JACKSON, NJ – March 28, 2014 – Only four pieces of track remain on the ground today, the final orange components to Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom, the world’s tallest drop ride, opening at Six Flags Great Adventure this Memorial Day weekend. The center of three towers was completed March 27 at 41 dizzying stories, and the final track piece of the right tower, considered the “topping off,” is expected to be set Monday morning, wind and weather permitting.
“Wind is certainly a factor at 415 feet,” said Mike Fatovic, construction supervisor at Six Flags Great Adventure. “It can seem very calm on the ground, and sometimes it is a very different story at the top of the tower.” Due to today’s high winds, no track pieces will be set; however electrical work continues at the construction site.
Following the topping off, the construction, maintenance and engineering teams will focus on adding three gondolas that will whisk riders to the top of the tower, installing the lift mechanism—a winch and cable system–and ride controls, followed by extensive ride testing, inspections and certification before the first passengers board the ride later this spring.
Connected to the iconic Kingda Ka roller coaster—the 456-foot monster that ranks as the world’s tallest coaster and fastest in North America—Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom will hoist riders 41 stories into the sky and rocket them back to Earth at 90 miles per hour while Kingda Ka trains launch right toward them at speeds of up to 128 miles per hour. Riders will pause for a few terrifying moments 41 stories in the air—even higher than London’s Big Ben and twice as tall as the Statue of Liberty—allowing them to catch a glimpse of the skyscrapers in Philadelphia 52 miles to the south before gravity plunges them back to ground level in less than 10 seconds.
