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King Cobra (Kings Island)
Encyclopedia
The King Cobra was a TOGO
Stand-up roller coaster located at Kings Island
in Mason, Ohio
. It was the first in the world to be designed from the ground up as a stand-up roller coaster. Other stand-up roller coasters that preceded the King Cobra were sit-down models later modified to accommodate stand-up trains. After the ride's manufacturer, TOGO, went out of business in 2001, parts for the ride became more expensive and harder to find. In addition, the ride was losing popularity in recent years. So in April 2002, Paramount Parks
decided to dismantle the King Cobra and put it up for sale. Trains were sent to Kings Island's "graveyard" located at the old Wild Animal Habitat feeding house area next to the Son of Beast. After the ride wouldn't sell, the decision was made in 2008 to transfer some of the ride including the trains to Kings Dominion to be used as spare parts for Shockwave. As of 2010, remnants of the King Cobra can still be spotted in some back areas of Kings Island.
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After being loaded into the 24 passenger stand-up trains, the riders were taken up a 95 feet (29 m) hill, before turning 180 degrees to the right and encountering the first drop. The riders were first welcomed by the vertical loop, which was taken quickly and smoothly. Shortly after, the train climbed up the first camel-back hill, allowing for some floater airtime, then dropped into a 540-degree helix
, which had riders standing almost completely sideways. Upon exiting the helix, the second camel-back hill was encountered and followed by the unique "trick track" section of the ride, where the track was straight, but banked to the left before turning to the right. Before hitting the brake run, the track went over two bunny hills allowing brief moments of airtime before the ride came to a complete stop. The train then turned to the right and was brought back to the station.
TOGO
TOGO was a Japanese roller coaster design company, famous for inventing the stand-up roller coaster. TOGO went bankrupt in the early 2000s due to a lawsuit by Knott's Berry Farm for problems with their Windjammer roller coaster. TOGO is also credited with creating the first working pipeline roller...
Stand-up roller coaster located at Kings Island
Kings Island
Kings Island is a amusement park located northeast of Cincinnati in Mason, Ohio. Opened in 1972 by Taft Broadcasting Company and now owned by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, Kings Island is the most visited seasonal amusement park in the U.S...
in Mason, Ohio
Mason, Ohio
Mason is an affluent city in southwestern Warren County, Ohio, United States, 22 miles away from Cincinnati . As of the 2010 census, Mason's population was 30,712. Mason has experienced fast growth, with its historic Main Street remaining at the center of the community...
. It was the first in the world to be designed from the ground up as a stand-up roller coaster. Other stand-up roller coasters that preceded the King Cobra were sit-down models later modified to accommodate stand-up trains. After the ride's manufacturer, TOGO, went out of business in 2001, parts for the ride became more expensive and harder to find. In addition, the ride was losing popularity in recent years. So in April 2002, Paramount Parks
Paramount Parks
Paramount Parks was an operator of theme parks and attractions, which annually attracted about 13 million patrons. Viacom had assumed control of the company as part of its acquisition of Paramount Pictures in 1994....
decided to dismantle the King Cobra and put it up for sale. Trains were sent to Kings Island's "graveyard" located at the old Wild Animal Habitat feeding house area next to the Son of Beast. After the ride wouldn't sell, the decision was made in 2008 to transfer some of the ride including the trains to Kings Dominion to be used as spare parts for Shockwave. As of 2010, remnants of the King Cobra can still be spotted in some back areas of Kings Island.
Ride experience
Helix
A helix is a type of smooth space curve, i.e. a curve in three-dimensional space. It has the property that the tangent line at any point makes a constant angle with a fixed line called the axis. Examples of helixes are coil springs and the handrails of spiral staircases. A "filled-in" helix – for...
, which had riders standing almost completely sideways. Upon exiting the helix, the second camel-back hill was encountered and followed by the unique "trick track" section of the ride, where the track was straight, but banked to the left before turning to the right. Before hitting the brake run, the track went over two bunny hills allowing brief moments of airtime before the ride came to a complete stop. The train then turned to the right and was brought back to the station.
Clones and similar attractions
There are three roller coasters, all of which are still operating, that are similar in design to King Cobra.- SkyRider at Canada's Wonderland is a duplicate of King Cobra, and was built in 1985, the year after the original was opened.
- Shockwave at Kings Dominion has a similar layout until the second camel-back hill, where instead of a trick track and a turn to the right, the ride immediately turns to the left and goes over one bunny hill before entering the brake run.
- Star Jet at Washuzan Highland is also similar until the second camelback hill. The trick track is replaced by a bunny hill, which then leads to the right turn and the second bunny hill before the brake run. Star Jet also opened as a sit-down roller coaster, but at some point one train was replaced by a stand-up train and another was turned backwards.