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World’s tallest, fastest roller coaster coming to Six Flags theme park

Photo courtesy of the Qiddya Press Office

(WHTM) — Six Flags has announced that the world’s tallest, longest and fastest roller coaster will be built at one of its amusement parks overseas.

The coaster, called Falcon’s Flight, is expected to reach a height of 640 feet and top speeds of 156 miles per hour. The roller coaster will be built at Six Flags Qiddya, located in Saudi Arabia.


Intamin, the ride’s manufacturer, said Falcon’s Flight is an Exa Coaster, a classification given to roller coasters over 600 feet. That’s taller than the Kingda Ka, currently the world’s tallest coaster that stands at 456 feet.

Falcon’s Flight will reportedly have a 640-foot difference between its highest and lowest point. The height and speed records will be achieved by a dive off a large cliff.


The ride will also be over 13,000 feet long, which is nearly a mile longer than the current longest coaster in the world: the Steel Dragon 2000 in Japan. That coaster is over 8,000 feet in length.

Riders will not need to wear protective eyewear, as each row of the 14-passenger train will have its own windshield to protect riders from the elements. The ride will be propelled by Linear Synchronous Motors, magnets that can allow the trains can move at high speeds.

The trains of the coaster feature extra large running wheels and custom-designed rims. This is so the wheels don’t overheat with the intense speed and heat from the ride.

Click here to see a computer rendering of the coaster.