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This week, during the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) Expo, Intamin released video of what the world’s tallest, fastest, and longest roller coaster, Falcon’s Flight, is going to look like.
Falcon’s Flight, which is scheduled to open at Six Flags Qiddiya in Saudi Arabia sometime in 2024, is referred to as the world’s first “Exa Coaster.”
It will be the first roller coaster to go over 500 feet in height with a massive 640 foot drop and will reach a top speed of 156 mph.
The current record holder for height at 456 feet is Kingda Ka, located at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey.
For reference, the Gateway Arch in St. Louis is 630 feet tall, the Washington Monument is 555 feet tall, and the Statue of Liberty is 305 feet tall.
The current record holder for speed, Formula Rossa at Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, reaches a speed of 149 mph and requires riders to wear safety goggles.
The train on Falcon’s Flight, which will soar over an actual Formula 1 race track, will seat 14 people, two in the front car and four each in the remaining three cars, with each row sporting its own windshield, removing the need to wear goggles.
It will traverse more than 13,000 feet of track, or almost a mile longer than the current world record holder, Steel Dragon 2000 at Japan’s Nagashima Spa Land.
“Rollercoaster fans around the world have been eagerly anticipating this ride since it was announced as there is nothing quite like it anywhere else,” said Qiddiya’s Chief Executive Officer, Philippe Gas.
“Now we are in the design stage with the experts at Intamin and the engineering team at Six Flags, the excitement is building! Falcon’s Flight will dominate the skyline at Qiddiya weave all the way around our destination, right out of the theme park, up the cliffside, and down the cliff face – the greatest drop of any ride in the world; it won’t be for the fainthearted.”