Parts of the Fury-325 rollercoaster stand 20-feet taller than the Statue of Liberty. It took 400 trucks to haul the pieces to Carowinds in Charlotte, NC, and the critical "hill" was completed this week.
When the coaster opens this spring it will be the tallest and fastest of its kind in the world, reaching speeds of an astonishing 95 mph. What will the ride be like? Take a look:
Roller coasters are divided into different classifications. There are kiddie coasters and junior coasters that have small hills and drops, hyper coasters (with drops from 200-299 feet), giga coasters (drops from 300-399 feet) and strata coasters (drops from 400-499 feet). There are only two of the largest strata coasters in the world.
"When Fury 325 opens this spring, Carowinds will have two of the 10 tallest rollercoasters in North America and we'll have a total of 14 roller coasters, which is something that only several parks in the world can top," says Mike Fehnel, Carowinds' vice president and general manager. "The only thing as thrilling as the rides is the amazing construction story that's currently unfolding."
In addition to the 400 trucks needed to bring the pieces of the ride to the park, here are some other statistics:
- 33 trucks were needed just for the equipment to build the 350-foot crane that's erecting the Fury 325 lift hill.
- 140 tons were needed to counter-balance the crane.
The Fury 325 simulates the flight of the hornet:
Riders will begin an ascent that takes a terrifying 63 seconds to climb, then plunge down an 81-degree drop, reaching speeds of up to 95 mph as they race through a series of hills, curves and quick transitions. All told, it will take each of the three, 32-passenger open air trains nearly 3 minutes and 25 seconds to complete the 6,602-foot ride.
You can watch a feed of the construction live here.
Here is what the coaster construction looked like this morning:
