Magic Flyer (roller coaster)
Magic Flyer is a small, oval-circuit steel roller coaster made by Bradley and Kaye that opened in 1971. The coaster is located in the Whistlestop Park area of Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California. It was an unknown-named coaster at the former Beverly Park prior to operating at Magic Mountain.
| Magic Flyer | |
|---|---|
| Previously known as Clown Coaster, Wile E. Coyote Coaster, Goliath Jr., Percy's Railway | |
 Magic Flyer, when it was known as Percy's Railway. | |
| Six Flags Magic Mountain | |
| Park section | Whistlestop Park |
| Coordinates | 34.424861°N 118.595918°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Opening date | May 29, 1971 |
| Beverly Park | |
| Coordinates | 34°07′18″N 118°25′05″W |
| Status | Relocated to Six Flags Magic Mountain |
| Opening date | 1946 or later |
| Closing date | 1970 |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel – Kiddie |
| Manufacturer | Bradley and Kaye |
| Designer | Chance Rides |
| Model | Little Dipper |
| Track layout | Oval |
| Lift/launch system | Chain lift hill |
| Height | 10 ft (3.0 m) |
| Length | 350 ft (110 m) |
| Speed | 10 mph (16 km/h) |
| Inversions | 0 |
| Duration | 0:30 |
| Max vertical angle | 1° |
| Capacity | 360 riders per hour |
| G-force | 2.1 |
| Trains | Single train with 3 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 12 riders per train. |
| Height Restriction | 54 in (140 cm) or shorter to ride |
| Magic Flyer at RCDB Pictures of Magic Flyer at RCDB | |
History
Magic Flyer was originally located at Beverly Park in the 1940s.[1] It was relocated to Six Flags Magic Mountain in 1971 where it began operation as Clown Coaster. In the 1984-1985 off-season the ride was renamed and rethemed to Wile E. Coyote Coaster to suit the theme of the nearby Bugs Bunny World.[2][3]
In 1998, the roller coaster closed for 3 years to be redesigned to look like the larger Goliath roller coaster, located in the same park. The old supports were replaced with supports that resembled those found on the Goliath and the trains were rebuilt from the chassis up. It was repainted with Goliath's color scheme and given the name Goliath Jr. (Goliath Junior) to reopen in 2001.[2][3]
In the 2007-2008 off-season Goliath Jr. was rethemed to Percy's Railway to match Six Flags Magic Mountain's new kids zone, Thomas Town. Similarly to the Goliath Jr. makeover, the cars were rebuilt to resemble Percy the Small Engine (the leading car) and his Troublesome Trucks (the two following cars), all from the television series Thomas & Friends.[2][3][4]
In late 2010, Six Flags began the process of removing licensed theming from attractions. They terminated several licenses including that for Thomas the Tank Engine. The Thomas Town at Six Flags Magic Mountain has been renamed and rethemed to Whistlestop Park which reopened on March 19, 2011.[5] Percy's Railway was now again rethemed and renamed to Magic Flyer.[6][7]
Ride
The train exits out of the station and directly ascends the 10-foot-tall (3.0 m) lift hill. The track then makes a small dip before navigating a 180° turn to the left. A second small dip is followed by another ascent before making a second 180° turn to the left and returning to the station.
References
- Marden, Duane. "unknown (Beverly Park)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 15 March 2011.
- Marden, Duane. "Percy's Railway (Six Flags Magic Mountain)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 15 March 2011.
- "Magic Mountain kiddie-coaster makeover". (Percy's Railway arrives at Six Flags, Valencia). LA Times. 18 January 2008. Retrieved 21 December 2010.
- Sanchez350 (25 August 2008). "Percy's Railway Offride Clip". YouTube. Retrieved 7 October 2008.
- MacDonald, Brady (25 November 2010). "Six Flags amusement parks prepare for thematic makeovers". LA Times. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
- MacDonald, Brady (January 18, 2011). "Five 'new' coasters coming to Six Flags Magic Mountain? Not so fast". News Article. LA Times.
- "Percy's Railway Gets A New Name At Six Flags Magic Mountain". The Coaster Guy. 12 March 2011. Retrieved 14 March 2011.