V2: Vertical Velocity
| V2: Vertical Velocity | |
|---|---|
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Vertical Velocity as seen at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. | |
| Six Flags Discovery Kingdom | |
| Coordinates | 38°08′17″N 122°13′56″W / 38.138170°N 122.232335°WCoordinates: 38°08′17″N 122°13′56″W / 38.138170°N 122.232335°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Opening date | 2001 |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel – Launched – Inverted |
| Manufacturer | Intamin |
| Designer | Werner Stengel |
| Model | Shuttle coaster |
| Track layout | Twisted Impulse |
| Lift/launch system | LIM |
| Height | 150 ft (46 m) |
| Drop | 150 ft (46 m) |
| Length | 630 ft (190 m) |
| Speed | 65 mph (105 km/h) |
| Inversions | 1 |
| Duration | 1:10 |
| Max vertical angle | 90° |
| Capacity | 900 riders per hour |
| Acceleration | 0-60 mph in 4.0 seconds |
| Height restriction | 54–75 in (137–191 cm) |
| Trains | Single train with 7 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 28 riders per train. |
 Flash Pass Available | |
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V2: Vertical Velocity at RCDB Pictures of V2: Vertical Velocity at RCDB | |
V2: Vertical Velocity is an inverted steel roller coaster located at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo, California. It is California's first and only Spiraling Impulse Coaster, built by Intamin and opened in 2001. It stands 150 ft tall (46 m) and reaches speeds of up to 70 mph (110 km/h). The ride is tied with Medusa and Superman: Ultimate Flight in the same park for tallest coaster in Northern California.
The ride
The coaster’s track is essentially a large U shape that is loaded at the base and uses a series of LIMs to accelerate the train up each side of the track. One side of the track is twisted track (commonly called an inline twist) that ends in a straight section angled at about 45 degrees, the other side is a perfectly vertical straight track. The train seats twenty eight riders is a standard overhead suspended design.
When it was installed the ride was 186 ft tall (57 m). Both sides of the track were vertical, the front tower twisted, and the rear tower straight with a reverse LIM segment at the top (designed to hold the train momentarily). In 2002, the ride was temporarily closed while the track was modified from 186 feet (57 m) to the city ordinance limit of 150 feet (46 m). To lower the height, the front tower was tilted to a 45-degree angle and the reverse tower lowered to 150 feet (46 m).
For the 2007 season, V2 was repainted red with maroon supports. Before the repainting, it had yellow track with blue supports, which made this ride's paint scheme very similar to Wicked Twister at Cedar Point, which has yellow track and green supports.
Vertical Velocity has been closed for extensive refurbishment for the past four months, which has included the removal and complete disassembly of the train. Sections of track, as of May 25, 2016, are missing and queue railing has been removed for refurbishment. Various sources have said that its residency at Discovery Kingdom is currently in question. In addition, other media sources have questioned if V2 will be demolished due to the large amount of downtime needed per year and the generally medium to mediocre lines during the operating season. Similar media sources have speculated that V2 will be repainted to a Batman-themed color scheme and renamed as such because The Joker (RMC) is now neighbors with V2 and this would be an ideal fit as V2's paint is now in the first stages of severe fading. Stock footage from The Joker has shown that the tops of supports of V2 have completely faded to white despite the supports originally being a maroon shade. As of July 21st, 2016 V2 at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom has reopened to the public. The official website no longer lists the ride as 'temporarily closed'.