Superman: Ultimate Flight is a launched steel coaster at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo, California, built by Premier Rides as a Sky Rocket II model. It opened on June 30, 2012, as the park’s first ride themed around a DC Comics character, replacing the Gerstlauer spinning coaster Pandemonium on the same plot of land.
Riders are shot out of the station by a linear synchronous motor (LSM) launch, climbing partway up a twisting track element before rolling back through the station and into a non-inverting loop. The train then accelerates forward to its 62 mph top speed and rises to 150 feet, where it completes a heartline roll before finishing with a second half-loop and twist back into the station.
Stats at a Glance
- Park: Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
- Manufacturer: Premier Rides (Sky Rocket II model)
- Opened: June 30, 2012
- Height: 150 ft
- Top speed: 62 mph
- Length: 863 ft
- Inversions: 1
- Duration: 45 seconds
The Ride Experience
The ride’s LSM launch sends the single 12-rider train rising backward into a twist before it drops back through the station, giving riders a brief reverse sensation before the forward launch begins in earnest.
Once launched forward, the train sweeps through a non-inverting loop and climbs to its full 150-foot height for a heartline roll, an inversion that keeps riders spinning around their own center of gravity. A second half-loop and twist bring the train back into the station after a 45-second run.
History at Discovery Kingdom
Announced in September 2011 and built at a cost of about $6 million, Superman: Ultimate Flight took over the former Pandemonium site and reused that ride’s old queue building. It opened to the public on June 30, 2012.
About a month after opening, on July 29, 2012, the train stalled on the lift section, stranding twelve riders roughly 150 feet in the air for nearly two hours until Vallejo firefighters freed them with a crane. No injuries were reported, and the ride briefly closed for inspection before returning to operation.
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Superman: Ultimate Flight FAQs
What type of coaster is Superman: Ultimate Flight?
It’s a launched steel coaster built by Premier Rides, using their Sky Rocket II model, featuring an LSM launch and one inversion.
How fast does Superman: Ultimate Flight go?
The ride reaches a top speed of about 62 mph during its forward launch sequence.
What ride did Superman: Ultimate Flight replace?
It replaced Pandemonium, a Gerstlauer spinning coaster that had operated at the park since 2008, and reused that ride’s old station building.
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Photo: Jeremy Thompson from United States of America / CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.