Tatsu is a steel flying roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California, designed by Swiss manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard and opened on May 13, 2006. Its name is Japanese for ‘Flying Beast,’ an apt label for a ride that debuted as the tallest, fastest, and longest flying coaster in the world.
Riders board in a standing position before being tilted face-down into a prone flying harness, then launched through 3,602 feet of track at up to 62 mph. The layout includes four inversions and is anchored by the world’s tallest pretzel loop — a 124-foot element that hauls riders from face-down to face-up and back with intense g-forces, all just feet above the hillside terrain.
Stats at a Glance
- Park: Six Flags Magic Mountain
- Location: Valencia, California
- Manufacturer: Bolliger & Mabillard
- Opened: May 13, 2006
- Height: 170 ft (52 m)
- Top Speed: 62 mph (100 km/h)
- Length: 3,602 ft (1,098 m)
- Inversions: 4
The Ride Experience
From the moment riders are tilted horizontal, Tatsu delivers a sensation closer to hang-gliding than a traditional roller coaster. The train crests a 103-foot chain lift before plunging 111 feet into a terrain-hugging layout that keeps guests staring at the ground below. Key elements include a corkscrew, a zero-gravity roll — the first ever on a flying coaster model — a horseshoe turn, and the headline 124-foot pretzel loop. That loop is the defining moment: riders plunge face-first toward the earth, are swept onto their backs under strong positive g-forces, then are flung back face-down in one continuous fluid arc.
Because the flying position keeps riders horizontal throughout, every banked turn and dip reads as a near-miss with the landscape. The combination of speed (62 mph), proximity to the terrain, and the disorienting prone posture makes Tatsu feel faster and more exposed than its statistics alone suggest.
Records and Legacy
When Tatsu opened in 2006 it simultaneously held three world records: tallest, fastest, and longest flying coaster. It also introduced the zero-gravity roll inversion to the flying-coaster format, a first for the model type. More than two decades on, it still ranks among the most celebrated flying coasters in North America, having appeared in Amusement Today’s Golden Ticket Awards.
Tatsu became Six Flags Magic Mountain’s seventeenth coaster and cost approximately $21 million to construct. Its record-setting specs raised the bar for the entire flying-coaster genre, and the park’s willingness to invest in terrain-interactive layout design gave Tatsu a character that straightforward out-and-back flying coasters struggle to match.
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Tatsu FAQs
When did Tatsu open?
Tatsu opened on May 13, 2006, at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California, debuting as the world’s tallest, fastest, and longest flying coaster.
What makes the pretzel loop on Tatsu special?
At 124 feet, Tatsu’s pretzel loop is the tallest in the world. The element sweeps riders from a face-down flying position onto their backs and back again in one continuous motion, generating the highest g-forces of the entire ride.
What is the height requirement for Tatsu?
Riders must be at least 54 inches (137 cm) tall to ride Tatsu.
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Photo: Martin Lewison from The Hague, Zuid-Holland, The Netherlands / CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.