Boomerang is a model of roller coaster manufactured and designed by

Vekoma Vekoma Rides Manufacturing is a Dutch amusement ride manufacturer. Vekoma is syllabic abbreviation of Veld Koning Machinefabriek (Veld Koning Machine Factory) which was established in 1926 by Hendrik op het Veld. History The company originally m ...

, a

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

manufacturer. The roller coaster model name is from the hunting implement based on the traditions of the

Indigenous Australians Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...

. there are 55 Boomerangs operating. The roller coaster model was created in the early 1980s and was first introduced at four different parks around the world in 1984.

Design and ride experience

The Boomerang consists of a single train with seven cars, capable of carrying 28 passengers. The ride begins when the train is pulled backwards from the station and up the first lift hill by a catchcar. After being released, the train passes through the station, enters a Cobra roll element (referred to as a boomerang by the designers) and then travels through a

vertical loop The generic roller coaster vertical loop, where a section of track causes the riders to complete a 360 degree turn, is the most basic of roller coaster inversions. At the top of the loop, riders are completely inverted. History The vertical ...

. After being pulled up a second lift hill, the train is released to head backwards through each inversion once more, making the total number of inversions per ride six. The train slows down as it passes through the station backwards and then comes to a complete stop in the station. This coaster model is popular among many amusement parks in the United States, but it has appeared at amusement parks around the world. Boomerang coasters have occasionally stalled, often in the Cobra Roll element. As a precaution, many Boomerang coasters are built with an access platform just under the Cobra Roll/Boomerang element. During the reverse cycle, riders experience a

g force The gravitational force equivalent, or, more commonly, g-force, is a measurement of the type of force per unit mass – typically acceleration – that causes a perception of weight, with a g-force of 1 g (not gram in mass measure ...

of up to 5.2 when the train re-enters the vertical loop at 47 miles per hour. In back row of the train - the first to enter the loop - this represents one of the most forceful moments seen in steel rollercoaster design.

Variant designs

There are three main design variants based on the Boomerang layout, all of which are produced by Vekoma. Invertigo At Great America

Invertigo

The first variant of the Boomerang is the Invertigo. While retaining the same layout as the Boomerang, the Invertigo has inverted track, turning it into an

inverted roller coaster An inverted roller coaster is a roller coaster in which the train runs under the track with the seats directly attached to the wheel carriage. This latter attribute is what sets it apart from the older suspended coaster, which runs under the t ...

. Each car has two rows of seats that are back-to-back, so the riders in the back row of each car would be facing those in the front of the trailing car. The first Invertigo, ''HangOver'' at

Liseberg Liseberg is an amusement park located in Gothenburg, Sweden, that opened in 1923. It is one of the most visited amusement parks in Scandinavia, attracting about three million visitors annually. Among the noteworthy attractions is the wooden roll ...

in Gothenburg, Sweden was supposed to open in 1996 with a new

linear induction motor A linear induction motor (LIM) is an alternating current (AC), asynchronous linear motor that works by the same general principles as other induction motors but is typically designed to directly produce motion in a straight line. Characteristica ...

(LIM) or LSM lift. However, development problems delayed the ride's opening to 1997, and the design was remade to include a traditional chain lift like the original Boomerang. Only four Invertigo models were ever built.

Giant Inverted Boomerang

The second design is known as both the Giant Inverted Boomerang and the Super Invertigo. While maintaining a similar layout to the Boomerang, the track is again inverted and the size of the ride is increased. The track is longer, the two lift hills are almost taller and both hills are vertical. As of 2022, four Giant Inverted Boomerangs operate and one was under construction.

Family Boomerang

In late 2010, Vekoma announced that they would be manufacturing a family-friendly model of the Boomerang. The prototype opened at

Drayton Manor Theme Park Drayton Manor Resort is a family theme park, zoo and accommodation in the grounds of the former Drayton Manor, in Drayton Bassett, Staffordshire, England, UK. It covers , of which about are in use, and hosts about 1.5 million people each yea ...

, as “Ben 10 - Ultimate Mission”, in April 2011; it was later renamed to Accelerator. Another model debuted on 17 May 2016 as “Velociraptor”, in the ‘Lost Kingdom’ themed area of

Paultons Park Paultons Park is an amusement park located in the New Forest National Park, near the village of Ower, in Hampshire, England, with over 70 rides and attractions. The Peppa Pig World themed area is based on the children's animated television ser ...

. Unlike the other Boomerang roller coasters, a Family Boomerang does not feature inversions, but it still retains a similar shuttle design. The ride features the two signature end-spikes on (more or less) a figure-8 track layout.

Phantasialand Phantasialand is a theme park in Brühl, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany that attracts approximately 2 million visitors annually. The park was opened in 1967 by Gottlieb Löffelhardt and Richard Schmidt. Although starting as a family-oriented p ...

added the world's largest family boomerang, “

Raik Raik is a boomerang steel roller coaster manufactured by Vekoma Vekoma Rides Manufacturing is a Dutch amusement ride manufacturer. Vekoma is syllabic abbreviation of Veld Koning Machinefabriek (Veld Koning Machine Factory) which was establish ...

”, in 2016. This debuted in the new themed area of ‘Klugheim’, accompanying the adjacent Taron (an Intamin Blitz coaster).

Layouts

Ride locations

References

External links

Listing
of Boomerang roller coasters at RCDB
Listing
of Invertigo roller coasters at RCDB
Listing
of Giant Inverted Boomerang roller coasters at RCDB
Detailed Technical Article about Boomerang Roller Coasters

Boomerang official website

Family Boomerang official website
{{Rollercoaster tracks Knott's Berry Farm Former roller coasters in California Steel roller coasters Mass-produced roller coasters Roller coasters manufactured by Vekoma Roller coasters operated by Cedar Fair Roller coasters introduced in 1984 Vekoma Roller coasters in the Netherlands