Goliath (Six Flags Over Georgia)

This article is about Goliath at Six Flags Over Georgia. For other uses, see Goliath (disambiguation).
Goliath

Goliath's 170-foot (52 m) first drop
Six Flags Over Georgia
Park section USA Section
Coordinates 33°46′09″N 84°33′00″W / 33.76917°N 84.55000°W / 33.76917; -84.55000Coordinates: 33°46′09″N 84°33′00″W / 33.76917°N 84.55000°W / 33.76917; -84.55000
Status Operating
Opening date April 1, 2006
Cost $20,000,000
Replaced Great Gasp
Looping Starship
General statistics
Type Steel – Hypercoaster
Manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard
Model Hyper Coaster
Track layout Out and Back
Lift/launch system Chain lift hill
Height 200 ft (61 m)
Drop 175 ft (53 m)
Length 4,480 ft (1,370 m)
Speed 70 mph (110 km/h)
Inversions 0
Duration 3:30
Max vertical angle 59°
Capacity 1,220 riders per hour
Height restriction 54 in (137 cm)
Trains 2 trains with 9 cars. Riders are arranged 4 across in a single row for a total of 36 riders per train.
Flash Pass Available
Goliath at RCDB
Pictures of Goliath at RCDB

Goliath is a steel Hyper Coaster located at the Six Flags Over Georgia amusement park in Cobb County, Georgia, United States. Designed by Bolliger & Mabillard it reaches a maximum height of 200 feet (61 m), a top speed of 70 mph (110 km/h), and has approximately 4,480 feet (1,370 m) of track. Great Gasp and Looping Starship were both removed by the end of the 2005 season to make room for the roller coaster. Goliath was announced to the public on September 1, 2005 and opened on April 1, 2006. In 2006, Amusement Today's annual Golden Ticket Awards voted it the fourth-best new steel roller coaster of that year and the 9th-best steel roller coaster. It was voted the 7th-best steel roller coaster in 2013.

History

On September 1, 2005, the park officially announced Goliath, a $20,000,000 steel Hyper Coaster.[1][2] By the end of the 2005 season, the rides Great Gasp and Looping Starship were closed and removed from the park to make room for the new roller coaster.[2][3][4][5] Foundations for Goliath's supports began to be poured in September 2005.[6] In early October, track began to arrive at the park; erection of the supports and track began soon after.[6][7] In November and December, construction on the lift hill was complete.[8] In March 2006, Goliath's trains were delivered to the park.[9] After construction on the track and testing was complete, the roller coaster opened to the public on April 1, 2006.[10]

Ride experience

Goliath's 540-degree helix

After being dispatched from the station, the train makes a left hand turn towards the 200-foot (61 m) chain lift hill. Once at the top, the train drops back down 170 feet (52 m) reaching a maximum speed of 70 miles per hour (110 km/h). Following the drop, the train goes over the first of its camelback hills, where the train experiences the ride's tallest drop at 175 feet (53 m). As the train exits the park boundaries, it enters a banked left turn then its second camelback hill with a 129-foot (39 m) drop. Next, the train rises back up and enters a 540-degree downward helix before passing through a set of trim brakes and going over the third camelback hill, this time with a 118-foot (36 m) drop. The train then enters a horseshoe leading back into the park, followed by the final three camelback hills with a drop height of 79-foot (24 m), 56-foot (17 m), and 48-foot (15 m), each lower than the previous one. Following a banked left turn, the train makes a quick drop before entering the final brake run leading back to the station.[11] One cycle of the ride lasts about three and a half minutes.[12]

Characteristics

Track

The steel track of Goliath is approximately 4,480 feet (1,370 m) long and covers an area of about 8.5 acres (3.4 ha; 0.0133 sq mi). The height of the lift is 200 feet (61 m).[1] The roller coaster has no inversions, though it does feature six camelback hills and a 540 degree helix.[10] The track is painted orange while the supports are painted teal. Goliath was manufactured by Clermont Steel Fabricators located in Batavia, Ohio.[13][14][15]

Trains

Goliath operates with two steel and fiberglass trains. Each train has nine cars which can seat four riders in a single row, for a total of 36 riders per train; each seat has its own individual lap-bar restraint. This configuration allows the ride to achieve a theoretical hourly capacity of 1,220 riders per hour. The structure of the trains are painted orange and teal, with matching colored restraints and seats.[1][10][15]

Reception

Joel Bullock from The Coaster Critic and Mike from NewsPlusNotes both praised the g-forces experienced while going through the helix, and the amount of airtime Goliath has. Bullock described Goliath as, "not only the park’s best roller coaster, but arguably the best coaster in the South East (south of Virginia)."[16][17] Mike Collins from Coaster Radio particularly enjoyed the section of the roller coaster that takes riders outside of the park boundaries. He also said that, "[Goliath is] a fun and fast coaster. It’s all about the airtime... and you get a lot of it."[18]

In Goliath's opening year, it was voted the fourth best new ride for 2006 and the ninth best steel roller coaster in Amusement Today's Golden Ticket Awards. The roller coaster peaked at position four in 2009 and 2011.

Golden Ticket Awards: Best New Ride for 2006
Ranking
4[19]
Golden Ticket Awards: Top steel Roller Coasters
Year20062007200820092010201120122013201420152016
Ranking 9[19]8[20]6[21]4[22]5[23]4[24]9[25]7[26]9[27] 12[28] 20[29]

In Mitch Hawker's Best Steel Roller Coaster Poll, Goliath was voted as the tenth best steel roller coaster in the world in its first year; it peaked at position seven in 2007.[30]

Mitch Hawker's Best Roller Coaster Poll: Best steel-Tracked Roller Coaster[31]
Year20062007200820092010201120122013
Ranking 107141516 No poll2031

Incidents

On July 27, 2006, a 45-year-old man was found unresponsive and not breathing on Goliath after losing consciousness during the ride. Park employees began to treat the man before he was taken to a local hospital and pronounced dead. After an inspection of the ride showed that the roller coaster was operating properly, it reopened to the public.[32][33]

Notes

    References

    1. 1 2 3 Marden, Duane. "Six Flags Over Georgia prepares to unleash a GIANT". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved August 16, 2013.
    2. 1 2 "Goliath coming to Six Flags Over Georgia". Atlanta Business Chronicle. September 1, 2005. Archived from the original on September 23, 2008. Retrieved August 17, 2013.
    3. ↑ Waterhouse, Jon (August 11, 2005). "Six Flags celebrates last Gasp". Access Atlanta. Archived from the original on August 14, 2005. Retrieved August 17, 2013.
    4. ↑ "Six Flags Over Georgia 2005 Park Map" (PDF). Six Flags Over Georgia. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 24, 2005. Retrieved August 17, 2013.
    5. ↑ "Six Flags Over Georgia 2006 Park Map" (PDF). Six Flags Over Georgia. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 18, 2006. Retrieved August 17, 2013.
    6. 1 2 "Goliath: A Giant in the Making (August - October 2005)". Six Flags Over Georgia. Archived from the original on March 17, 2006. Retrieved August 17, 2013.
    7. ↑ "Goliath: A Giant in the Making (October 2005)". Six Flags Over Georgia. Archived from the original on March 17, 2006. Retrieved August 17, 2013.
    8. ↑ "Goliath: A Giant in the Making (November 2005)". Six Flags Over Georgia. Archived from the original on March 17, 2006. Retrieved August 17, 2013.
    9. ↑ "Goliath: A Giant in the Making (December 2005 - March 2006)". Six Flags Over Georgia. Archived from the original on March 17, 2006. Retrieved August 17, 2013.
    10. 1 2 3 Marden, Duane. "Goliath  (Six Flags Over Georgia)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved August 16, 2013.
    11. ↑ "Goliath Roller Coaster Front Seat POV Six Flags Over Georgia". Themparkreviewtpr/YouTube. March 23, 2010. Retrieved August 7, 2013.
    12. ↑ "Goliath Fact Sheet" (PDF). Six Flags Over Georgia. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 17, 2006. Retrieved August 17, 2013.
    13. ↑ Guido, Anna (November 7, 2005). "Steel plant's business on fast track". Cincinnati Enquirer. Archived from the original on January 7, 2006. Retrieved August 10, 2013.
    14. ↑ "Scott & Carol Present: Getting On Track With B&M". NewsPlusNotes. December 11, 2008. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
    15. 1 2 Marden, Duane. "Goliath (Photo Gallery)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved August 16, 2013.
    16. ↑ Bullock, Joel (December 5, 2008). "Goliath @ Six Flags Over Georgia". The Coaster Critic. Retrieved August 16, 2013.
    17. ↑ "Six Flags Over Georgia On My Mind - Part 2". NewsPlusNotes. September 16, 2011. Retrieved August 16, 2013.
    18. ↑ Collins, Mike (August 27, 2006). "Goliath Ride Review". Coaster Radio. Archived from the original on September 7, 2008. Retrieved August 16, 2013.
    19. 1 2 "Top 50 steel roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 26–27B. September 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
    20. ↑ "Top 50 steel roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 11 (6.2): 36–37. September 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
    21. ↑ "Top 50 steel roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 12 (6.2): 36–37. September 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
    22. ↑ "Top 50 steel roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 13 (6.2): 32–33. September 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
    23. ↑ "Top 50 steel roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 14 (6.2): 34–35. September 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
    24. ↑ "Top 50 steel roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 15 (6.2): 38–39. September 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
    25. ↑ "Top 50 steel roller coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 16 (6.2): 36–37. September 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 2, 2015. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
    26. ↑ "2013 Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 17 (6.2): 34–35. September 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
    27. ↑ "2014 Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 18 (6.2): 46–47. September 2014. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
    28. ↑ "2015 Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 19 (6.2): 49–50. September 2015. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
    29. ↑ "2016 Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 20 (6.2): 50–50. September 2016. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
    30. ↑ "Best Steel Roller Coaster Poll 12 year results table". BestRollerCoasterPoll.com. Retrieved July 25, 2013.
    31. ↑ Hawker, Mitch. "Steel Roller Coaster Poll 13 Year Results Table (1999–2013)". Best Roller Coaster Poll. Retrieved January 5, 2014.
    32. ↑ "Man Dies After Riding Goliath Roller Coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia". Fox News. July 28, 2006. Archived from the original on July 24, 2013. Retrieved August 16, 2013.
    33. ↑ "Man dies after ride in Georgia theme park". Tampa Bay Times. July 29, 2006. Archived from the original on August 16, 2013. Retrieved August 16, 2013.
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