Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom

Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom /zuːmɪnˈʒɑːroʊ/ is an amusement ride operating at the Six Flags Great Adventure amusement park in Jackson Township, New Jersey. At 415 feet (126 m) tall, the ride is attached to the existing Kingda Ka roller coaster and stands as the world's tallest drop tower.[1]

Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom
Zumanjaro under construction in 2014
Six Flags Great Adventure
Area	Golden Kingdom
Coordinates	40.140623°N 74.433543°W / 40.140623; -74.433543
Status	Operating
Opening date	July 4, 2014
Replaced	Rolling Thunder
General statistics
Attraction type	Drop tower
Manufacturer	Intamin
Height	415 ft (126 m)
Speed	90 mph (140 km/h)
Vehicles	3
Riders per vehicle	8
Height restriction	48–77 in (122–196 cm)
Flash Pass available
Single rider line available

History

On May 21, 2005, Kingda Ka opened to the public and became the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world at that time, overtaking both world records from Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point.[2][3]

Rumors that Six Flags Great Adventure would be adding a drop tower attached to Kingda Ka, similar to Lex Luthor: Drop of Doom at Six Flags Magic Mountain, emerged in February 2012. In August, theme park enthusiast website Screamscape mentioned that Rolling Thunder may be removed at the end of the 2013 season.[4]

On August 29, 2013, Six Flag's chairman, president, and CEO, Jim Reid-Anderson, officially announced Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom for the 2014 season, which would be attached to Kingda Ka, along with the other new rides to be built at other Six Flags parks.[1][5] In the press release, it was confirmed that Rolling Thunder would close on September 8, 2013, and be demolished. The new ride is inspired by the park's 2013 addition, Safari Off Road Adventure.[6] The area adjacent to the Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom would be a new habitat for African baboons, which will replace the 2011 addition, Safari Discoveries.[7]

On April 1, 2014, the final track piece for the drop tower ride was erected into place by park construction crews.[8] The ride opened to the public on July 4, 2014.[9]

Opening delays

Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom was first slated to open originally during the Memorial Day Weekend of 2014. Two weeks before opening the new attraction along with the reopening of Kingda Ka, Six Flags Great Adventure delayed the opening due to the weather during the construction of the ride with its extreme heights.[10] Despite the delayed opening in late May, Kingda Ka reopened only during the weekends of the summer until the opening of the drop tower. On June 26, 2014, Six Flags Great Adventure announced the opening of the new attraction for the Fourth of July holiday weekend.[11] Hours before the soft-opening of Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom on July 2, 2014, the theme park delayed the opening of the drop tower again for the second time. Six Flags Great Adventure stated that the state of New Jersey had not granted the park the operating permit to open the new drop tower.[12][13] However, two days after the second delayed opening, the park opened the ride to the public on July 4, 2014.[14]

Ride experience

Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom under construction

Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom consists of three free-fall drop attractions, each mounted to a lateral flank of the Kingda Ka structure. Each of the three towers features a single floorless gondola seating eight abreast. Before riding, riders queue along a new African baboon habitat. Riders are harnessed in by over-the-shoulder restraints. Catch cars hoist the gondolas up the tower before reaching a dynamic height of 415 feet (126 m). The gondolas are then released into a fast free-fall descent, attaining a terminal velocity of 90 miles per hour (140 km/h) for six seconds.[1][7] Once at the top of the 415-foot-tall ascent, riders, on a clear day, are able to see Philadelphia, which is 41 miles (66 km) away from the park.[7]

Because of State Law, Zumanjaro and Kingda Ka are prohibited from operating simultaneously.

Statistics

• 415 ft (126 m) tall
• 90 mph (140 km/h)
• Ascends in 30 seconds
• Drops in 10 seconds
• Decelerates at 3.5g
• Three towers built on Kingda Ka
• Eight-person gondolas with 24 riders per cycle
• Three gondolas ascend simultaneously but drop independently
• 5,551 ft (1,692 m) of wire ropes and cables were used to build Zumanjaro, which is equal to 617 jumping ropes.
• 2,490 ft (760 m) of guide rail (track)
• 810 ft (250 m) of linear magnetic brakes
• 62,544 lb (28,369 kg) of drum/motor to lift riders to the top
• 161 different kinds of bolts and a grand total of 26,502 bolts
• The drum/winch mechanism that operates the lift cable is 17 ft (5.2 m) wide by 9 ft (2.7 m) in diameter
• Construction crews added 226,226 lb (102,614 kg) of steel structural reinforcing columns to Kingda Ka to support Zumanjaro.

Other facts

• The name Zumanjaro has African influences
• Riders in certain seats (but not all seats) can see Manhattan when the sky is clear.

Records

Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom holds the record for the tallest and fastest drop tower ride in the world, taking the record from Lex Luthor: Drop of Doom at Six Flags Magic Mountain on July 4, 2014.[1][14]

While Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom is the tallest drop tower, it is not the highest by elevation. The highest by elevation is The Haunted Mine Drop located in Glenwood Springs, CO at 7,160 ft (2,182 m) above sea level. It is also the world's first underground drop ride, plummeting riders 110 ft (34 m) below ground level.

See also

• Lex Luthor: Drop of Doom and The Giant Drop, two other Intamin drop towers that are attached to existing roller coasters

References

1. "New for 2014". Six Flags. August 29, 2013. Archived from the original on September 1, 2013. Retrieved August 29, 2013.
2. Marden, Duane. "Kingda Ka  (Six Flags Great Adventure)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 1, 2013.
3. Marden, Duane. "Six Flags Great Adventure will launch the tallest, fastest roller coaster on earth and new jungle domain with tiger exhibit for 2005". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved September 1, 2013.
4. "Six Flags Great Adventure". Screamscape. Archived from the original on September 1, 2013. Retrieved September 1, 2013.
5. Oglesby, Amanda (August 29, 2013). "New Six Flags ride 'Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom' to feature 90-mph drop". Detroit Free Press. Archived from the original on September 1, 2013. Retrieved September 1, 2013.
6. "Six Flags Great Adventure Announces World Record-Breaking Ride for 2014". Six Flags Great Adventure. August 29, 2013. Archived from the original on September 1, 2013. Retrieved September 1, 2013.
7. "Rolling Thunder to close for world's tallest drop ride at Six Flags". The Asbury Park Press. August 29, 2013. Retrieved September 3, 2013.
8. Mirgoli, Nicholus. "Final Track Piece of Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom Completed on the World's Tallest Drop Tower at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, NJ". ThemeParkOverload.net. Archived from the original on April 15, 2014. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
9. "Great Adventure's 'Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom' ride opens after numerous delays". The Star-Ledger. July 4, 2014. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
10. Dowling, Matt (May 15, 2014). "New 41-story 'Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom' ride opening at Six Flags Great Adventure is delayed". The Star-Ledger. Archived from the original on May 18, 2014. Retrieved July 3, 2014.
11. Kuperinsky, Amy (June 27, 2014). "Back on track: Six Flags' stalled Zumanjaro plunge to open". The Star-Ledger. Archived from the original on July 1, 2014. Retrieved July 3, 2014.
12. "State Officials Reviewing Six Flags Great Adventure's 'Drop Of Doom'". New York CBS Local. July 2, 2014. Archived from the original on July 6, 2014. Retrieved July 3, 2014.
13. "Important Zumanjaro Update: There Will Be No Zumanjaro Today". philebrity.com. July 2, 2014. Archived from the original on July 29, 2014. Retrieved July 3, 2014.
14. "Great Adventure's 'Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom' ride opens after numerous delays". The Star-Ledger. July 4, 2014. Archived from the original on July 8, 2014. Retrieved July 4, 2014.