States. It originally opened as Universal Studios Islands of Adventure on May 28, 1999, along with Universal CityWalk, ...

) * Ice Breaker (

SeaWorld Orlando SeaWorld Orlando is an animal theme park located in Orlando, Florida. Although separately gated, it is often promoted with neighboring parks Discovery Cove and Aquatica as well as Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, all of which are owned and operated ...

) * Incredible Hulk Coaster (

) * Incredicoaster ( Disney California Adventure Park) * Joker's Jinx ( Six Flags America) * Kingda Ka ( Six Flags Great Adventure)(Removed) * Lightning Rod ( Dollywood) * Maverick ( Cedar Point) * Maxx Force ( Six Flags Great America) * Monsters, Inc. Door Coaster ( Disney's Hollywood Studios) * Montezooma's Revenge ( Knott's Berry Farm) * Mr. Freeze ( Six Flags Over Texas) ( Six Flags St. Louis) * Pantheon ( Busch Gardens Williamsburg) * Penguin Trek (

) *

Poltergeist In German folklore and ghostlore, a poltergeist ( or ; ; or ) is a type of ghost or spirit that is responsible for physical disturbances, such as loud noises and objects being moved or destroyed. Most claims or fictional descriptions of polter ...

( Six Flags Fiesta Texas) * Possessed ( Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom) * Revenge of the Mummy: The Ride (

) * Rock 'n' Roller Coaster ( Disney's Hollywood Studios) *Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring the Electric Mayhem ( Disney's Hollywood Studios) * Sandy's Blasting Bronco ( Nickelodeon Universe American Dream) * Slinky Dog Dash ( Disney's Hollywood Studios) * Stardust Racers ( Universal Epic Universe) * Steel Venom ( Valleyfair) * Storm Runner ( Hersheypark) * Superman: Escape from Krypton ( Six Flags Magic Mountain) * Tempesto ( Busch Gardens Williamsburg) * The Flash: Vertical Velocity ( Six Flags Great America) *Timmy's Half Pipe Havoc ( Nickelodeon Universe American Dream) *

Tigris The Tigris ( ; see #Etymology, below) is the eastern of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates. The river flows south from the mountains of the Armenian Highlands through the Syrian Desert, Syrian and Arabia ...

( Busch Gardens Tampa Bay) * Top Thrill Dragster ( Cedar Point) * Top Thrill 2 ( Cedar Point) * Tron Lightcycle Power Run (

) * VelociCoaster (

) * Verbolten ( Busch Gardens Williamsburg) *

Volcano A volcano is commonly defined as a vent or fissure in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most oft ...

( Kings Dominion)(Removed) * Wave Breaker: The Rescue Coaster ( SeaWorld San Antonio) * West Coast Racers ( Six Flags Magic Mountain) * Wicked Twister ( Cedar Point)(Removed) * Xcelerator ( Knott's Berry Farm)

References

External links

Counterweight
launch system on Schwarzkopf rides

launch system on Schwarzkopf rides
Intamin official website
{{Vekoma Types of roller coaster Linear induction motors