ArieForce One is luring thrill seekers to its home outside of Atlanta.
Fun Spot America Atlantais having quite the year . Before the peak time of year for kink around the ferris wheel and eating cotton confect hit , the family - run park located 30 moment to the south of Downtown Atlanta instal a raw rolling wave coaster call ArieForce One .
It was n’t just any roll coaster . The new drive in the park ’s card has trailblazing flips and historic stalls that leave you hang upside down — and all that invention has been drawing a steady stream of theme parkland influencers and roller coaster enthusiast from all over to its household in the smooth suburbia of Fayetteville all summer long .
“ It ’s a game - record changer for Fun Spot America Atlanta and has undoubtedly put it on fancier ’ radars , ” say John Stevenson , beginner ofCoaster101.com .
Photo courtesy of Fun Spot America Atlanta
The coaster that is inspiring cross - country flight is special for a turn of reasons . First , it carries quite the pedigree , as it was built by Rocky Mountain Construction ( RMC ) . Widely recognized as an diligence drawing card in roller coaster design , the Idaho - base company is renowned for creating the kind of fun , belligerent , and tight - pace rides that guarantee repeat visits .
“ Anytime Rocky Mountain Construction build a coaster , it ’s a big deal for buff . RMC ’s conception are almost always the top ride in their respective parks , ” take note John Gregory , possessor and editor of theTheme Park Tribune .
The drive micturate history right from the startle , as it takes off on a steep , 83 - level first free fall down a 154 - foot elevator hill , which creates the recollective zero - graveness carrel in the US ( for the uninitiated , a " zero - chiliad stall " brings riders upside down to finger like they are floating ) .
Photo courtesy of Fun Spot America Atlanta
The ride then takes passengers through four inversions , including a first - ever Raven Truss dive in which the track switch rider over and send them propelling in the opposite direction . There are also a pair of zero - sombreness rolls and a 180 - degree stall — not to mention that all of this go on in just 100 seconds of ride clock time while reaching hair - raising hasten up to 64 mi per hour .
“ The coaster ’s pacing is persistent — it ’s blazing - fast from the here and now it leave the lift hill all the manner until it make the brake run , ” pronounce Stevenson , who went on the ride around 10 times during a trailer event in March . “ No inch of rails is waste . rider feel back - to - back chemical element with no reprieve in between . ”
All that thrill cost a pretty penny . At a cost of $ 13 million , ArieForce One is the largest unmarried investment Fun Spot has ever made , but the getting even have been quick — so far this year , the park report it has seen a 33 % attending increase .
Photo courtesy of Fun Spot America Atlanta
“ We bed ArieForce One would attract to our season passholders , coaster enthusiasts , and thrillseekers alike . It ’s a fast , powerfully politic coaster experience unlike any other , ” says John Arie Jr. , owner and CEO of Fun Spot America Theme Parks . The company , which has two Florida locations in Orlando and Kissimmee , is celebrating its twenty-fifth anniversary this year .
Aside from the twists and turns that are putting this coaster on the map as one of the good in the area , those who have experienced the drive say one of its openhanded merchandising points is likely to disappear as word diffuse and it becomes a attraction for enthusiasts .
“ The fact that you may bait it so many metre in a words with almost no waiting makes it peculiarly appealing to the hardcore coaster fan , ” says Gregory . “ Fans are riding it dozens of sentence in a rowing thanks to the parking lot ordinarily having very short waits — you ca n’t do that at other coaster destination like Cedar Point or Kings Island . ”
After just a few months in operation , ArieForce One has already tick off a couple of milestones . In June , the park hosted a coaster partizan event called HUGEapalooza that drew attendees from 35 state and two Canadian state , and by the middle of the month a local resident physician , James Fordham , became the first fan to ride the coaster 1,000 rides .
“ Before ArieForce One , most coaster fans saw no understanding to chit-chat Fun Spot Atlanta unless you were just hunting for supererogatory coaster ‘ credits ’ by sit its two small coasters , ” explain Gregory . “ It turn Fun Spot Atlanta from a skippable green to one that coaster enthusiasts ca n’t miss . Now , it ’s like a coaster partisan attraction , and I would n’t stargaze of going to Atlanta without visiting . ”
