Afterburn is the steel inverted roller coaster at Carowinds in Fort Mill, South Carolina, known for dangling riders’ feet beneath a suspended train as it races through six inversions at up to 62 mph. Designed by Swiss manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard and built for roughly $10.5 million, it opened on March 20, 1999, and has stayed one of North America’s most respected inverted coasters ever since.
This guide answers the questions people actually search for — exactly how tall Afterburn is, how fast it goes, what the height requirement is, and how its layout and history compare to other B&M inverted coasters — in one place, with verified numbers.
Quick Answer
Afterburn stands 113 feet (34 m) tall, reaches a top speed of 62 mph (100 km/h), and requires riders to be at least 54 inches (137 cm) tall. It’s a Bolliger & Mabillard inverted coaster with 6 inversions, a 2,956-foot track, and a ride time of about 2 minutes 47 seconds.
How Tall Is Afterburn at Carowinds?
Afterburn’s structure tops out at 113 feet (34 meters), measured at its first drop — the point where the lift hill crests and the train, suspended below the track with riders’ feet hanging free, plunges toward the ground. That height isn’t record-breaking for Carowinds (Fury 325 towers at 325 feet), but it’s tall enough to give Afterburn’s drop real hang time and to put its loops and corkscrew well above the tree line, which is part of why the ride photographs and feels bigger than the number suggests.
For scale, 113 feet is roughly the height of an 11-story building. Because Afterburn is an inverted coaster, riders experience that drop with legs dangling and nothing below them, which is often described as feeling steeper and more disorienting than a sit-down coaster of the same height.
How Fast Does Afterburn Go?
Afterburn’s top speed is 62 mph (100 km/h), reached at the bottom of the first drop just before the train enters the vertical loop. That speed is generated entirely by gravity — like most B&M inverted coasters, Afterburn has no launch mechanism, so all of its energy comes from the 113-foot chain-lift climb.
62 mph puts Afterburn solidly in the mid-tier for inverted coasters, faster than most 1990s-era inverted models but well below launched or hypercoaster speeds. What stands out to riders isn’t outright velocity but how well B&M’s engineering sustains that speed through six inversions with minimal loss of intensity — the ride rarely feels like it’s slowing down until the final brake run.
Afterburn Height Requirements & Rider Restrictions
Riders must be at least 54 inches (137 cm) tall to ride Afterburn — Carowinds’ standard threshold for its most intense inverted and launch coasters. There is no published maximum height, but like all B&M inverted coasters, Afterburn uses over-the-shoulder restraints with a padded lap bar, so guests should be prepared for a size check at the loading platform if there’s any doubt about fit.
Beyond the height rule, Afterburn carries the typical health advisories for high-intensity inverted coasters: it’s not recommended for pregnant riders or guests with heart, back, neck, or motion-sickness conditions. All loose items — phones, hats, glasses without a strap — must be secured in a locker before boarding, since the inverted, feet-dangling seating position makes it easy for anything unsecured to fall.
Afterburn Stats at a Glance
Park: Carowinds, Fort Mill, South Carolina. Manufacturer: Bolliger & Mabillard. Type: Steel, inverted. Opened: March 20, 1999. Height: 113 ft (34 m). Top speed: 62 mph (100 km/h). Length: 2,956 ft (901 m). Inversions: 6. Duration: 2 min 47 sec. Height requirement: 54 in (137 cm). Trains: 2 trains of 8 cars, 4 riders across (32 per train). Hourly capacity: roughly 1,380 riders.
The Ride Experience: Six Inversions Explained
Riders board trains suspended beneath the track with feet dangling free, then climb the 113-foot lift hill before diving into the first of six inversions: a vertical loop, an Immelmann loop, a zero-g roll, a batwing, and a corkscrew. The batwing — a twin-inversion element unique to B&M’s inverted layouts — briefly flips riders upside-down twice in quick succession before the train threads the closing corkscrew and hits the brake run.
The nearly three-minute layout is consistently praised for its pacing: each element flows into the next with little of the jarring roughness found on older steel inverted designs. At 62 mph, Afterburn sustains intensity throughout rather than front-loading it into one big drop, which is the main reason enthusiasts and casual riders alike rate its restraint comfort and inversion sequencing above most inverted coasters of its era.
From Top Gun to Afterburn: A Brief History
When it opened in March 1999 under Paramount Parks ownership, the coaster was named Top Gun: The Jet Coaster, a licensed tie-in to the film franchise. After Cedar Fair acquired Paramount’s parks in 2006, the movie licensing lapsed and the ride was rebranded Afterburn, dropping the film tie-in while keeping its military-aviation theme, trackside jet-engine props, and overall layout untouched.
Carowinds itself changed ownership again in 2024, when Cedar Fair merged with Six Flags Entertainment. Six Flags has stated Carowinds keeps its name and legacy branding, and Afterburn continues operating as one of the park’s signature inverted coasters under the new parent company.
Awards, Rankings & Legacy
Afterburn debuted at No. 18 in Amusement Today’s Golden Ticket Awards the year it opened and went on to appear repeatedly in the publication’s top-50 steel coaster rankings through the 2000s and into the early 2010s, a rare run of recognition as taller, faster coasters opened around the country. It has since fallen out of the annual top 50 as newer hypercoasters and launch coasters have crowded the list, but it remains a frequently cited example of a well-aged B&M inverted coaster.
More than 25 years after opening, Afterburn is still a marquee attraction at Carowinds and a benchmark enthusiasts use when judging pacing and restraint comfort on newer inverted designs — proof that a coaster doesn’t need record-breaking stats to hold up over decades.
Afterburn Carowinds height and speed FAQs
How tall is Afterburn at Carowinds?
Afterburn is 113 feet (34 m) tall, measured at its first drop.
How fast does Afterburn go?
Afterburn reaches a top speed of 62 mph (100 km/h), hit at the bottom of the first drop.
What is the height requirement for Afterburn?
Riders must be at least 54 inches (137 cm) tall to ride Afterburn.
How many inversions does Afterburn have?
Six: a vertical loop, an Immelmann loop, a zero-g roll, a batwing (which inverts riders twice), and a corkscrew.
What was Afterburn’s original name?
It opened in 1999 as Top Gun: The Jet Coaster under Paramount Parks and was renamed Afterburn after Cedar Fair acquired the park in 2006.
Is Afterburn still open at Carowinds?
Yes. Afterburn continues to operate at Carowinds, which kept its name and legacy branding after Cedar Fair’s 2024 merger with Six Flags.
How long is the Afterburn ride?
The ride lasts about 2 minutes 47 seconds and covers 2,956 feet of track.
Get More from Afterburn Carowinds height and speed
Log the coasters, stadiums, and venues you’ve experienced, rate Afterburn Carowinds height and speed, and see what your friends thought. Get the ThrillZing app.