Mind Eraser opened at Six Flags America in Bowie, Maryland on May 20, 1995, as a Vekoma Suspended Looping Coaster (SLC) — a steel inverted design that hangs trains beneath the track in a fixed, non-swinging position for a tight, disorienting ride packed into a compact footprint. From a roughly 109-foot lift hill, riders dropped into a course of about 2,260 feet featuring a roll over, a sidewinder, a 270-degree helix, and a double in-line twist, totaling five inversions at speeds up to about 50 mph.
In 2024, Six Flags overhauled the ride as part of transforming the park’s Coyote Creek section into the new SteamTown themed area, giving the coaster new trains, retracked sections, and a new name: Professor Screamore’s SkyWinder. It reopened June 22, 2024, but the refreshed ride was short-lived — Six Flags America closed permanently on November 2, 2025, ending Mind Eraser’s roughly three-decade history at the Maryland park.
Stats at a Glance
- Park: Six Flags America (Bowie, Maryland)
- Manufacturer: Vekoma
- Type: Suspended Looping Coaster (fixed inverted)
- Opened: May 20, 1995 (as Mind Eraser)
- Closed: November 2, 2025 (permanent closure of Six Flags America)
- Height: about 109 feet (33 m)
- Top speed: about 50 mph (80 km/h)
- Length: about 2,260 feet (689 m)
- Inversions: 5
The Ride Experience
After the chain lift, trains dropped and swept into a roll over, the coaster’s first inversion, before a slight left turn led into a sidewinder element. From there the layout carried riders through a 270-degree helix to the right before closing with a double in-line twist back toward the station.
Unlike Arrow’s older suspended coasters, which let trains swing freely beneath the track, Vekoma’s SLC design held its trains in a fixed position, using shock absorbers to work around a competitor’s patent on rigid inverted trains. It was a signature layout shared with several other Vekoma SLCs Six Flags installed across its parks in the 1990s, many of which also carried the Mind Eraser name.
From Mind Eraser to Professor Screamore’s SkyWinder
For most of its life the ride operated as Mind Eraser, a recognizable name shared by sibling Vekoma SLCs at other Six Flags parks. That changed in 2024 when the park rebuilt the surrounding area into SteamTown, retracking sections of the course, installing new trains, and rebranding the coaster as Professor Screamore’s SkyWinder to match the new theming.
The renovation gave the aging SLC a smoother ride and a fresh identity, but it operated under its new name for only about a year and a half before Six Flags shut the entire park down as part of a company-wide portfolio restructuring following the Six Flags-Cedar Fair merger.
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Mind Eraser FAQs
Is Mind Eraser still open?
No. The ride, renamed Professor Screamore’s SkyWinder in 2024, closed for good when Six Flags America shut down permanently on November 2, 2025.
Who manufactured Mind Eraser?
Vekoma, the Dutch ride manufacturer, built Mind Eraser as one of its standard Suspended Looping Coaster (SLC) models, which despite the name run fixed rather than freely swinging trains.
How many inversions did Mind Eraser have?
Five: a roll over, a sidewinder, a 270-degree helix, and a double in-line twist near the end of the ride.
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