Few coasters anywhere still do what The Bat does. Tucked into the Action Zone section of Kings Island in Mason, Ohio, its trains don’t lock onto the rails — they hang from them, swinging freely on pivoting axles so every banked curve sends riders arcing sideways through the air. It’s a sensation almost no modern coaster replicates, because almost no one builds this type of coaster anymore.
Built by Arrow Dynamics and opened April 9, 1993, The Bat has worn three names in its history — Top Gun, Flight Deck, and finally The Bat in 2014, a tribute to Kings Island’s original 1981 suspended coaster of the same name. This guide covers its speed and stats, the full name-change history, the persistent death rumor and what actually happened, and why The Bat is now one of only a handful of suspended coasters left operating on the planet.
Quick Answer
The Bat is a suspended steel coaster at Kings Island that reaches 51 mph (82 km/h) over a 2,352-foot course, pulling up to 2.9 G as its trains swing outward through every curve. It opened April 9, 1993, as Top Gun, became Flight Deck in 2008, and was renamed The Bat in 2014. No rider death has ever been documented on either version of the ride — the closest real incident was a loose wheel in June 2022 that caused a temporary closure with no injuries.
How Fast Does The Bat Go at Kings Island?
The Bat hits its top speed of 51 mph (82 km/h) as it swings through its 2,352-foot layout. Riders build to that speed after a chain lift carries the train to 78 feet, then a 70-foot first drop launches the cars into the ride’s signature horseshoe element and a sequence of tightly banked curves that tilt the swinging trains up to roughly 45 degrees off vertical.
Because The Bat is a suspended coaster, its trains hang freely from the overhead rail on pivoting axles rather than locking into place like a standard sit-down coaster. That design — and a peak force around 2.9 G — makes the 51 mph top speed feel considerably faster than the number suggests, since every turn sends the cars swinging outward with lateral forces a fixed-track coaster at the same speed can’t match. The full circuit runs 1 minute 52 seconds from lift hill to final brakes.
The Bat Opened April 9, 1993 — Here’s the History
The Bat opened on April 9, 1993, as Top Gun, themed to Paramount’s 1986 film of the same name. Construction began in December 1992, and Arrow Dynamics — the same manufacturer behind the original 1981 Bat — finished the ride in time for Kings Island’s spring season. The station was built to resemble an aircraft carrier flight deck, with theming led by John DeCuir Jr., who had worked on the Top Gun film itself.
The coaster kept the Top Gun name for fifteen seasons. Cedar Fair, which took over Kings Island’s parent company Paramount Parks in 2006, dropped the movie licensing tie-in and renamed the ride Flight Deck starting in 2008. In 2014, the park retired that name too and rechristened the coaster The Bat, tying it back to Kings Island’s original 1981 suspended coaster of the same name. Today the ride sits in the park’s Action Zone area, a different location than the 1981 original, which operated over in Coney Mall.
Has Anyone Died on The Bat at Kings Island?
No. There is no documented rider death on either version of The Bat at Kings Island — not the 1981 prototype and not the 1993 coaster still operating today under that name. The rumor circulating online claims a swinging car slammed into a support pillar and crushed riders, but coaster historians and former park staff have debunked this repeatedly: the trains’ swing radius, even at full speed, isn’t wide enough to reach the wooden and steel supports lining the course.
The closest real incident came on June 22, 2022, when a wheel came loose on a moving train. The ride closed immediately, no injuries were reported, and Kings Island reopened The Bat several weeks later following repairs and inspection. That single documented mechanical issue is the most plausible seed of the larger urban legend, but it never involved a rider injury or fatality.
The Ride Experience
The layout opens with a chain lift to 78 feet, then plunges 70 feet before sweeping through a wide horseshoe element and a series of sharp, banked curves. Because the trains respond dynamically rather than being locked to the track, each turn tilts riders dramatically outward — the defining hallmark of Arrow’s suspended coaster design. Guests frequently feel as though they are barely clearing the wooden supports and terrain features lining the course.
Capacity runs to about 1,200 riders per hour across two seven-car trains, each carrying 28 guests seated two abreast. The 42-inch height requirement makes it accessible to a broad range of thrill-seekers, and the absence of inversions focuses the experience entirely on lateral swinging forces rather than upside-down elements.
Why The Bat Is One of the Last of Its Kind
Arrow Dynamics built around ten suspended coasters in total, and today only five are still running anywhere in the world: Iron Dragon at Cedar Point, Ninja at Six Flags Magic Mountain, Vampire at Chessington World of Adventures in the UK, Vortex at Canada’s Wonderland, and The Bat at Kings Island. The rest — including Kings Island’s own 1981 original, Big Bad Wolf at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, and several others overseas — have all closed.
The suspended-coaster format never caught on widely, and after Arrow Dynamics went bankrupt in 2001, replacement parts for its remaining machines became increasingly hard to source, pushing most operators to retire theirs rather than keep maintaining aging hardware. That makes a ride on The Bat genuinely rare: it’s one of only five places left on Earth where you can experience a true freely swinging Arrow suspended coaster.
A Legacy in Two Coasters
The Bat is the second ride to carry that name at Kings Island. The original Bat — an Arrow prototype that operated in the Coney Mall section of the park — opened in 1981 as the world’s first suspended coaster, but persistent mechanical issues forced permanent closure in 1983. Renaming the 1993 coaster in 2014 restored the connection to that pioneering machine and gave the park a meaningful throughline in its coaster history.
Under three different names, the coaster has remained one of Kings Island’s most distinctive offerings. Its low-slung, terrain-hugging profile and freely swinging cars deliver a ride feel that modern inverted and launch coasters simply do not replicate, making The Bat a perennial favorite for riders who value sensation over raw statistics.
Planning Your Visit
The Bat operates seasonally in the Action Zone section of Kings Island in Mason, Ohio, alongside the park’s other roller coasters. Kings Island now operates under the Six Flags brand following the 2024 Cedar Fair–Six Flags merger, and admission generally works through single-day tickets or season passes, with pricing tiers that vary by date and how far in advance you buy. For current operating hours, ticket pricing, and any ride closures, check the official Kings Island Bat ride page before you visit.
The Bat is an Arrow Dynamics creation — see our full Arrow Dynamics profile for the company’s history and signature coasters.
The Bat roller coaster at Kings Island FAQs
How fast does The Bat go at Kings Island?
The Bat reaches a top speed of 51 mph (82 km/h) over its 2,352-foot course, with a ride time of about 1 minute 52 seconds.
Has anyone died on The Bat at Kings Island?
No. There is no documented rider death on either version of The Bat. A viral rumor about a pillar collision has been debunked; the only real incident on record is a loose wheel in June 2022 that caused a closure but no injuries.
How tall do you have to be to ride The Bat?
The height requirement is 42 inches.
Where is The Bat located at Kings Island?
The current Bat operates in the park’s Action Zone area. The original 1981 Bat, which closed in 1983, was located in Coney Mall.
Is today’s Bat the same ride as the 1981 original?
No. The current Bat opened in 1993 as a new Arrow Dynamics coaster, first named Top Gun and later Flight Deck, before being renamed The Bat in 2014 to honor the 1981 original, which was a separate ride that closed in 1983.
How many Arrow Dynamics suspended coasters are still operating?
Only five remain worldwide: The Bat at Kings Island, Iron Dragon at Cedar Point, Ninja at Six Flags Magic Mountain, Vampire at Chessington World of Adventures, and Vortex at Canada’s Wonderland.
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