Flying Ace Aerial Chase

Flying Ace Aerial Chase
Flying Ace Aerial Chase when it was known as Rugrats Runaway Reptar at Kings Island.
Previously known as Rugrats Runaway Reptar
Carowinds
Park section	Planet Snoopy
Coordinates	35°06′07″N 80°56′26″W / 35.102070°N 80.940689°W / 35.102070; -80.940689
Status	Operating
Opening date	March 22, 2003 (2003-03-22)
Kings Island
Park section	Planet Snoopy
Coordinates	39°20′30″N 84°16′09″W / 39.341773°N 84.269114°W / 39.341773; -84.269114Coordinates: 39°20′30″N 84°16′09″W / 39.341773°N 84.269114°W / 39.341773; -84.269114
Status	Operating
Opening date	April 7, 2001 (2001-04-07)
Flying Ace Aerial Chase at Kings Island at RCDB Pictures of Flying Ace Aerial Chase at Kings Island at RCDB
General statistics
Type	Steel – Family
Manufacturer	Vekoma
Model	Suspended Family Coaster 342m
Lift/launch system	Drive tire
Height	49 ft (15 m)
Length	1,122 ft (342 m)
Speed	26 mph (42 km/h)
Inversions	0
Duration	1:30
Capacity	650 riders per hour
G-force	2.2
Height restriction	44–76 in (112–193 cm)
Trains	Single train with 10 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in a single row for a total of 20 riders per train.
Fast Lane available at Kings Island only
Must transfer from wheelchair
Flying Ace Aerial Chase at RCDB Pictures of Flying Ace Aerial Chase at RCDB

Flying Ace Aerial Chase is a steel roller coaster at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio and Carowinds in Fort Mill, South Carolina. The ride is a Suspended Family Coaster built by Vekoma designed specifically for families.^[1][2] It is based on the Snoopy and the Red Baron saga, and was first themed to the Rugrats episode, Runaway Reptar.

History

Kings Island

Flying Ace Aerial Chase opened to the public on April 7, 2001^[3] as Rugrats Runaway Reptar. This was Kings Island's fourth kids' coaster earning the park the title: "Kid's Coaster Capital of the World!". That same year, the Kings Mills Log Flume was refurbished and rethemed to Nickelodeon and was named The Wild Thornberry's River Adventure. Those two new rides formed a new area called Nickelodeon Central. This area was separate from the regular Hanna-Barbera children's area, but it was still a kid's area. You can see this more clearly on this park map from 2002. It was not until 2006 that the rest of the Hanna-Barbera land was transformed into one kid's area which was called Nickelodeon Universe. This change did not affect the two already existing rides in Nickelodeon Central, since they already had the Nickelodeon theme. Then, in 2010, Nickelodeon Universe became Planet Snoopy, which affected the rides name and changed it to Flying Ace Aerial Chase to fit the Snoopy theme. Also, when its name was changed, the support beams of the ride were repainted from green to orange.^[4]

Carowinds

When Rugrats Runaway Reptar became so immensely popular at Paramount's Kings Island, the then-owners, Paramount decided to build a copy of the ride at Carowinds. Rugrats Runaway Reptar opened in 2003 at Paramount's Carowinds. The ride is exactly the same; paint color and all. The only difference is the color of the shoulder restraints. At Carowinds, the restraints are red and perhaps more bulky. At Kings Island, the restraints are yellow and had more padding.

Ride layout

As the train comes out of the station, it makes a 90 degree turn to the right, and starts up the tire drive lift hill. As the train exits the lift hill, it is sent on a double helix to the left. From there, the train makes its way under the lift hill and over to the top of the station, making the riders feel as if they could touch it with their feet. Then it turns right and travels alongside of the lift hill and then turns right 180 degrees. At this point the train is very close to the ground. Then, it turns 180 degrees to the left into the activating brakes.

References

External links

• Official Flying Ace Aerial Chase page at Carowinds
• Official Flying Ace Aerial Chase page at Kings Island