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Guests not only notice but appreciate the change.
“Our guests’ reactions have been quite positive,” reports Howarth, “with some diehard fans riding more than 20 times in a day when we had it in member-exclusive previews. Since opening to the wider public, Firebird is consistently among our highest-ridden rides and certainly has eclipsed Apocalypse. Firebird offers a more comfortable riding position with a much simpler boarding process and a smoother ride, and our Guests have quickly taken note.”
Impacting the park Located in the Chesapeake section of the park, Firebird is 100 feet (30 m) tall with a 90 foot (27 m) drop, two inversions, and a top speed of 55 mph (89 kph), giving riders the sensation of being airborne with nothing beneath their feet but the wind. Additional highlights include two new state-of-the-art, sit-down floorless trains, multiple high-banked curves with a high-speed carousel and corkscrew rolls, a twisted airtime hill, and an adrenaline pumping figure-eight finale. Howarth has ridden, of course. “I was on the very first train
to carry riders! For me, the best part is knowing that our guests will see Firebird as a ‘must-ride’ versus its predecessor, which for many was a ‘won’t-ride.’ Firebird is a smoother ride than Apocalypse. It also places riders closer to the track, which enhances the sensation of speed. Finally, the trains themselves are shorter than Apocalypse’s, which means they snap through manoeuvres a bit more quickly with less push- and-pull motion. From an operations and maintenance standpoint, Firebird is certainly an improvement—faster to load and with trains and a control system that are brand new.”
The ride experience changed when Apocalypse morphed
into Firebird. Howarth suggests that “since riders are closer to the track versus the taller stand-up riding position, any jostling is kept to a minimum as a result. We asked for a smoother, thrilling, marketable new ride experience, and the entire team involved—B&M, Consign, Six Flags Corporate Engineering, and Ride Entertainment Systems—certainly delivered.” The introduction of Firebird is expected to impact the park.
According to Howarth, they are looking for a lift in attendance for 2019, and with its prominence in the centre of the park, a lift in per-caps at the nearby Retail and Culinary locations. They completely revamped the ride’s exit shop, we added ride photo, and opened a new bar directly across from the ride. He believes all of these new offerings will benefit from the additional traffic the new ride brings both into the park and to the ride’s immediate area. “Firebird is a great example of the investments we’re
making in Six Flags America to respond to our guests’ requests,” Howarth concluded. “If (other park operators) find you have an attraction or an asset that’s underperforming—be it ridership throughput numbers, guest satisfaction scores, revenue and per cap figures, or aesthetic considerations—by all means look at it as an opportunity. Firebird is a marketable means of making just such an improvement in the park.”
Six Flags America thanks B&M
for the Thrills Six Flags America has said its final goodbyes and thanks for the thrills to an old friend – the original B&M lead coaster train on Apocalypse, Firebird’s predecessor, has been sent back as a gift to B&M. June 26 also marked the 30th anniversary of Six Flags signing a contract with B&M for what would become Iron Wolf and its very first coaster installation. May the thrills and great relationship continue. Apocalypse: The Last Stand
reigned as the only stand-up roller coaster in Maryland and since its 2012 debut had given more than 1.6 million rides. Final rides were offered on September 8, 2018. During its debut at Six Flags Great America where it originated as Iron Wolf, it was billed as the tallest and fastest stand up roller coaster in the world. This year Apocalypse made way for Firebird at Six Flags America.
SEPTEMBER 2019
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