Flashback (roller coaster)

Flashback was a steel roller coaster made by Intamin of Switzerland. The coaster was located in the Six Flags Plaza area of Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California.

Six Flags Great America (1985–1987)
Flashback first opened in 1985 at Six Flags Great America (at Gurnee, Illinois) as Z-Force and was the only "Space Dive" coaster. In 1987, the ride was closed. The site was later used for a Bolliger & Mabillard stand-up roller coaster named Iron Wolf.

Six Flags Over Georgia (1988–1990)
Following the ride's closure at Six Flags Great America, it was relocated to Six Flags Over Georgia, west of Atlanta. It opened in 1988 before closing two years later in 1990.

Six Flags Magic Mountain (1992–2007)
The ride's final relocation was to Six Flags Magic Mountain in California. As part of the relocation, the ride was renamed from Z-Force to Flashback. It opened at the park in 1992.

In 2003, the ride was closed and remained standing but not operating until 2007. On January 23, 2007, the park announced that Flashback would be removed along with Psyclone. Originally, the park stated that Flashback may be re-built within the park for 2008, however it was dismantled and scrapped in December 2007.

Ride experience
Flashback was the world's only hairpin-drop roller coaster, with 6 head-over-heels dives and a 540-degree upward spiral. It was all packed into a relatively small area with 1900 ft of track stacked above each other. The drops were severe, producing a free-fall experience on the plunges; fast steel switchbacks connected the turns just before trains flew into the gravity-defying upward spiral. Trains reached a max of 35 mph, with a 3-g force on the one and a half minute ride.

Trains
The ride featured three trains, each with five cars. Each car featured riders arranged 4 across for a total of 20 riders per train. The trains were manufactured by Giovanola.