Sky Rocket

Sky Rocket is a steel roller coaster located at Kennywood amusement park in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh. It is the first coaster erected at the park since the renovation of the Steel Phantom into the Phantom's Revenge in 2001; it also marks the return of a roller coaster that features inversions. It was completed in the late spring of 2010 and after a period of testing opened at the end of June. In 2017, it was announced that starting from the 2018 season, riders could have the option of using a virtual reality headset when riding.[1]

Sky Rocket
Kennywood Park
Location	Kennywood Park
Coordinates	40°23′11″N 79°51′53″W
Status	Operating
Opening date	June 29, 2010
General statistics
Type	Steel
Manufacturer	Premier Rides
Lift/launch system	Linear Synchronous Motor
Height	95 ft (29 m)
Length	2,100 ft (640 m)
Speed	50 mph (80 km/h)
Inversions	3
Duration	1:05
Max vertical angle	90°
Acceleration	0 to 50 mph (0 to 80 km/h) in 3.0 seconds
G-force	0.8
Height restriction	52 in (132 cm)
Trains	2 trains with 2 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 3 rows for a total of 12 riders per train.
Sky Rocket at RCDB Pictures of Sky Rocket at RCDB

The Sky Rocket occupies the ground formerly held by the Turnpike near the entrance to the park; the Turnpike ride is expected to return to the park in the future in a modified state.

Ride experience

After exiting the station, the train turns 180 degrees. It then lines up with the launch motors and is accelerated from 0-50 mph (80 km/h) in 3 seconds. It goes up a 95-foot top hat element (without changing direction) into a cutback inversion, which is two half-corkscrews joined together in opposite directions so that the train exits moving 180 degrees from the direction it entered. It goes straight into a Zero-G Roll followed by a 180 degree upwards curve into the mid-course brake run. it comes almost to a complete stop only to plummet to the ground with a near-vertical drop. It goes into a low over-banked turn under the cutback, followed by a corkscrew over another piece of track, creating a head-chopper effect. It goes into another over-banked turn, followed by a series of S-curves to add to the excitement. It does one more 180 degree turn into a series of bunny hops going under the corkscrew. It does one final twist straight into the final brake run.

Trains

The trains are painted red and black with the "Sky Rocket" logo on the front, and each train has 2 cars. The ride also features a harness system, which locks riders in at the waist rather than the shoulders. This gives riders a sense of mobility not usually felt in coasters featuring inversions.

Notability

Sky Rocket is a powered launch coaster using linear synchronous motors, a first for Premier Rides designs.

It is also one of only fourteen coasters in the world to feature a cutback inversion, Space Mountain: Mission 2 at Disneyland Paris and SpongeBob SquarePants Rock Bottom Plunge at Nickelodeon Universe are a few other examples.

The ride was SBNO (Standing But Not Operating) during 2018 and the early part of 2019. Park maintenance confirmed that they were having some issues with the generator and that they did not have an estimated date for reopening the ride at the time.

The ride re-opened on July 14, 2019, after Kennywood announced via a Facebook video that the Sky Rocket would once again be open to riders.[2]

Awards

Golden Ticket Awards: Best New Ride for 2010
Ranking	3[3]

Golden Ticket Awards: Top Steel Roller Coasters

Year	2010	2011
Ranking	17[4]	44[5]

See also

• Superman: Ultimate Flight (Six Flags Discovery Kingdom), another Premier Rides roller coaster which is considered, by the manufacturer, as Sky Rocket's successor[6]

References

[7][8][9]

1. Crawley, Dave (April 26, 2017). "Virtual Reality Goggles Offer Sky Rocket Riders New Experience At Kennywood". CBS Pittsburgh. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
2. "Word on the midway is that Sky Rocket is ready for riders!". Kennywood Park on Facebook. Retrieved July 14, 2019.
3. "Amusement Today – Golden Ticket Awards 2010" (PDF). Amusement Today. 14 (6.2): 4. September 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved July 16, 2017.
4. "Top 50 Steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 14 (6.2): 38–39. September 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved October 2, 2018.
5. "Top 50 Steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 15 (6.2): 46–47. September 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved October 2, 2018.
6. Premier Rides (July 18, 2012). "Premier Rides". Facebook. Retrieved August 31, 2012.
7. "Sky Rocket Opens at Kennywood". COASTER-net. July 1, 2010. Retrieved August 31, 2012.
8. "Kennywood Amusement Park". Kennywood. Retrieved August 31, 2012.
9. Merriman, Chris (June 24, 2010). "The Sky Rocket is just days away from giving Kennywood riders some serious 'air time'". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.