Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom

Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom is a drop tower operating at the Six Flags Great Adventure amusement park in Jackson Township, New Jersey. At 415 ft tall, the ride is attached to the existing Kingda Ka roller coaster and stands as the world's tallest drop tower.

History
On May 21, 2005, Kingda Ka opened to the public and became the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world at that time, overtaking both world records from Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point.

Rumors that Six Flags Great Adventure would be adding a drop tower attached to Kingda Ka, similar to Lex Luthor: Drop of Doom at Six Flags Magic Mountain, emerged in February 2012. In August, theme park enthusiast website Screamscape mentioned that Rolling Thunder may be removed at the end of the 2013 season.

On August 29, 2013, Six Flag's chairman, president, and CEO, Jim Reid-Anderson, officially announced Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom for the 2014 season, which would be attached to Kingda Ka, along with the other new rides to be built at other Six Flags parks. In the press release, it was confirmed that Rolling Thunder would close on September 8, 2013, and be demolished. The new ride is inspired by the park's 2013 addition, Safari Off Road Adventure. The area adjacent to the Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom would be a new habitat for African baboons, which will replace the 2011 addition, Safari Discoveries.

On April 1, 2014, the final track piece for the drop tower ride was erected into place by park construction crews.

The ride opened to the public on July 4, 2014.

Opening delays
Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom was first slated to open originally during the Memorial Day Weekend of 2014. Two weeks before opening the new attraction along with the reopening of Kingda Ka, Six Flags Great Adventure delayed the opening due to the weather during the construction of the ride with its extreme heights. Despite the delayed opening in late May, Kingda Ka reopened only during the weekends of the summer until the opening of the drop tower. On June 26, 2014, Six Flags Great Adventure announced the opening of the new attraction for the Fourth of July holiday weekend. Hours before the soft-opening of Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom on July 2, 2014, the theme park delayed the opening of the drop tower again for the second time. Six Flags Great Adventure stated that the state of New Jersey had not granted the park the operating permit to open the new drop tower. However, two days after the second delayed opening, the park opened the ride to the public on July 4, 2014.

Ride experience
Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom consists of three free-fall drop attractions, each mounted to a lateral flank of the Kingda Ka structure. Each of the three towers features a single floorless gondola seating eight abreast. Before riding, riders queue along a new African baboon habitat. Riders are harnessed in by over-the-shoulder restraints. Catch cars hoist the gondolas up the tower before reaching a dynamic height of 415 ft. The gondolas are then released into a fast free-fall descent, attaining a terminal velocity of 90 mph for six seconds. Once at the top of the 415-foot-tall ascent, riders, on a clear day, are able to see Philadelphia, which is 52 mi away from the park.

Facts

 * Tied for tallest drop ride in the world;
 * 415 feet;
 * 90 mph;
 * Ascend in 30 seconds;
 * Drop in 10 seconds;
 * Decelerates at 3.5g;
 * Three towers built on Kingda Ka;
 * Eight-person gondolas with 24 riders per cycle;
 * Three gondolas ascend simultaneously but drop independently;
 * Taller than London's Big Ben and twice as tall as the Statue of Liberty;
 * 5,551 feet of wire ropes and cables were used to build Zumanjaro. Equal to 617 jumping ropes;
 * 2,490 feet of guide rail (track) if laid end to end, is taller than the Eiffel Tower stacked on top of the Empire State Building;
 * 810 feet of linear magnetic brakes - equal to the height of the Great Sphinx reclining on top of the Golden Gate Bridge;
 * 62,544 pounds of drum/motor to lift riders to the top —equal to the weight of 500 car motors;
 * 161 different kinds of bolts and a grand total of 26,502 bolts were used to build Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom;
 * The drum/winch mechanism that operates the lift cable is 17 feet wide by 9 feet in diameter — the size of a rental moving truck;
 * Construction crews added 226,226 pounds of steel structural reinforcing columns to Kingda Ka to support Zumanjaro — equal to the weight of 32 massive Africa elephants;
 * The name Zumanjaro has African influences;
 * Riders can see Downtown Philadelphia when the sky is clear;
 * Opened on July 4, 2014.

Records
Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom holds the record for the tallest and fastest drop tower ride in the world, taking the record from Lex Luthor: Drop of Doom at Six Flags Magic Mountain on July 4, 2014.

While Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom is the tallest drop tower, it is not the highest by elevation. The Big Shot located atop the 921 ft high deck of the Stratosphere Tower in Las Vegas, blasts riders 160 ft upwards to an elevation of 1089 ft.