The Bat (Kings Island)
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| The Bat | |
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| Location | Kings Island |
|---|---|
| Type | Steel - Suspended |
| Status | Closed 1984 Removed 1986 |
| Opened | April 21, 1981 |
| Manufacturer | Arrow Dynamics |
| Model | Suspended Coaster |
| Height | 102 feet (31.1 m) |
| Length | 2,456 feet (748.6 m) |
| Max speed | 34 mile per hour (54.7 km/h) |
| Inversions | 0 |
| Duration | 2:30 |
| Cost | $3.8 million |
| The Bat at RCDB | |
| Pictures of The Bat at RCDB | |
The Bat was a steel suspended roller coaster that operated from April 1981 to 1983 at Kings Island in Kings Mills, Ohio. The Bat was the world's first suspended roller coaster. The ride was only open sporadically, and was closed in 1984 due to numerous design problems. On November 9, 1984, park officials announced the ride would be dismantled, and over the next two years, the ride was removed. The problems included excessive stress on the support springs due to the unbanked curved track sections and stress on the wheels because the brakes were mounted at bottom of the swinging cars.
Arrow Dynamics went on to perfect the suspended coaster, starting with Busch Gardens Williamsburg Big Bad Wolf. Then it was Six Flags Astroworld's XLR-8 in 1984, and returning to Kings Island in 1993 with Top Gun. Neither quite as fast nor as intense as The Bat, but still popular rides which continue to thrill riders today. Vortex, an Arrow Dynamics steel coaster, now occupies The Bat's former location and uses the same station building. Several trace remnants of The Bat are still visible, such as concrete footings, access stairs, the queue line, and clearance holes in Vortex's storage shed doors, originally cut for The Bat's track.
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