November 7, 2011
Launch Coasters appear to be a dime a dozen these days. Every manufacturer has one, so many do not stand out. However, there are some concepts that break the mold- the most notable of which is the Launched Euro-Fighter from Gerstlauer. I had the pleasure of riding their first version of this, at Hansa Park in Germany, this summer. Called “Fluch von Novgorod” the experience is fantastic from start to finish.
Of course, you can’t talk about this ride without first mentioning the theming. FVN has a queue that uses the topography fantastically and guests are sucked into the experience. Walking down into the castle you would never know that below grade to your right are the ride’s launch section and brake run, which sit parallel to one-another. After walking through great theming you enter the boarding area which is dark, feels confined, and has a chandelier that flickers.
After getting in the car the lights dim and the ride is dispatched into a few show rooms. In the last one it is dark, doors open in front of you and the car rolls down a ten-foot drop. The butterflies in the stomach turn to a healthy dose of positive g’s as the LSM system grabs a hold of the car and launches it to over 60 mph (100 kmh). The vehicle turns to the right and bursts out into sunlight. From there, it flies over a great airtime hill, which is quickly followed by another hill where guests are tiled to the side just under 90 degrees. What follows is reminiscent of Magnum XL-200, a pretzel turn-around. After that the ride speeds through a heartline roll, and then is mysteriously slowed.
Here is where the experience gets even more interesting. The ride vehicle is picked up on Gerstlauer’s now-infamous vertical lift and slowly brought to the top. Using the variable-speed drive motor to its fullest, the car “creaks” to the top and slowly rolls into the beyond-vertical drop. In pitch black guests fly down the hill, into an Immelman turn, and then speed through the brake run.
The coaster’s exit is almost as crazy as the Euro-Fighter experience. Guests have to walk through a maze in order to get out of the ride. It truly is one of those “never in America” moments at an amusement park. All-in-all the “Fluch von Novgorod” is a ride experience unlike any other and one not to be missed. Of course, this ride simply set the stage for the even bigger Launched Euro-Fighter that opened at Japan’s Fuji-Q Highlands this year.