Falcons Flight

Conception

On April 7, 2017, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman officially announced the Qiddiya City mega project, an entertainment, sport, and cultural destination designed to diversify Saudi Arabia's economy as part of the Saudi Vision 2030 initiative.[2] Included in the announcement was the involvement of the original Six Flags theme park chain, which at the time was also pursuing the development of international parks in Dubai and China.[3] The Saudi Press Agency reported in October 2018 that the Crown Prince had met with David McKillip – then Six Flags' senior vice president of international park operations – at the Future Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh.[4]

Details for Six Flags Qiddiya were formally revealed on August 26, 2019, with the park slated to open in early 2023. Included was Falcons Flight, a roller coaster that would claim the world records for tallest, fastest, and longest roller coaster in the world.[1] An animated reel was released depicting a theoretical idea of what Falcons Flight could ultimately look like, which proposed scaling the nearby cliffs and interacting with the to-be-built F1 race track.[5]

Industry involvement

By January 2020, it was confirmed that manufacturers had been selected for all of the park's attractions, with geotechnical testing and analysis taking place on the cliffside.[6] In January 2021, Liechtenstein-based ride manufacturer Intamin announced that they had begun the design process for Falcons Flight; project manager Lukas Spieldiener would later allude to development having begun as far back as 2017.[7][8] Two years later, in January 2023, Swiss electronics firm Indrivetec AG affirmed that they were working on the launch propulsion system for a coaster with a "world speed record of more than 240 km/h".[9]

At the 2023 IAAPA Expo in Orlando, Florida, Intamin revealed further details on Falcons Flight. One of the coaster's lead cars was presented and displayed on November 14, and an updated animation was released of the finalized coaster design.[8] The final layout eschewed an Immelmann inversion and cliffside tunnel that were included in the original concept, but otherwise remained consistent with the vision in scale and design. Daniel Schoppen – the firm's Vice President of design and development – described Falcons Flight as “the roller coaster evolution of the century”.[10]

Construction

Construction took place concurrently with the park. For Six Flags as a whole, Qiddiya Investment Company (QIC) awarded a SAR3.75 billion (USD $998.2 million) joint contract in December 2021 to Bouygues Bâtiment International and Saudi Almabani General Contractors.[11] In September 2022, Intamin sought to hire a project manager "based in Riyadh for about 2 years (possibly more)."[12]

Installation continued in phases over the next year and a half, with the first launch hill and then final turnaround being erected. Intamin announced in December 2024 that some weeks prior, the final track piece had been fitted into place on top of the drop, just over the edge of the cliff.[13]

Statistics

Falcons Flight uses the natural cliffs near the park to attain a peak elevation change of approximately 195 m throughout the course of the ride. Its height, which is the maximum distance between the structure and the ground directly below that structure, is 163 m measured at ride's largest camelback, which also features a 158 m drop. Its track is 4250 m long, and the coaster reaches a top speed of 250 km/h[14] The coaster's footprint is large enough that it can be viewed from space.[15]

The coaster runs with six trains, each of which seat fourteen riders across four cars in rows of two; the front car only has a single row while the others each have two.[14] Falcons Flight's station features a dual loading bay, with two separate tracks and platforms to increase throughput.[8]

Falcons Flight utilizes three linear synchronous motor (LSM) launches, each of which propels the train to sequentially higher speeds. The second launch ascending the cliffside will accelerate riders to just over 160 km/h, while the final launch on the descent aids the train in achieving its maximum speed.[16] The launches are made up of more than 700 LSM modules, about six times the amount used on VelociCoaster at Universal Islands of Adventure, another launched roller coaster constructed by Intamin.[10][17]

Design

Falcons Flight – dubbed by Intamin as an Exa Coaster – has been designed to withstand both the high speeds incurred and harsh desert climate. The trains feature lap bars and curved windshields at the front of each car, protecting riders from airborne sand at high speeds. The train's chassis is fully machined [10] with no welding involved and includes rims designed to improve cooling. The wheels were custom designed for the coaster, measuring 16 in in diameter and being among the largest ever committed to a coaster (although marginally smaller than those found on Top Thrill 2 at Cedar Point).[18] Falcons Flight's trains also include thirty-five programmable and individually controllable light modules, allowing for enhanced spectator visibility at night.[10]

Records held