Flashback is a steel shuttle roller coaster at Six Flags New England in Agawam, Massachusetts, built on the classic Vekoma Boomerang design. It opened at the park on May 5, 2000, giving riders a compact but intense out-and-back experience that sends a single train through the same inverted loops twice, once forward and once backward.
Before landing in New England, this particular Boomerang had already lived two other lives. It debuted in 1985 at Star Lake Amusement Park in China, then relocated to Kentucky Kingdom in 1990 where it operated as The Vampire until 1999. Its arrival at Six Flags New England gave the ride a third home and a new name that nods to its well-traveled history.
Stats at a Glance
- Park: Six Flags New England
- Manufacturer: Vekoma
- Model: Boomerang (shuttle coaster)
- Opened: May 5, 2000
- Height: about 117 ft
- Top speed: about 47 mph
- Length: about 935 ft
- Inversions: 3
The Ride Experience
Flashback’s single train is pulled backward up a lift hill, then released forward through the station into a cobra roll and a vertical loop, stringing together three inversions in quick succession. At the far end of the course, the train climbs a second lift hill, pauses, then is released to retrace the entire layout in reverse, hitting the same inversions backward.
With a run time of under two minutes and a top speed of around 47 mph, the ride packs a disproportionate amount of airtime and hang-time into its 935-foot track, a hallmark of the Boomerang model found at parks worldwide.
A Coaster With a Past
Few rides at Six Flags New England carry as much travel history as Flashback. It started out in China in the mid-1980s before a stint in Louisville, Kentucky, operating under a different name through most of the 1990s.
When Six Flags New England acquired the ride for the 2000 season, it was reassembled in the park’s North End and rebranded Flashback, a fitting name for a coaster that keeps resurfacing at new parks.
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Flashback FAQs
What type of roller coaster is Flashback?
Flashback is a Vekoma Boomerang, a steel shuttle coaster that sends its train through the same inverted track twice, forward and then backward.
When did Flashback open at Six Flags New England?
Flashback opened at Six Flags New England on May 5, 2000.
How many inversions does Flashback have?
Riders go through 3 inversions, a cobra roll and a vertical loop, twice per ride since the train runs the course both forward and backward.
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Photo: Antoine6794 / CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.