Flying Aces is a steel wing coaster at Ferrari World Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, built by Swiss manufacturer Intamin and opened to the public on February 24, 2016. As only the second wing coaster Intamin ever produced, following Skyrush at Hersheypark, it pushed the design further than any before it, becoming the tallest, fastest, and longest wing coaster in the world upon debut.
The ride is themed around Francesco Baracca, the World War I Italian flying ace whose personal prancing horse emblem later became the Ferrari logo. Riders board biplane-styled trains and pass through a queue dressed as a WWI hangar and training camp before launching into a course built around a record-setting non-inverting loop.
Stats at a Glance
- Park: Ferrari World Abu Dhabi
- Manufacturer: Intamin
- Opened: February 24, 2016
- Height: About 63 m (207 ft)
- Top speed: About 120 km/h (75 mph)
- Length: About 1,500 m (4,921 ft)
- Inversions: 1 (non-inverting loop plus heartline roll)
The Ride Experience
On a wing coaster like Flying Aces, riders sit in pairs on either side of the track with no floor, seat in front, or seat behind them, giving an open, exposed sensation as the biplane-style trains climb a 51-degree cable lift hill.
The signature element is a roughly 52 m (171 ft) non-inverting loop, the tallest of its kind at the time it opened, followed by a heartline roll and a fast, twisting return course that produces forces up to about 5 Gs.
Records and Recognition
When it opened in 2016, Flying Aces was certified by Guinness World Records as the tallest, fastest, and longest wing coaster on Earth, titles tied to its unique Intamin wing-seating layout rather than the broader roller coaster field.
Its theming ties directly into Ferrari’s brand history, since Francesco Baracca’s personal cavallino rampante emblem, adopted after his death in WWI, became the prancing horse still used on every Ferrari today.
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Flying Aces FAQs
Where is the Flying Aces roller coaster located?
Flying Aces is located at Ferrari World Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.
What type of roller coaster is Flying Aces?
It is an Intamin-built wing coaster, meaning riders sit in pairs on the outer edges of the train with nothing directly in front of or behind their seat.
How fast does Flying Aces go?
Flying Aces reaches a top speed of about 120 km/h (75 mph), which made it the fastest wing coaster in the world when it opened in 2016.
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Photo: Jeremy Thompson / CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.