Wing Coaster

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title: "Wing Coaster" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["types-of-roller-coaster", "wing-coaster-roller-coasters", "roller-coasters-manufactured-by-bolliger-&-mabillard"] description: "Type of roller coaster" topic_path: "general/types-of-roller-coaster" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wing_Coaster" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Type of roller coaster ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox attraction model"]

Field	Value
name	Wing Coaster
logo
logo_width
image	GateKeeper 020 (9547680779).jpg
imagedimensions	250px
caption	GateKeeper at Cedar Point.
status	in production
first_produced	2011
No. of installations	19
manufacturer	Bolliger & Mabillard
designer
height_ft
height_m
drop_ft
drop_m
length_ft
length_m
speed_mph
speed_km/h
capacity
vehicle_type	Train seats are located level with the track on both sides.
riders_per_vehicle
riders_per_row	4
participants_per_group
audience_capacity
restraint	Rubber vest over chest and lap bar
rcdb_number	9896
::

| name = Wing Coaster | logo = | logo_width = | image = GateKeeper 020 (9547680779).jpg | imagedimensions = 250px | caption = GateKeeper at Cedar Point. | status = in production | first_produced = 2011 | No. of installations= 19 | manufacturer = Bolliger & Mabillard | designer = | height_ft = | height_m = | drop_ft = | drop_m = | length_ft = | length_m = | speed_mph = | speed_km/h = | gforce = | capacity = | vehicle_type = Train seats are located level with the track on both sides. | vehicles = | riders_per_vehicle = | rows = | riders_per_row = 4 | participants_per_group= | audience_capacity = | duration = | restraint = Rubber vest over chest and lap bar | custom_label_1 = | custom_value_1 = | custom_label_2 = | custom_value_2 = |rcdb_number = 9896 Wing Coaster is engineering firm Bolliger & Mabillard’s designation for its winged roller coaster designs. Winged roller coasters are a type of steel roller coaster where pairs of riders sit on either side of a roller coaster track in which nothing is above or below the riders. B&M began development on the first Wing Coaster between 2007 and 2008 leading to the opening of Raptor at Gardaland on 1 April 2011. There were eighteen B&M-designed Wing Coasters either under construction or operating worldwide , with one more standing but not operating.

History

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2f/Raptor_Gardaland_2011.jpg" caption="Raptor]] at [[Gardaland]] was the world's first Wing Coaster, opening in 2011."] ::

According to Walter Bolliger, development of the Wing Coaster began between 2007 and 2008. In 2010, Bolliger & Mabillard announced a prototype Wing Coaster design that would be built at Merlin Entertainments' Gardaland. It became known as Raptor, which opened on 1 April 2011.

In the United States, the first Wing Coaster to be announced was X-Flight, which opened at Six Flags Great America on 16 May 2012. On 13 August 2012, Cedar Point announced plans to build a new Wing Coaster called GateKeeper, which set new records for a Wing Coaster including longest track length, fastest speed and drop height. The first Wing Coaster in Asia, Parrot Coaster, opened at Ocean Kingdom on 25 January 2014. On 24 July 2014, Holiday World & Splashin' Safari announced Thunderbird, the first launched Wing Coaster.

Design

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/X-Flight_Station.jpg" caption="X-Flight]] at [[Six Flags Great America]]. Notice how the bars on the restraint system are not what actually hold the rider in place."] ::

The design of a Wing Coaster differs from many traditional steel roller coasters in that its trains are not located above or below the track but rather on the sides, a configuration that give riders the impression of free flight. Also, because there is nothing on top of the track and only steel beams holding each ends of the train together, all current Wing Coasters have an object (that relates to the theme) that covers the steel beams and adds to the experience. The restraints on the trains are also different. Instead of simply having the traditional over-the-shoulder restraint bar used on many inverted roller coasters, the Wing Coaster restraints are similar to Bolliger & Mabillard's Flying Coaster, which includes a vest restraint and a waist-level restraint with bars on the side for the rider to hold on to. The Wing Coaster's differences extended to the station layout of the station, which requires the queue to split in two halves, allowing riders to board the train where the seats sit level with the track.

Installations

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/Train_going_through_the_"Keyhole"_on_X-Flight_at_Six_Flags_Great_America.jpg" caption="keyhole element]]."] ::

Bolliger & Mabillard has built or is in the process of building a total of nineteen Wing Coasters as of December 2024. The roller coasters are listed in order of opening dates.

::data[format=table]

Name	Park	Country	Opened	Status
Raptor	Gardaland	Italy Italy
	Thorpe Park	United Kingdom United Kingdom
Wild Eagle	Dollywood	USA United States
X-Flight	Six Flags Great America	USA United States
GateKeeper	Cedar Point	USA United States
Parrot Coaster	Chimelong Ocean Kingdom	China China
Flug der Dämonen	Heide Park	Germany Germany
Thunderbird	Holiday World & Splashin' Safari	United States United States
Flying Wing Coaster	Happy Valley Chongqing	China China
Wing Coaster	Colourful Yunnan Happy World	China China
Fēnix	Toverland	Netherlands Netherlands
	Hot Go Dreamworld	China China	Unknown
Heaven's Wing	Huayi Brothers Movie World	China China	2018
Falcon	Wuxi Sunac Land	China China	29 June 2019
Forest Predator	Happy Valley Nanjing	China China	11 November 2020
DaVinci Ride	Fantasy Valley Xiangyang	China China	29 April 2022
Maximus – Der Flug des Wächters	Legoland Deutschland	Germany Germany
Mandrill Mayhem	Chessington World Of Adventures	United Kingdom United Kingdom
Rapterra	Kings Dominion	United States United States
::

Similar rides

Prior to the development of the Wing Coaster, in 2007, Intamin debuted a version of an Accelerator Coaster with modified trains similar to those used on 4th Dimension roller coasters and Wing Coasters. Known as a Wing Rider Coaster, Furius Baco at PortAventura Park was the first and currently only ride of its type. It launches riders from 0 to 135 km/h in 3.5 seconds with trains that seat six rows of four people (two on either side of the track).

In addition to the Wing Rider Coaster, Intamin also introduced a model named Wing Coaster. The first installation was Skyrush at Hersheypark in 2012, and the latest Flying Aces at Ferrari World Abu Dhabi. The trains feature four seats per row: two center seats positioned over the track and have a floor, while two hang over the side and are the "wings".

The Wing Coaster is also similar to the 4th Dimension roller coaster concept from the 1990s. However, unlike 4th Dimension roller coasters, cars on a Wing Coaster train do not spin — they are locked in place. Examples of 4th Dimension roller coasters include X2 at Six Flags Magic Mountain and Eejanaika at Fuji-Q Highland.

References

References

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4. B&M 2012 Product Catalog
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