The Flash (roller coaster)

The Flash is a launched roller coaster located at Six Flags Over Texas, Six Flags Magic Mountain, Six Flags St. Louis, Six Flags Great Adventure and Six Flags México.

History
On August 31, 2017, The Flash was announced at Six Flags Over Texas and Six Flags Magic Mountain.

On August 30, 2018, The Flash was announed at Six Flags St. Louis

On September 3, 2020, The Flash was announced at Six Flags Great Adventure and Six Flags México

Characterics
The Flash is a Sitting Coaster by Swiss firm Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M). The 3700 ft ride features seven inversions including a zero-g roll, a cobra roll, two vertical loops, and two corkscrews. The ride features a maximum height of 110 ft, and a first drop stretching 105 ft. Riders reach a top speed of 67 mph on the 1-minute, 30-second ride. Each of The Flash's trains feature eight cars which seat riders four abreast, giving each train a maximum capacity of 32 riders. Riders, who must be at least 54 in tall, are restrained with ratcheting over-the-shoulder restraints. This train configuration allows the ride to achieve a theoretical hourly capacity of 1,920 riders per hour. The ride features two subterranean dives, is partially built over water, and is illuminated green at night.

A unique launch system propels riders up the 110 ft hill. The system was developed by Universal Creative and MTS Systems Corporation. A prototype launch system was designed by January 2018. The prototype consisted of a series of boxcars welded together to form a launch tunnel. A track-mounted dune buggy was then propelled inside the tunnel through the use of a weight drop launch mechanism. The designers then experimented with different rates of acceleration, each emitting between one and five times the force of gravity. The final system which was implemented on The Flash sees trains launch from 0 to 40 mph in 2 seconds. Riders travel at an angle of 30 degrees through a 150 ft tunnel, pulling 1 G. To power this launch the designers investigated a variety of systems ranging from hydraulic, pneumatic, cable, steam catapult, and conveyor belt. In the end a drive tire system was selected, where 230 electrical motors power a set of tires that pinch the train's underside to provide propulsion. As this system required eight megawatts of power to launch a train, the park built several customized motor generator sets with large flywheels. Without these stored energy units, they would have had to build a whole substation and risk browning-out the local energy grid with every launch. The launch system made The Incredible Hulk the only B&M ride to feature a launch, until Thunderbird opened at Holiday World in 2015. Unlike The Incredible Hulk, Thunderbird uses a Linear Synchronous Motors (LSM) launch system that was designed by B&M.