Flying Aces is the biplane-themed wing coaster that anchors the aviation corner of Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, built by Swiss manufacturer Intamin and opened to the public on February 24, 2016. As only the second wing coaster Intamin had ever produced, following Skyrush at Hersheypark, it pushed the design further than any before it, debuting as the tallest, fastest, and longest wing coaster on Earth.
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 that remains one of the most photographed structures at the park.
Quick Answer
Flying Aces is an Intamin wing coaster at Ferrari World Abu Dhabi that reaches a top speed of about 120 km/h (75 mph), climbs to roughly 63 m (207 ft), and runs about 1,500 m (4,921 ft) of track built around the world’s tallest non-inverting loop. It opened on February 24, 2016, sits in the park’s Italian Zone, and riders must be 130-196 cm tall to board.
How Fast Is Flying Aces?
Flying Aces hits its top speed of about 120 km/h (75 mph) partway through the course, after the train crests the 63 m (207 ft) lift hill, which climbs at a steep 51-degree angle, and drops back down. The lift itself climbs at a comparatively gentle 30 km/h (19 mph) on a cable-driven system, so most of the speed builds in the seconds after the train tips over the top and threads into the loop.
That 75 mph top speed made Flying Aces the fastest wing coaster in the world when it opened in 2016, and it still holds that edge today: Falcon at Wuxi Sunac Land in China (73 mph) and the launched Rapterra at Kings Dominion in Virginia (65 mph), both built since, are the closest rivals in the wing-coaster category and neither has matched it. Forces during the ride peak at around 5 Gs through the loop and the twisting return course.
Height, Length & Full Ride Stats
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, a heartline roll, plus a roughly 52 m (171 ft) non-inverting loop. Maximum G-force: about 5. Height requirement: 130-196 cm (about 4’3″ to 6’5″). Trains: two, each with seven cars seating four riders across, for 28 riders per train and a stated hourly capacity of around 1,008 riders.
Where Flying Aces Sits in the Park
Flying Aces is located in Ferrari World’s Italian Zone, the same themed section that houses much of the park’s aviation and WWI-era design work. It’s classified by the park as a “Fast Fun” attraction, the same tier as the park’s other big thrill rides, and its structure is visible from much of the surrounding floor thanks to the height of the loop and lift.
Because the ride is built around a tall external structure rather than tucked into an enclosed building, it’s also one of the easier Ferrari World coasters to spot and plan a route toward once you’re inside.
The Ride Experience & Which Seat Is Best
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 the 51-degree cable lift hill. The signature element is the non-inverting loop, the tallest of its kind at the time it opened, followed by a heartline roll and a fast, twisting return course packed with airtime moments and sharp direction changes.
Ferrari World’s own ride notes recommend the outer seats for the strongest sense of flight, since your feet hang furthest over open air with nothing else in your field of view. Front-row riders get the clearest sightline into the loop and drop; back-row riders typically feel sharper whip through the final twisting turns. The queue is themed as a WWI hangar and training camp, with vintage aircraft props and period detailing that set up the Baracca story before riders even board.
Records and Recognition: Is Flying Aces Still the World’s Tallest Wing Coaster?
When it opened in 2016, Flying Aces was billed as the tallest, fastest, and longest wing coaster on Earth, with Ferrari World going after Guinness World Records for its 52 m (171 ft) loop and its steep 51-degree cable lift. By the raw numbers Flying Aces still measures up: at 207 ft, it’s taller than both Falcon in China (197 ft) and the launched Rapterra in Virginia (145 ft, which claims its own record specifically among launched wing coasters), and at 4,921 ft of track it’s also longer than either.
Its theming ties directly into Ferrari’s brand history, since Francesco Baracca’s personal cavallino rampante emblem became the prancing horse still used on every Ferrari today.
The Zipline That Flies Through the Loop
Flying Aces isn’t just a coaster you ride, you can also fly through part of it. Since November 2020, Ferrari World has run a separate zipline attraction that threads riders through the middle of the coaster’s non-inverting loop on a dual-track line, letting two people race each other across the gap. It launched alongside a connected Roof Walk experience along the park’s red roof, both built for Ferrari World’s 10th anniversary.
The zipline and roof walk are sold as their own add-on experiences rather than being included with standard park admission, so check current pricing on the official site if you want to add either to your visit.
Safety Restraints on Flying Aces
Flying Aces uses an overhead lap-bar restraint rather than an over-the-shoulder harness. The bar locks across the thighs only, leaving the torso, arms, and legs free to move, which is part of what gives wing coasters their exposed, open-air sensation as riders sit in pairs on either side of the track with nothing in front, behind, above, or below them.
That open-restraint design is standard for Intamin wing coasters generally and hasn’t changed on Flying Aces since the ride opened in 2016; the layout and stats remain the same as well.
The Francesco Baracca Story Behind the Theme
Francesco Baracca was Italy’s top fighter ace of World War I, flying with a black prancing horse painted on the fuselage of his aircraft as a personal emblem tied to his cavalry roots. After Baracca was killed in action in 1918, Enzo Ferrari won a race at the Savio Circuit in Ravenna in 1923 and was introduced to Baracca’s parents; his mother, Countess Paolina Biancoli, suggested Ferrari put her son’s prancing horse on his cars for luck.
Ferrari kept the horse black and added a canary-yellow background, the color of his native Modena. The emblem finally appeared on a racing car in 1932, on the Alfa Romeos of Scuderia Ferrari (founded in 1929), and has marked every Ferrari since. Flying Aces’ WWI hangar queue and biplane trains recreate the world Baracca flew in, making the coaster the park’s most literal tribute to the logo’s origin.
Planning Your Visit
Flying Aces is included in standard Ferrari World Abu Dhabi park admission rather than sold as a separate add-on, and riders must be between 130 and 196 cm tall to board. General admission is sold in tiers (basic park entry versus packages that bundle in quick-pass ride access or multi-park options), and tickets are typically open-dated for several months from purchase rather than locked to a single visit date.
The park, on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, runs seasonal daily hours that can extend during UAE public holidays, and individual rides including Flying Aces occasionally close temporarily for scheduled maintenance. Because hours, prices, and ride status change throughout the year, check the official Ferrari World Abu Dhabi site for Flying Aces before you go.
Folds into its own pocket. Pop it on when the storm rolls in and the rides reopen to short lines.
Keeps your phone strapped to you, not in a loose-article bin. Zip it before the lift hill and walk straight off the exit ramp.
Rapids, log flumes and splash zones without the rice-bag aftermath. The touchscreen still works through the window, so you can still take photos.
Flying Aces Ferrari World FAQs
How fast does Flying Aces go?
Flying Aces reaches a top speed of about 120 km/h (75 mph), reached after the train crests the 63 m lift hill and drops into the course.
How tall do you have to be to ride Flying Aces?
Riders must be between 130 cm and 196 cm tall (about 4’3″ to 6’5″) to board.
Is Flying Aces still the tallest wing coaster in the world?
Yes. At 63 m (207 ft) it remains taller than its closest rivals, Falcon in China (197 ft) and the launched Rapterra in Virginia (145 ft), and its 1,500 m track is also longer than either.
What is the best seat on Flying Aces?
Ferrari World recommends the outer seats for the strongest sensation of flight, since your feet hang furthest over open air. Front row gives the clearest view into the loop and drop; the back row feels sharper through the final twisting turns.
Why is Flying Aces themed around a horse logo?
The ride honors Francesco Baracca, a WWI Italian flying ace whose personal prancing-horse emblem was adopted by Enzo Ferrari in the 1920s and became the modern Ferrari logo.
Can you zipline through the Flying Aces loop?
Yes. Ferrari World runs a separate zipline experience, added in November 2020, that sends riders on a dual-track line through the middle of the coaster’s non-inverting loop; it’s a paid add-on, not included in standard admission.
Is Flying Aces included in Ferrari World park admission?
Yes, Flying Aces is included in standard park admission. It is not a separate paid add-on, unlike the park’s zipline and roof walk experiences.
Get More from Flying Aces Ferrari World
Log the coasters, stadiums, and venues you’ve experienced, rate Flying Aces Ferrari World, and see what your friends thought. Get the ThrillZing app.
Want the day’s theme park news in your inbox? Subscribe to ThrillZing Daily — free.