Suspended Looping Coaster

History

The first SLC installation was El Condor, opening in 1994 at Walibi Holland (then known as Walibi Flevo) in the Netherlands. It was initially designed to run with ten cars in each train. Trouble with this configuration led to the trains being shortened to eight cars per train. T2 at Kentucky Kingdom was the second SLC, and the first built in the United States. Like El Condor, it was designed to run with ten cars per train, though its trains were eventually shortened to seven cars for similar reasons.

The roller coaster model was discontinued in 2017. The last new installation (not including relocations of older SLCs) was Queen Cobra, which opened in 2017 at Sun World Danang Wonders in Đà Nẵng, Vietnam.

Ride

Layouts

There are several different layouts of Suspended Looping Coasters, although most feature a similar pattern. The ride begins by taking passengers up a 33.3 m chain lift hill. Once at the top, the train drops down a steep, banked right turn where it enters the first inversion element, a right rollover. A rollover is an Immelmann loop followed by a Dive loop After exiting this element, the train traverses a banked left turn and approaches the ride's next inversion, a left sidewinder. After exiting the sidewinder, the train navigates a 270° right helix upwards before entering the ride's final two inversions, a double inline twist. The train then traverses a 90° banked turn to the right. At this point, some models feature an additional helix to the left, while others simply continue straight into the brake run. The standard model also has a relatively compact layout, providing numerous "footchoppers".

Vekoma have also manufactured three custom SLCs: The Great Nor'easter at Morey's Piers (which is nearly identical to a 689m Standard SLC, but features a custom station and supports), Kumali at Flamingo Land, and The Odyssey at Fantasy Island.

File:Vekoma SLC 765m helix.svg|The 765m Extended w/Helix model layout File:Vekoma SLC 689m standard.svg|The 689m Standard model layout, featured in most SLCs File:Mind Eraser (Under Drop).JPG|Professor Screamore's SkyWinder at Six Flags America directly before its rollover File:Mind Eraser (Sidewinder).JPG|Professor Screamore's SkyWinder's rollover File:Mind Eraser (Overbank).JPG|Professor Screamore's SkyWinder directly before its sidewinder File:Mind Eraser (Under Brake Run).JPG|Professor Screamore's SkyWinder preparing to enter its brake run File:Mind Eraser.jpg|Six Flags Darien Lake's The Mind Eraser

Trains

Many SLCs operate with two trains consisting of ten cars, though some operate with as few as seven cars. Poor maintenance and non-exact track manufacturing have led many SLCs to inflict notoriously painful "head banging" upon their riders, wherein a rider's head constantly slams against the over-the-shoulder restraints.

To help solve this issue, Vekoma is currently offering new trains with convenient hip harnesses and vest-like restraints that allow the rider to avoid slamming their head against bulky restraints while riding. The only known SLCs to have these trains are The Great Nor'easter at Morey's Piers, Jaguar at Isla Mágica, Riddler Revenge at Six Flags New England, Firewhip at Beto Carrero World, Nopuko Air Coaster at Lost Island Theme Park, The Mind Eraser at Six Flags Darien Lake, and Professor Screamore's SkyWinder at Six Flags America. Arkham Asylum – Shock Therapy at Warner Bros. Movie World used similar trains manufactured by Kumbak later into its service life before its eventual closure in 2022.

The Suspended Looping Coaster is similar in design to other inverted roller coasters. However, unlike the four-across seating found on Bolliger & Mabillard's inverted roller coasters, Vekoma SLCs feature two-across seating.

File:Kumalitrain.jpg|A Vekoma Suspended Looping Coaster train seats riders 2 across File:NemesisAlton.JPG|A Bolliger & Mabillard Inverted Roller Coaster train seats riders 4 across

Installations

, there are 42 different installations across the world, which have been located at 52 different amusement parks.

References

References

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3. "SLC - Vekoma (Vlodrop, Limburg, Netherlands)".
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7. Marden, Duane. "Roller Coaster Search Results - Model = SLC (Custom)". Roller Coaster Database.
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9. "Arkham Asylum - Shock Therapy - Warner Bros. Movie World (Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia)".
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