Sky Scrapper (also known as Starry Sky Ripper) is a

flying roller coaster A flying roller coaster is a type of steel roller coaster meant to simulate the sensations of flight by harnessing riders in a prone position during the duration of the ride. The roller coaster cars are suspended below the track, with riders sec ...

at World Joyland in Wujin,

Changzhou Changzhou is a prefecture-level city in southern Jiangsu, China. It was previously known as Yanling, Lanling, and Jinling. Located on the southern bank of the Yangtze River, Changzhou borders the provincial capital of Nanjing to the west, Zhen ...

Jiangsu Jiangsu is a coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province in East China. It is one of the leading provinces in finance, education, technology, and tourism, with its capital in Nanjing. Jiangsu is the List of Chinese administra ...

, China. Sky Scrapper was one of World Joyland's opening day attractions, officially opening on April 30, 2011. The ride stands tall, and features a top speed of . Designed by Swiss firm

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 ...

, Sky Scrapper restrains riders in the

prone position Prone position () is a body position in which the person lies flat with the chest down and the back up. In anatomical terms of location, the dorsal side is up, and the ventral side is down. The supine position is the 180° contrast. Etymology T ...

and features five inversions.

History

World Joyland officially opened to the public on April 4, 2011. The park opened with the custom-designed Sky Scrapper, a Flying Coaster model from Bolliger & Mabillard. The ride is located in the Universe of Starship area of the park. The park is derived from the

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and

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franchises.

Characteristics

The roller coaster's steel track is approximately in length and the height of the lift is . Sky Scrapper operates with two steel and fiberglass

trains 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 ...

. Each train has seven cars that seat four riders in a single row, for a total of 28 riders per train. Sky Scrapper features a total of five inversions, which ties it with The Flying Dinosaur for the most inversions on a B&M Flying Coaster model. These include a

zero-g roll Roller coasters are widely known for their drops, inversions, 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 operation and safety ...

, a

vertical loop The generic roller coaster vertical loop, also known as a Loop-the-loop, or a Loop-de-loop, where a section of track causes the riders to complete a 360 degree turn, is the most basic of roller coaster inversions. At the top of the loop, rid ...

, a "Lie to Fly"/"Fly to Lie" pair, and two

inline twist Roller coasters are widely known for their drops, inversions, 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 operation and safety ...

s. A "Lie to Fly" element is when riders are on their backs, facing the sky and they are flipped and face the ground. A "Fly to Lie" element is the opposite. , Sky Scrapper is the only Bolliger & Mabillard Flying Coaster to feature a vertical loop, and is one of only two to feature a zero-g roll.

Experience

Station and loading

Once in 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 ...

, riders of Sky Scrapper board a

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 ...

sitting down, in a similar style to

inverted roller coaster An inverted roller coaster is a type of steel roller coaster in which the train runs under the track with the seats directly attached to the wheel carriage. Riders are seated in open cars, letting their feet swing freely. The inverted coaster wa ...

s. Riders are restrained through a padded over-the-shoulder harness and a lap bar. At the ankles, two flaps hold the legs in position and close as the harness is locked in place. After the train is fully locked and checked, the trains are raised into the flying position and depart the station.

Ride layout

The train travels out of the station and up the

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 t ...

. The train then drops, reaching a top speed of before entering an

overbanked turn Roller coasters are widely known for their drops, inversions, 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 operation and safety ...

. This is followed by a zero-g roll and "Fly-to-Lie" element that turns riders from a face-down prone position to a face-up lying position. It then goes through a small tunnel and enters the vertical loop. Riders are then transitioned back to a prone position after entering the following "Lie-to-Fly" element, which travels over water. Riders then experience a double inline twist element, and a helix that turns to the left. The train enters 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 ...

and follows a short path back to the station.

References

External links

* (Chinese) * {{Commons category-inline Roller coasters in China Flying roller coasters manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard