Kentucky Flyer Media Day
Arriving at Kentucky Kingdom, the clouds and threats of incoming thunderstorms could not ground the excitement for their newest attraction, the Kentucky Flyer! This 47ft tall wooden coaster from The Gravity Group takes riders through 12 airtime moments, speeds of 34mph on 1,288ft of track. But first, food.
A huge thank you to the catering staff who prepared a wonderful spread and really went out of their way to ensure that we all had a great time.
The formal event began with a few speeches given by members of the park’s management including park owner, Ed Hart. Ed spoke about his pride for Kentucky Kingdom, its meaning to the local community and then introduced Gary Slade from Amusement Today to come up and share his thoughts on Kentucky Flyer.
We were led over to the ride by King Louie who cut the ribbon to open the coaster. It was time for us to ride!
The ride queue does carry a bit of the theme towards old fighter planes with some of the ride stats written on them. It’s nothing special, but never lets you forget the theme of the ride all the way into the station where the pre-recorded spiel is all phrased as if you’re about to board an airplane. After we were warned that “no carry-on luggage is allowed on the Kentucky Flyer” we took our seats and were ready for takeoff.
While only 47ft tall, this ride packs a punch the entire time with nonstop pops of airtime, tight turns, and great views of the waterpark as your travel along its perimeter. The ride crosses over itself a few times and never lets up and felt much faster than 35mph even in the rain.
The Kentuky Flyer is the perfect in-between coaster that lets kids, and those that just don’t feel ready for larger coasters to experience the same thrills in a much more approachable way. The lower height restriction also allows a broader range of people to experience the thrills of a roller coaster!
The 2019 season opens on April 26th and so does The Kentucky Flyer! A huge thank you to the Kentucky Kingdom staff and Ed Hart for putting on a wonderful event and for building this fantastic addition to a park proving why it deserves to be put back on the maps of enthusiasts and families alike!