Premier Rides: The Launch Coaster Pioneers Behind LIM and LSM Tech

Premier Rides is an American amusement ride manufacturer founded in 1995 and headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland. Owned and led by Jim Seay since 1996, the company built its reputation by pioneering the use of linear induction motors (LIMs) to launch roller coasters, a technology that reshaped how parks design compact, high-intensity attractions.

Premier’s debut coaster, Runaway Mountain at Six Flags Over Texas, opened in June 1996, the same year the company’s LIM-launched Flight of Fear debuted simultaneously at Kings Island and Kings Dominion. Since then, Premier Rides has grown into one of the industry’s most inventive builders, credited with roughly 40 roller coasters installed across the United States, Canada, Germany, Singapore, and Brazil, alongside family rides, water attractions, and observation towers.

Stats at a Glance

• Founded: 1995
• Headquarters: Baltimore, Maryland, USA
• Owner/President: Jim Seay (since 1996)
• Signature technology: LIM and LSM launch systems
• First coaster: Runaway Mountain, Six Flags Over Texas (1996)
• Coasters built: About 40 worldwide (as of 2025)
• Notable models: Sky Rocket, Mr. Freeze, Flight of Fear

Pioneering Launch Technology

Premier Rides earned its place in coaster history by being the first manufacturer to apply linear induction motors to roller coasters, eliminating the need for traditional chain lift hills. This let the company build compact, high-thrill layouts that could fit into tight park footprints, starting with Flight of Fear in 1996 and continuing through the reverse-launching Mr. Freeze coasters that debuted in 1998.

The company later adopted linear synchronous motors (LSMs) for even faster, smoother launches, used across its Sky Rocket line and other custom installations. Full Throttle at Six Flags Magic Mountain, which opened in 2013, showcased this evolution with two forward launches and one backward launch feeding riders into the world’s first “top hat” element atop a vertical loop.

Beyond the Coaster Track

While launch coasters built its name, Premier Rides also designs family attractions, water rides, and observation wheels and towers for parks and entertainment venues around the world. Licensed themed projects, including Revenge of the Mummy at both Universal Studios Florida and Universal Studios Hollywood in 2004 and Italian Job-branded stunt tracks in the mid-2000s, showed the company’s ability to blend ride engineering with intellectual property partnerships.

Today Premier Rides continues to supply custom launch coasters and hybrid ride systems to parks internationally, maintaining its niche as a smaller manufacturer focused on innovation rather than sheer output volume.

Explore more: Explore more roller coaster manufacturers.

Notable Premier Rides Coasters on ThrillZing

• Flight of Fear — Kings Island
• Flight of Fear — Kings Dominion
• Full Throttle — Six Flags Magic Mountain
• Mr. Freeze
• Superman: Ultimate Flight — Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
• Tigris — Busch Gardens Tampa
• Tigris — Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
• West Coast Racers — Six Flags Magic Mountain

Browse every ride profile in our roller coaster guides.

Premier Rides FAQs

What is Premier Rides known for?

Premier Rides is known for pioneering linear induction motor (LIM) and linear synchronous motor (LSM) launch technology on roller coasters, starting with Flight of Fear in 1996.

Where is Premier Rides based?

Premier Rides is headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, and has been owned and led by Jim Seay since 1996.

How many roller coasters has Premier Rides built?

As of 2025, Premier Rides has built about 40 roller coasters at parks around the world, including the U.S., Canada, Germany, Singapore, and Brazil.

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Photo: Chris Hagerman from New Port Richey, FL, US / CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.