Afterburn is a steel inverted roller coaster at Carowinds amusement park in Fort Mill, South Carolina. Designed by Swiss manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard and costing approximately $10.5 million, it opened on March 20, 1999, and immediately earned a place among the most acclaimed inverted coasters in North America, debuting at No. 18 in Amusement Today’s Golden Ticket Awards.
Originally named Top Gun: The Jet Coaster under Paramount Parks ownership, the ride was rebranded Afterburn in 2007 following Cedar Fair’s acquisition of the park. The new name shed the licensed film tie-in while keeping the military aviation theme that defines its layout, atmosphere, and high-speed, feet-dangling thrills.
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
- Ride Duration: 2 min 47 sec
The Ride Experience
Riders board trains suspended beneath the track with feet dangling free, then climb to 113 feet before diving into a sequence of six inversions: a vertical loop, Immelmann loop, zero-g roll, batwing, and corkscrew. The nearly three-minute layout is praised for its pacing — each element flows into the next with minimal roughness, a hallmark of Bolliger & Mabillard’s inverted coaster design. Critics and enthusiasts have consistently highlighted the ride’s smooth restraints and well-ordered inversion sequence as standout qualities.
At 62 mph, Afterburn delivers sustained intensity without the brutal transitions found on older steel coasters. The batwing element — a twin-inversion combination unique to B&M — provides one of the most disorienting and memorable moments on the course, briefly suspending riders upside-down twice in quick succession before the final corkscrew into the brake run.
Awards and Legacy
Afterburn has appeared multiple times in Amusement Today’s Golden Ticket Awards top 50 roller coasters, a testament to its enduring quality in a landscape of ever-taller and faster competitors. Reviewers have rated it among the best inverted coasters ever built, citing its near-perfect pacing and low headbanging — a common complaint on lesser inverted designs.
The coaster’s longevity at Carowinds reflects both Bolliger & Mabillard’s engineering reputation and the ride’s consistent popularity with park guests. More than two decades after opening, Afterburn remains a marquee attraction and a benchmark against which newer inverted coasters are measured.
Explore more: Roller Coasters.
Afterburn FAQs
How many inversions does Afterburn have?
Afterburn features six inversions: a vertical loop, Immelmann loop, zero-g roll, batwing (which passes riders upside-down twice), and a corkscrew.
What was Afterburn’s original name?
When it opened in 1999 under Paramount Parks, the coaster was called Top Gun: The Jet Coaster. It was renamed Afterburn in 2007 after Cedar Fair acquired Carowinds.
What is the height requirement for Afterburn?
Riders must be at least 54 inches (137 cm) tall to ride Afterburn.
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Photo: Jeremy Thompson from United States of America / CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.