Stealth (roller coaster): Difference between revisions

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Stealth
Stealth at Thorpe Park
Thorpe Park
Location	Thorpe Park
Park section	Amity
Coordinates	51°24′18″N 0°30′55″W / 51.405°N 0.515278°W / 51.405; -0.515278
Status	Operating
Opening date	15 March 2006 (2006-03-15)
Cost	£12 Million
General statistics
Type	Steel – Launched
Manufacturer	Intamin
Designer	Werner Stengel
Model	Accelerator Coaster
Lift/launch system	Hydraulic launch track
Height	62.5 m (205 ft)
Length	400.0 m (1,312.3 ft)
Speed	80 mph (129 km/h)
Inversions	0
Max vertical angle	90°
G-force	4.7
Height restriction	140–196 cm (4 ft 7 in – 6 ft 5 in)
Trains	3 trains with 5 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 20 riders per train.
Theme	Speedway
Website	Official website
Fastrack available
Wheelchair accessible
Must transfer from wheelchair
Stealth at RCDB

Stealth is a launched roller coaster in the Amity area of Thorpe Park located in Surrey, England. Built and designed by Intamin of Switzerland for £12 million, the Accelerator Coaster model opened in 2006 as the fastest roller coaster in the UK, and is the third tallest in the UK after Hyperia and the Big One at Blackpool Pleasure Beach.^[1] It reaches a height of 62.5 metres (205 ft) and accelerates from 0 to 80 mph (129 km/h).^[2] Riders experience a maximum of 4.7 g.^[3]

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When the passengers board the ride, the noise of a car engine revving can be heard in the station audio loop. Also in the station loop while the passengers sit in their seats and pull the restraints down, an American-accented pre-recorded voice states “Place your heads back, face forward, hold on tight and brace yourself!”. This is followed by the sound of tyres screeching.

After passengers are securely restrained, the launch sequence begins when the brake fins are retracted. The train moves forward and attaches to the catch car. Smoke was reintroduced in the 2023 season and is produced from below the cars, presumably to simulate wheelspin. Overhead, a series of five red lights illuminate one by one in a horizontal row, as the voice in the recording once again states “Place your heads back, face forwards…”. Shortly after, a second row of green lights begin to illuminate as the voice in the recording enthusiastically shouts “Three, two, one, GO GO GO!” followed by the sound of tires screeching. After that, the train launches, quickly accelerating to 80 mph (130 km/h) into a steep, vertical top hat element with a height of 62.5 metres (205 ft). The train turns 90 degrees to the left as it crests the top hat and makes another 90-degree left turn as it descends the other side of the element. After reaching the bottom, the train enters an airtime hill, which produces a brief sensation of weightlessness before the train enters the magnetic brake run and returns to the station. As the car returns to the station, the voice in the recording enthusiastically says “Woah! What a race! Now undo your safety belts, push your bars up, and exit to the left hand side. What a race!”.^[4]

During events, the launch announcement has a different voice and normally has a different announcement.

For the 2024 season, Stealth's station and entrance areas have been completely repainted and the theming has been enhanced as part of the Sparkle Project, a scheme to give the park a facelift taking place over three closed seasons.^[5]

As with many Intamin Launch Coasters, Stealth experiences occasional rollbacks, which occur when a train is unable to complete the course, specifically failing to make it over the top hat element as a result of energy loss. Occurrences are rare, and there is a braking system in place on the launch side of the track to safely bring the roller coaster back to a complete stop. However, rollbacks are safe, and all staff/engineers are trained to safely evacuate guests off the train.^[6]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Stealth (Thorpe Park).

• Stealth at Thorpe Park