Coaster Types Steel Coasters Steel Looping
| Traditional Looping Coaster |
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| a.k.a Looper, loop-de-loop coaster, Zyklon/Cyclone Looper... The first looping coasters appeared in the mid-late 19th Century.The proved hugely unsuccessful though, as the loops were circular in design. A circular loop requires the cars to take it very fast which has the effect of "snapping" as it roars around the loop. Riders found themselves coming off with very sore necks (at best) and the loop was deemed something of a failure.
In the 1970's, engineer Werner Stengel calculated the perfect angles for a loop. Stengel discovered that the trick to a safe vertical loop was a clothoid shape ("teardrop" shape). This shape places the tightest part of the loop at the top, allowing for a gradual entry to the loop, quick flip over, and a gradual exit. This greatly reduced the speed necessary to complete the loop, and thus minimized forces that had previously caused looping coasters problems. This was to prove a "revolution" in the history of roller coaster design.
For our purposes here, a "traditional" looping coaster is one which bases the focus of the ride on vertical loops.
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| The Original |
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The looping coaster 'Revolution' at Six Flags Magic Mountain was the first successful looping coaster, and the first steel looping coaster. Opened in 1976, the ride paved the way for all modern "inverting" coasters. Schwartzkopf made a multitude of exciting and intense coasters revolving around multitudes of loops. For Schwartzkopf, the loop was the centrepiece to "modern" coasters.. |
| Variations |
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 Pinfari Zyklon/Cyclone Looping
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