Sky Rocket Launches at Kennywood

Airtime while upside down?!
Monday, June 28th was media day for Sky Rocket at Kennywood and Coaster101 was invited to attend. The clouds were threatening rain but, thankfully, it held off for the duration of the event. After some opening remarks by public relations manager Jeff Filicko and a chance to see the coaster run the course it was time to ride. We were in the first train out of the station. The verdict? Sky Rocket delivers! The smooth and quiet ride is full of airtime in unexpected places. Kennywood has a real winner on their hands!

After riding the coaster in every row we got a chance to get up close and personal with the ride by entering the restricted areas. We took this opportunity to sit on the track and take pictures. Afterwards, we were served a delicious lunch. It was a little disconcerting to see that as soon as we were done riding the maintenance crew showed up and started torquing some of the bolts on the supports. Final preparations had to be made before the official opening on Tuesday.

Sky Rocket packs a lot of action into a small footprint, the area of the park formerly occupied by the Turnpike car ride. The coaster stands 95 feet tall and was designed right here in America by Premier. This was Premier’s first LSM (linear synchronous motor) launched ride (their previous launched coasters used LIMs). This gets the two-car train blasting up to 50 mph in under two seconds. From there it is straight up and into the sky.

The open sided trains are very comfortable and the lack of over the shoulder restraints means freedom for your upper body and no head banging. However, I wouldn’t recommend sitting in the last rows of each train. The shin guard part of the restraints (which I am not sure why they are necessary) push your feet back so your knees are bent with your feet behind your knees. In the first two rows of each car there is plenty of room but in the last row the wheel wells limit the amount of space you have, especially for the taller riders.

The biggest surprise of the ride for me were the inversions. Normally, inversions on roller coaster don’t really do it for me; they don’t excite me. Naturally, when I first saw Sky Rocket’s inversions I thought, “Eh”. Well, let me tell you, Sky Rocket’s inversions are designed perfectly. You actually get airtime while you are upside down, even in the corkscrew element. Most rides you get pushed back and are pinned into your seat while you go upside down but on Sky Rocket you are suspended perfectly in midair. It’s a really cool sensation.

The other elements I was skeptical about were the holding brakes on the top hat and in the middle of the course. The placement of the brakes looked as if it would prohibit any airtime and kill the pacing. After riding Sky Rocket my opinion is now just the opposite; the holding brakes actually enhance the ride experience and don’t hurt the pacing at all. You also get quite different experiences going over into the ninety-degree drops depending on which row you sit in. Sitting in the front gives you a good long time to stare at straight down at the ground and sitting towards the back makes you go flying over the edge and out of your seat.

While it may not be the tallest, fastest, or most intense ride around, Sky Rocket is a ton of fun. It’s a great addition and a perfect fit for Kennywood. I believe the ride will satisfy a wide range of riders: young and old, the most experienced coaster addict and the beginner will all love it. This is a ride you can do over and over again without any problems. It’s easily the best ride in the park (yes, it’s better than Phantom’s Revenge, and that’s saying a lot). Sky Rocket officially opens to the public on Tuesday, June 29th and I would expect it to quickly become the most popular ride in the park.

Coaster101 would like to thank Jeff and Kennywood for inviting us to experience Sky Rocket and for putting on a wonderful media day event. Now go ride it for yourself!

Stay tuned for more coverage from Kennywood including:

-video of Sky Rocket in action
-trip report, pictures and video of the other amazing attractions at Kennywood

Updated: new video and pictures here