SheiKra

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
SheiKra
SheiKra
Data
Location Busch Gardens Tampa
( Tampa , Florida , USA )
Type Steel - seated
model Dive Coaster
category Floorless coaster
Drive type Chain lift hill
Manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard
costs $ 13.5 million 
opening May 21, 2005
length 972 m
height 61 m
Max. gradient 90 °
Max. speed 113 km / h
Max. acceleration 4 g
Travel time 2:20 min
dare 3 cars, 1 row of seats / car, 8 seats / row of seats
elements 61 m high lift hill ,
44 m high Immelmann ,
42 m high hill
tunnel
splashdown
Inversions 1
Subject area Stanleyville

SheiKra [ ˈʃiːkrə ] in Busch Gardens Tampa ( Tampa , Florida , USA ) is a steel roller coaster of the Dive Coaster model from the manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard , which opened on May 21, 2005. The roller coaster was planned by Mark Rose, the park's vice president for design and engineering, together with the manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard. Sheikra has a top speed of 113 km / h, is 61 meters high and has a total length of 972 meters. The railway received new floorless trains on June 16, 2007, which also converted it into a floorless coaster .

SheiKra was the first dive coaster made in North America. After the first two Dive Coasters Oblivion in Alton Towers ( UK ) and Diving Machine G5 in Janfusun Fancyworld ( Taiwan ), it was the first roller coaster of its type to be equipped with an inversion . Until the opening of Griffon in the sister park Busch Gardens Williamsburg ( Virginia , USA ) and Dive Coaster in Chime-Long Paradise ( Guangzhou , China ), SheiKra was the longest, highest and fastest dive coaster in the world. The name SheiKra is derived from the word shikra , the name of an African sparrow ( Accipiter badius ) known for grabbing its prey in a vertical dive.

With Diving Coaster , which opened on August 16, 2009 in Happy Valley ( Songjiang , Shanghai , China ), there is an identical facility.

history

The logo above the entrance area of ​​the train
The turn and the splashdown in the second part of the journey
The descent into the tunnel
The entrance of a train into the splashdown
A train in the turn
The view of the empty station with drive wheels and hydraulic platforms folded away

planning

The park's vice president of design and engineering, Mark Rose, originally planned a roller coaster to be only 49 meters high. However, the Busch Gardens managers rejected the proposal because it was not interesting enough. Rose therefore changed his concept by increasing the track from 49 meters to 61 meters and adding other elements to his proposal. This plan was approved. The company Peckham Guyton Albers & Viets Inc. (PGAV) was involved in the planning of the roller coaster.

After a fan received a positive response to an email to the park asking whether a new roller coaster should be built at Busch Gardens, rumors quickly spread. They said the roller coaster a dive coaster from Bolliger & Mabillard with a splashdown and an inversion would be. This combination was a novelty. Towards the end of the theme park season, the park began removing part of the Serengeti Express rails in preparation . On April 26, 2004 the building permit became known to the public. From this it emerged that the roller coaster, a restaurant and a small shop were to be built.

In May 2004 further details such as the height, speed and number of trains became known. A month later, Tiki masks with sayings as decoration were attached to the construction fences , which gave clues to the attraction. The assumption that a roller coaster would be built was reinforced by the fact that the first rail and support parts were delivered.

Construction, test drives and opening

On October 20, 2004, SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment , the owner of Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, registered the name SheiKra as a brand name . A week later , as part of a collaboration with Bolliger & Mabillard , Busch Gardens officially announced SheiKra that it would become North America's first dive coaster. At the time of the official announcement, over half of the foundations had already been poured. The company Superior Rigging & Erection built the supports and the track. On January 28, 2005, the highest part of the line had already been built.

The test drives began at the end of April 2005 after the track had been completed. After the test runs, there was a press day on May 19, 2005 to make the railway known to the public. Two days later, on May 21, 2005, the lift was finally opened. During the first year of opening, there were repeated problems with the system control. This repeatedly led to emergency shutdowns and evacuations of the railway.

It took Bolliger & Mabillard about six months to develop the SheiKra design and four years to complete the entire project. After Busch Gardens presented SheiKra, a contract was signed with Bolliger & Mabillard that the layout and design of SheiKra could not be used for other projects for several years. After the contract expired, Happy Valley Shanghai park set up a copy of SheiKra called Diving Coaster .

Retrofitting

In 2006, rumors surfaced that Busch Gardens might replace the original trains with new bottomless trains. On January 31, 2007, the park confirmed these rumors in a press conference broadcast on the Internet. At the end of April 2007, a month before the retrofit, the first advertising campaigns began in various local newspapers for the renewed attraction. Billboards were set up along Interstate 275 .

On April 24, 2007, during High School Journalism Day , Busch Gardens unveiled the new trains for SheiKra. SheiKra was closed from May 28, 2007 for the reconstruction of the station. The station had to be rebuilt because hydraulic platforms had to be installed for getting on and off the new bottomless trains . The first test drives with the new trains were already carried out two weeks before the planned reopening.

On June 16, 2007 the railway was reopened. In the first half of the day there was a soft opening with 100 roller coaster fans, 40 television teams and 37 radio reporters. From January 7th to February 26th 2013 the runway was closed again for a new coat of paint.

journey

The layout of SheiKra

SheiKra has two different access options: One for normal visitors with corresponding waiting times, a second for customers who have bought a Quick Queue pass to skip the normal queues at the park's attractions.

After the platforms and fences have been hydraulically folded to the side for boarding , the train leaves the station in a 180 ° right-hand bend, which first leads slightly downwards, and then regains altitude. This is followed by the 45 ° steep chain lift , which takes the train to its maximum height of 61 meters. After another right turn, the train comes into a holding brake, which slowly leads it over the first drop, stops for about three seconds on the slope and finally releases it. At the end of the 90 ° steep First Drop , the train reaches its maximum speed of approx. 113 km / h. The route then leads him into a 44 meter high Immelmann , which ends in a block brake after another upward curve to the left with a load of 3.5  g . The strongly slowed train then drives through another 90 ° drop from a height of 42 meters, which ends in a tunnel under the water basin for the splashdown . After a right-hand bend in connection with a hill, the train enters the aforementioned splashdown and causes two 18-meter-high lateral fountains during the 1.9-second passage. After driving up from the splashdown over a parking path and then making a downward right turn, the train pulls into the final brake, which leads directly to the station.

technology

Close-ups of the trains

rail

The steel track is 972 meters long and the lift hill approx. 61 meters high. The rails are painted red, the supports are painted blue. Parallel to the lift, the lift has an evacuation lift that can hold eight people and can move people to the ground if a train stops on the lift hill. The rails were molded in Italy and processed by Clermont Steel Fabricators , the producer of Bolliger & Mabillard, in Batavia ( Ohio ). Due to the heavier trains, SheiKras rail is larger than the standard rails from Bolliger & Mabillard , which are only designed for trains with four seats in a row. In the dark, the route is illuminated with white lights.

Trains

SheiKra has three identical trains made of steel and fiberglass that are three times as wide as the rail itself. They were made in Switzerland and transported to Florida . Every single seat has a shoulder bar as a restraint system . For a better view, the seating position of the rear rows of seats is increased by approx. 30 centimeters compared to the front rows. The trains have nylon - polyurethane wheels to minimize friction on the rails. There is also a roll-back protection under the trains , which is supposed to prevent the train from rolling back in the event of the chain lift breaking. In addition, there is a device for the holding brake under the trains and baffles on the rear part for the fountains of the splashdown . Each train has three individual carriages with eight seats each, giving a capacity of 24 people per train.

Records

Record items
The splashdown is the first element of its kind on a dive coaster. The water is thrown into the air by metal sheets on each vehicle that are submerged in the water.
The Immelmann was the first inversion of a dive coaster.
The Immelmann in the long shot
SheiKra's First Drop was the first to have a 90 ° slope.
A train in the holding brake of the First Drop

When SheiKra opened in 2005, the track had two new elements for a dive coaster . During the splashdown , the train dips into the water basin with the baffles attached to the rear part, thereby throwing water up. Another new element was the Immelmann , in which the car first makes a half loop , followed by a half roll . So the train to this element travels in the opposite direction to the direction from which it came. The Immelmann was also the first inversion of a dive coaster. All dive coasters built after SheiKra had at least one splashdown and one immelmann.

SheiKra was also the first dive coaster with a real 90 ° drop. In 2005 there were already two other dive coasters, but only with an 87 ° and 87.5 ° drop. When Sheikra first opened, it was the largest, fastest and longest dive coaster and the first in North America. In 2007, however, the track lost the speed and altitude records to Griffon . In 2008 SheiKra lost the length record with the opening of the Dive Coaster .

reception

SheiKra has been well received by the public and critics. Arthur Levine , author for the website About.com , gave SheiKra an overall rating of four and a half stars out of five and a thrill rating of eight and a half stars out of ten: “It's an uncompromising ride that roller coaster enthusiasts will love more than anything. Cowards will avoid. ” Joel Bullock of Coaster Critic gave SheiKra an overall rating of seven and a half stars out of ten and a thrill rating of four stars out of five. Jeremy Thompson from Roller Coaster Philosophy rated the track with a B (German rating scale: 2): “Despite the 113 km / h top speed, it is quite friendly to the human body, although in the last row it is easily the price for most airtime in the state Florida wins. ” Eric Michael of the Orlando Sentinel newspaper wrote,“ The 61-meter monster, Florida's tallest, wins my vote for best drop ”.

In 2007, SheiKra was featured in an issue of the Discovery Channel's Build It Bigger documentary series.

Importance to the park

SheiKra is currently one of eight roller coasters of the park Busch Gardens . In addition to the children's roller coaster Air Grover with Cheetah Hunt, there is only one other roller coaster built according to SheiKra. It is the highest and fastest runway in the entire park and therefore a popular attraction for the public even after several years. After the conversion to bottomless trains, the number of visitors in 2007 increased by 1% to 4.4 million visitors per year, among other things due to the associated advertising effect.

Web links

Commons : SheiKra  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f SheiKra - Busch Gardens Tampa (Tampa, Florida, USA) . RCDB entry, accessed July 1, 2013
  2. ↑ a b c d e f SheiKra at Busch Gardens. Tampa Bay Online, archived from the original on March 7, 2009 ; accessed on March 17, 2013 (English).
  3. ↑ a b List of roller coasters from Bolliger & Mabillard sorted according to speed . RCDB article, accessed June 29, 2013
  4. ↑ a b List of roller coasters from Bolliger & Mabillard sorted by height . RCDB article, accessed June 29, 2013
  5. ↑ a b List of roller coasters from Bolliger & Mabillard sorted by height . RCDB article, accessed June 29, 2013
  6. ↑ a b c Busch Gardens Testing SheiKra In Preparation For May 21 Opening. Ultimate Roller Coaster, April 24, 2005, accessed March 19, 2013 .
  7. ↑ a b c Mark Albright: Busch Gardens engineer found his calling designing thrills. In: Tampa Bay Times. April 3, 2011, archived from the original on September 13, 2011 ; accessed on February 1, 2013 (English).
  8. ^ A b Larry Halstead: Final touches applied to SheiKra. In: Tampa Bay Business Journal. April 19, 2005, archived from the original on April 22, 2005 ; accessed on March 21, 2013 (English).
  9. ↑ Busch Gardens Master Plan & Improvements . Peckham Guyton Albers & Viets Inc, April 15, 2008.
  10. ^ BGT - Finally a ray of hope for 2005. (No longer available online.) Thrill Network, archived from the original on September 26, 2013 ; accessed on January 30, 2013 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.thrillnetwork.com
  11. ↑ Bob Mervine: New thrills in Tampa? Busch says no. In: MSNBC. February 8, 2004, archived from the original on February 12, 2004 ; accessed on January 30, 2013 .
  12. ↑ a b c d SheiKra Construction Diary. BGTGuide, archived from the original on March 27, 2006 ; accessed on January 30, 2013 .
  13. ↑ Project 248306 Summary. City Of Tampa, accessed February 1, 2013 .
  14. ^ Mark Albright: Busch planning its 7th coaster. In: St. Petersburg Times. May 5, 2004, archived from the original on July 19, 2008 ; accessed on March 18, 2013 (English).
  15. ↑ Track Pieces. BGTGuide, archived from the original on March 27, 2006 ; accessed on January 30, 2013 .
  16. ↑ a b SheiKra. Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, archived from the original on January 31, 2013 ; accessed on January 31, 2013 .
  17. ↑ SheiKra. United States Patent and Trademark Office, accessed April 8, 2013 .
  18. ↑ a b c Press release SheiKra ( Memento of the original from September 28, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English). RCDB entry, accessed July 1, 2013 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / rcdb.com
  19. ↑ a b SheiKra at Busch Gardens closed for repainting. In: Tampa Bay Times. January 8, 2013, archived from the original on January 30, 2013 ; accessed on January 30, 2013 .
  20. ↑ a b c Mark Albright: A sky-high nose dive. In: St. Petersburg Times. October 28, 2004, archived from the original on May 16, 2008 ; accessed on January 30, 2013 .
  21. ^ A b Aja Whitaker: New Busch Gardens coaster promises unique thrills. In: Tampa Bay Business Journal. October 27, 2004, archived from the original on October 22, 2010 ; accessed on March 21, 2013 (English).
  22. ↑ Testimonials. (No longer available online.) Superior Rigging & Erection Company, archived from the original on December 7, 2013 ; accessed on March 24, 2013 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.superiorrigging.com
  23. Jump up ↑ Busch Gardens Tampa Tops Off New Dive Coaster. (No longer available online.) Ultimate Roller Coaster, January 28, 2005, archived from the original on December 16, 2013 ; accessed on March 19, 2013 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.ultimaterollercoaster.com
  24. ↑ Randy Diamond: Getting The Scoop On SheiKra. In: Tampa Bay Online. May 19, 2005, archived from the original on June 26, 2006 ; accessed on March 17, 2013 (English).
  25. ↑ Brady Dennis: SheiKra strands riders for second time in a month. In: Tampa Bay Times. November 1, 2005, archived from the original on September 16, 2006 ; accessed on February 1, 2013 (English).
  26. ^ Diving Coaster - Happy Valley (Songjiang, Shanghai, China) RCDB entry, accessed June 28, 2013
  27. ↑ Model = SheiKra RCDB entry, accessed on June 28, 2013
  28. ↑ a b Busch Gardens to announce makeover of Tampa thrill ride. In: Orlando Business Journal. January 30, 2007, archived from the original on January 30, 2013 ; accessed on January 30, 2013 .
  29. ↑ Press release SheiKra (2) ( Memento of the original from September 28, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English). RCDB entry, accessed July 1, 2013 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / rcdb.com
  30. ↑ a b Mark Albright: SheiKra ups shriek factor. In: Tampa Bay Times. June 16, 2007, archived from the original on June 21, 2007 ; accessed on January 30, 2013 .
  31. ↑ Rodney Thrash: SheiKra shows her sexy side. In: Tampa Bay Times. May 12, 2007, archived from the original on September 19, 2011 ; accessed on January 31, 2013 .
  32. ^ SheiKra's Floorless Train Unveiling. (No longer available online.) Johnny Upside Down, archived from the original on October 17, 2013 ; accessed on January 30, 2013 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.johnnyupsidedown.com
  33. ↑ SheiKra first floorless train unveiling. Derkeiler, April 24, 2007, archived from the original on February 26, 2013 ; accessed on January 30, 2013 .
  34. Jump up ↑ 'Floorless' SheiKra Raises the Bar on Thrills as the Bottom Drops Out On America's First Dive Coaster. Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, June 15, 2007, archived from the original on May 21, 2008 ; accessed on January 30, 2013 .
  35. ^ And Then The Bottom Drops Out. In: St. Petersburg Times. June 6, 2007, p. 8B , accessed on January 31, 2013 .
  36. ↑ Busch Gardens closing SheiKra roller coaster temporarily. Tampa Bay Online, January 4, 2013; accessed January 31, 2013 .
  37. ↑ Quick Queue Review. Fox News, archived from the original on February 26, 2013 ; accessed on February 1, 2013 (English).
  38. ↑ All extras. Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, accessed February 1, 2013 .
  39. ^ Mark Albright: Summer could be one long scream. In: Tampa Bay Times. January 31, 2007, archived from the original on February 25, 2013 ; accessed on February 1, 2013 (English).
  40. ^ Mark Albright: Work schedule flexibility is a major attraction at Busch Gardens. In: Tampa Bay Times. April 29, 2012, archived from the original on October 23, 2012 ; accessed on February 1, 2013 (English).
  41. ↑ SheiKra Front Seat on-ride HD POV Busch Gardens Tampa. wwwCOASTERFORCEcom, November 24, 2010, accessed January 31, 2013 .
  42. ↑ a b c d Build It Bigger - Behind the Scenes of Sheikra (English). Video excerpt from the documentation, Discovery Channel, accessed July 3, 2013
  43. ^ Mark Albright: Get into Busch Gardens in a flash. In: Tampa Bay Times. January 7, 2005; archived from the original on February 8, 2005 ; accessed on February 4, 2013 .
  44. ^ Mark Albright: King of the thill. In: Tampa Bay Times. August 14, 2005, archived from the original on May 16, 2006 ; accessed on February 9, 2013 .
  45. ↑ Typical Clermont Steel Fabricators. Clermont Steel Fabricators, accessed January 31, 2013 .
  46. ↑ Anna Guido: Steel plans business on fast track. In: Cincinnati Enquirer. November 7, 2005, archived from the original on January 7, 2006 ; accessed on February 6, 2013 .
  47. ^ Scott & Carol Present: Getting On Track With B&M. NewsPlusNotes, December 11, 2008, archived from the original on February 26, 2013 ; accessed on January 31, 2013 .
  48. ↑ a b Original English quote: "It's an unapologetic thrill ride that coaster lovers will adore and coaster wimps will avoid" according to Arthur Levine: SheiKra at Busch Gardens Tampa Roller Coaster Review. About.com, accessed January 31, 2013 .
  49. ↑ SheiKra at night . RCDB image, accessed June 29, 2013
  50. ↑ SheiKra at night (2) . RCDB image, accessed June 29, 2013
  51. ↑ SheiKra train . RCDB image, accessed June 29, 2013
  52. ↑ Increase in the sitting position . RCDB image, accessed June 29, 2013
  53. ↑ Guide plates of the train . RCDB image, accessed June 29, 2013
  54. ↑ a b element = splashdown . RCDB article, accessed June 29, 2013
  55. ↑ Jay Cridlin: Built to thrill. In: Tampa Bay Times. May 21, 2005, accessed February 1, 2013 .
  56. ↑ a b Oblivion - Alton Towers (Alton, Staffordshire, England, UK) . RCDB article, accessed June 29, 2013
  57. ↑ a b Diving Machine G5 - Janfusun Fancyworld (Koo-Kung Hsiang, Yunelin, Taiwan) . RCDB article, accessed June 29, 2013
  58. ↑ Element = Immelmann . RCDB article, accessed June 29, 2013
  59. ^ Joel Bullock: SheiKra @ Busch Gardens Tampa - Coaster Review. (No longer available online.) The Coaster Critic, May 20, 2006, archived from the original on June 26, 2014 ; accessed on January 31, 2013 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.thecoastercritic.com
  60. ↑ Original English quote: "Despite the 70mph top speed it's quite gentle on the human body, although from the last row it easily wins the award for Most Airtime on a Roller Coaster in the State of Florida." after Jeremy Thompson: Busch Gardens Tampa Capsule Resviews. (No longer available online.) Roller Coaster Philosophy, archived from the original on December 10, 2013 ; accessed on January 31, 2013 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.rollercoasterphilosophy.com
  61. ↑ Original English quote: "The 200-foot monster, Florida's tallest, wins my vote for best drop" according to Eric Michael: Coast through life. In: Orlando Sentinel. March 31, 2006, p. 3 , accessed January 31, 2013 .
  62. ^ BGA, Valleyfair featured on Discovery Channel's 'Build It Bigger'. (No longer available online.) Coaster-Net, July 5, 2007, archived from the original on March 20, 2012 ; Retrieved February 1, 2013 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.coaster-net.com
  63. ↑ List of roller coasters at Busch Gardens . RCDB article, accessed July 7, 2013
  64. ↑ TEA / ERA Attraction Attendance Report 2007 ( Memento from March 27, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) (English; PDF; 1.1 MB). Amusement park visitor numbers report, accessed July 7, 2013
This article was added to the list of articles worth reading on August 11, 2013 in this version .

Coordinates: 28 ° 2 '11.9 "  N , 82 ° 25' 28.4"  W.