Superman: Ultimate Flight opened at Six Flags Over Georgia on April 6, 2002, as the original installation of a Bolliger & Mabillard flying coaster model that Six Flags would later duplicate at two other parks. Riders are loaded face-down and parallel to the track, flying through the course like the Man of Steel himself rather than sitting upright.
Built into the park’s hilly terrain near Austell, the coaster replaced the old Viper shuttle loop and used the natural landscape to its advantage, including a short tunnel where the track dives into a 270-degree helix. Its headline feature, a 78-foot pretzel loop, was the first of its kind anywhere in the world when the ride debuted.
Stats at a Glance
- Park: Six Flags Over Georgia
- Manufacturer: Bolliger & Mabillard
- Opened: April 6, 2002
- Height: 106 feet
- Top speed: 51 mph
- Length: 2,759 feet
- Inversions: 2
The Ride Experience
After a chain lift hill, trains tip riders forward into a face-down flying position before dropping about 100 feet into the course. The ride’s signature pretzel loop twists riders through a layered inversion unlike anything else running at the park, followed by a swooping 270-degree helix that ducks through a short tunnel carved into the hillside.
A full cycle lasts nearly three minutes, and the Georgia version runs a dual-platform station that lets three trains operate at once, helping keep lines moving on busy days.
A Design Born From the Terrain
Because Six Flags Over Georgia’s layout sits on uneven, wooded ground rather than a flat parking lot, designers shaped the track around the natural elevation changes. That’s a contrast to the later Superman: Ultimate Flight clones built at Six Flags Great Adventure and Six Flags Great America, both of which were constructed on level lots without the tunnel element found in Georgia’s original.
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Superman: Ultimate Flight FAQs
When did Superman: Ultimate Flight open at Six Flags Over Georgia?
It opened on April 6, 2002, as the first installation of this Bolliger & Mabillard flying coaster model.
How fast does Superman: Ultimate Flight go?
The coaster reaches a top speed of about 51 mph during its roughly 100-foot drop.
What makes this version different from other Superman: Ultimate Flight coasters?
Built on hilly terrain, it includes a short tunnel beneath its 270-degree helix, a feature the flatter Great Adventure and Great America versions don’t have.
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Photo: Jeremy Thompson from United States of America / CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.