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Thunderbird
T
he world’s first B&M launched wing coaster has taken flight over Holiday World, Santa Claus, Indiana. Thunderbird Featuring a zero to 60-miles- per-hour (97km/h) launch in 3.5 seconds followed by multiple inversions, the $22 million attraction represents the park’s biggest ever ride investment by some distance. Paul Ruben discovers how a ‘little park in the cornfields’ is bracing itself for a busy season with the arrival of Thunderbird
A wing coaster? For Holiday World? “Our Guests have been asking for a Steel Coaster for a long time, and we listen to our guests,” contents the park’s president and CEO, Matt Eckert. “We first started having serious discussions about a steel coaster more than eight years ago. (The late) Will Koch very much so wanted to take Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari [our sister waterpark] to a new level by bringing in an attraction like this. We kept our eye on the industry, waiting for what we felt would provide the most guest satisfaction. A wing coaster felt like the right choice. It
Holiday World president and CEO, Matt Eckert
40 JULY 2015
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