Raptor is a
steel
Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...
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 tr ...
designed by
Bolliger & Mabillard
Bolliger & Mabillard, officially Bolliger & Mabillard Consulting Engineers, Inc. and often abbreviated B&M, is a roller coaster design consultancy based in Monthey, Switzerland. The company was founded in 1988 by Walter Bolliger and Claude Mabil ...
at
Cedar Point
Cedar Point is a amusement park located on a Lake Erie peninsula in Sandusky, Ohio, United States. Opened in 1870, it is considered the second-oldest operating amusement park in the U.S. behind Lake Compounce. Cedar Point is owned and op ...
in
Sandusky, Ohio
Sandusky ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Erie County, Ohio, Erie County, Ohio, United States. Situated along the shores of Lake Erie in the northern part of the state, Sandusky is located roughly midway between Toledo, Ohio, Toledo ( wes ...
, United States. When built in 1994, it broke many records and held many firsts when it opened. Instead of having a short layout designed to fit into a compact area like
Batman: The Ride, Raptor was designed with a larger, 3,790-foot (1,160 m) layout, making it the tallest, fastest and longest inverted roller coaster in the world when it opened. It features six inversions, including a
cobra roll, a first for inverted roller coasters.
The ride is themed as a
bird of prey
Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and other smaller birds). In addition to speed and strength, these predators h ...
.
History
On August 19, 1993,
Cedar Fair Entertainment Company
Cedar Fair, L.P., formally Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, is a publicly traded master limited partnership headquartered at its Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio. The company owns and operates eleven amusement parks, nine included-w ...
filed a trademark for the name Raptor.
Raptor was then announced on September 1, 1993 during a press conference. Regarding the design of the attraction, Cedar Point management said: "Raptor will be the most exciting and ambitious project ever ... a project that will challenge the boundaries of imagination and change the Sandusky, Ohio amusement park/resort like nothing before it."
Construction started after the 1993 season with the site clearing of the
Mill Race
A mill race, millrace or millrun, mill lade (Scotland) or mill leat (Southwest England) is the current of water that turns a water wheel, or the channel ( sluice) conducting water to or from a water wheel. Compared with the broad waters of a mi ...
log flume
A log flume is a watertight flume constructed to transport lumber and logs down mountainous terrain using flowing water. Flumes replaced horse- or oxen-drawn carriages on dangerous mountain trails in the late 19th century. Logging operations pre ...
water ride. The
Midway Carousel and
Calypso were relocated in October to other areas of the park to make room for Raptor. Footers also began to be poured that month. The lift hill was topped off in December with track construction continuing through January 1994. The first trains were tested about two months later in March. Final preparations were made in March with the entrance plaza being built and of
midway replaced.
Media day was held on May 6 before the ride opened to the public the next day for the first time. The ride was originally painted with dark green supports, bright green track and unpainted rails. It was repainted for the 2002 season and the rails were painted dark green, matching the supports. It was repainted again before the start of the 2016 season.
Ride experience
Raptor is located on three acres (1.2 ha) at the front of the park near
Blue Streak
Blue Streak or Bluestreak may refer to:
Entertainment
* ''Blue Streak'' (album), a 1995 album by American blues guitarist Luther Allison
* Blue Streak (comics), a secret identity used by three separate Marvel Comics supervillains
* Bluestreak (co ...
. The ride travels over the pathway to Blue Streak then passes by the Cadillac Cars and Cedar Downs Racing Derby.
Layout
The ride begins with a left-hand turn out of the
station to the
lift hill
A lift hill, or chain hill, is an upward-sloping section of track on a roller coaster on which the roller coaster train is mechanically lifted to an elevated point or peak in the track. Upon reaching the peak, the train is then propelled from th ...
that ascends . Riders are pulled up by a 9,000 lb (40 kN) chain lift. At the top, the
train
In rail transport, a train (from Old French , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles that run along a railway track and Passenger train, transport people or Rail freight transport, freight. Trains are typically pul ...
dips slightly into the
pre-drop before turning 90 degrees to the left as it drops down the first hill. From the bottom the train immediately enters 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 ...
. The train then enters a
zero-g roll
Roller coaster elements are the individual parts of roller coaster design and operation, such as a track, hill, loop, or turn. Variations in normal track movement that add thrill or excitement to the ride are often called "thrill elements".
Comm ...
followed by the
cobra roll which inverts riders twice. The cobra roll was a first for inverted roller coasters. After the cobra roll, the train climbs through an upward spiral and enters the
mid-course brake run
A brake run on a roller coaster is any section of track meant to slow or stop a roller coaster train. Brake runs may be located anywhere along the circuit of a coaster and may be designed to bring the train to a complete halt or to simply adjust t ...
. Next, the train dives down to the right transitioning into a brief straight section of track. Riders then enter the first of two
corkscrews which rotates the train 360 degrees to the left. The track straightens briefly again before turning to the right and entering a short dip before taking riders into the second corkscrew. The ride finishes with a 1.5 revolution flat helix where riders encounter strong positive
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 ...
s before making one last left turn into the final
brake run
A brake run on a roller coaster is any section of track meant to slow or stop a roller coaster train. Brake runs may be located anywhere along the circuit of a coaster and may be designed to bring the train to a complete halt or to simply adjust ...
.
One cycle of the ride lasts about 2 minutes and 16 seconds.
Track
The steel track is approximately in length and the height of the lift is approximately . The first drop is . When the coaster first opened, it was painted with dark green supports, bright green track and unpainted rails. 1,500 gallons of paint were used to originally paint it. Raptor was repainted for the 2002 season and the rails were painted dark green, matching the supports.
Most of the 117 sections of track were manufactured by
Clermont Steel Fabricators
Clermont Steel Fabricators (abbreviated as CSF) is a private steel products manufacturing company known for making Bolliger & Mabillard roller coasters. The plant is located in Batavia, Ohio. CSF was founded in 2004 after the closing of Southern ...
in
Batavia, Ohio
Batavia ( ) is a village in and the county seat of Clermont County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,509 at the 2010 census.
Geography
Batavia is located at (39.077332, -84.179160).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the ...
.
The roller coaster was repainted again for the 2016 season with its original colors.
Trains
Raptor operates with three steel and fiberglass trains. Each train has eight cars that have four seats in a single row for a total of 32 riders in
Ski lift
A ski lift is a mechanism for transporting skiers up a hill. Ski lifts are typically a paid service at ski resorts. The first ski lift was built in 1908 by German Robert Winterhalder in Schollach/Eisenbach, Hochschwarzwald.
Types
* Aerial l ...
like trains. Riders are secured by an over the shoulder restraint with a locking belt.
The trains were manufactured in Switzerland at Bolliger & Mabillard's headquarters.
Operation
Raptor is adversely affected by unfavorable weather conditions as both a high altitude and high velocity ride. "Rain, high winds, and/or lightning" may result in the closing of the ride depending on the severity. It closes in high winds and any type of precipitation.
There is no minimum age requirement, but passengers must meet the minimum height requirement of to ride.
Some persons over a certain weight/waist size are not permitted to ride if the seat and lap bar harness cannot accommodate them.
Passengers on Raptor may not bring any loose articles onto the train and are required to wear shirts and footwear. Headphones must be removed before boarding.
Passengers are advised that they must not ride Raptor if they have "a history of recent surgery, heart trouble/high blood pressure, neck trouble, back trouble, or any other condition that may be aggravated by riding, or who are pregnant".
Incidents
On July 6, 2009, a guest complained of feeling faint after the ride. Raptor was immediately shut down as the guest was transported to a local hospital. The ride remained closed for the remainder of the day, reopening the next afternoon after a thorough inspection was completed. The guest was later released from the hospital.
On June 21, 2015, a 37-year-old man's leg was gashed by the ride's loading platform gates. He was taken to a local hospital where his wound was sutured.
On August 13, 2015, a 45-year-old man was struck by a moving train after entering the ride's restricted area to retrieve a cell phone he lost while riding. He was pronounced dead on scene shortly after paramedics' arrival. The ride was immediately closed for inspection and reopened the next day.
Awards
''
Amusement Today
''Amusement Today'' is a monthly periodical that features articles, news, pictures and reviews about all things relating to the amusement park industry, including parks, rides, and ride manufacturers. The trade newspaper, which is based in Arli ...
'' magazine's
Golden Ticket Awards
''Amusement Today'' is a monthly periodical that features articles, news, pictures and reviews about all things relating to the amusement park industry, including parks, rides, and ride manufacturers. The trade newspaper, which is based in Arli ...
ranked Raptor among the top 50 steel coasters in the world every year from 1998 to 2014.
References
External links
Cedarpoint.com - Official Raptor pageRaptor DocumentaryRoller Coaster Philosophy review of RaptorRaptorat Coaster-Net
Raptor Photo Galleryat The Point Online
{{S-end
Cedar Point
Roller coasters introduced in 1994
Roller coasters operated by Cedar Fair
Roller coasters in Ohio
Inverted roller coasters manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard