A-Z Coaster Of The Week: Hypersonic XLC

Hello friends, and welcome to another edition of A-Z Coaster of the week, where we highlight a coaster that begins with the corresponding letter of the alphabet. For our “H” Coaster, we’re heading to Kings Dominion, and opening up the archives to highlight Hypersonic XLC.

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Photo: Mapio.net

Only operating for 7 seasons (2001-2007), Hypersonic XLC was the world’s first compressed air-launched coaster. Manufactured by S&S Worldwide, the XLC at the end of the ride’s name stands for “Xtreme Launch Coaster.”

According to a 2001 Press Release, the idea for Hypersonic XLC came to S&S Founder Stan Checketts one day while traversing a near-vertical hill on one of his souped-up, custom-designed snowmobiles. He began wondering if it would be possible to take one of his vertical tower rides, lay the structure on it’s side and launch a roller coaster car using the same technology.

Ride manufacturers at S&S Power assembled a prototype model of the world’s first compressed air-launched roller coaster. They dubbed the prototype “Thrust Air 2000” and debuted the ride at their plant in Logan, Utah at the end of 1999. Park officials from nearly every regional theme park in North America converged on Logan along with curious industry experts and coaster enthusiasts.

S&S was contacted by numerous theme parks wanting to be the first to install the world’s first compressed air-launched coaster. When the dust settled, it was announced that Kings Dominion (then under the Paramount Parks Umbrella) would be the first to present the exciting new coaster to the public.

Paramount’s Kings Dominion Executive Vice President and General Manager Richard Zimmerman was instrumental in making the deal. “Paramount’s Kings Dominion has a rich tradition of presenting one-of-a-kind thrill rides at our park,” said Zimmerman. Our guests have come to expect us to push the envelope and build the latest and greatest. Our relationship with S&S Power was the natural next-step in keeping with that tradition.”

Seated in trains that held 8 passengers, riders would exit the station onto the launch track, where the compressed air launch would take riders from 0-80 mph in 1.8 seconds. At the time, that type of acceleration in a roller coaster was unheard of. But the innovations didn’t stop with the method of propulsion. The new design also included special shock absorbers and pneumatic (air-filled) tires that were designed to provide an unbelievably smooth ride.

The train would then ascend the 90 degree, 165′ hill, drop 133′ feet into two banked turns, and head back toward the station through the brake run. The track’s total length was a quick 1,560′.

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Photo: AmericanCoasters.com

In 2006, Kings Dominion listed the ride as for sale, and dismantled it soon after. It was located in Kings Dominion’s “Grove” area of the park, where the park’s current Windseeker attraction stands. In its lifetime, Hypersonic XLC gave a total of 2,139,160 rides. At last visit, the station for Hypersonic XLC is still standing.

Check out a clip from “Extreme Rides 2001” and  POV Video of Hypersonic XLC below!

Were you one of those 2,139,160 riders? Let us know in the comments below, and come back next week as we look at the “I” coaster of the week!

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