Tampa – The ride starts in line. A few intimidated riders turn back, but Darren Dyer weaves through the queue. Dyer, 32, a Miami resident, has taken on about 40 of America's wildest coasters. After months anticipating the opening of Cheetah Hunt at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay , Dyer thinks he knows what to expect. Then he climbs into the seat. Launched out of the station at 30 mph, the ride instantly surpasses Dyer's expectations. The coaster curves left, then dips into a cavern. His stomach flips. Cool. It's one of the most technologically advanced attractions in the Southeast, Dyer says, adding, “The ride does not disappoint. My first thought after riding was one word: again.” For nearly a century, roller coasters have entertained the adventurous, pushed limits and even defied gravity. At the turn of the 20th century, they were a novelty, rare and experimental. In the 1920s, wooden coasters such as the Coney Island Cyclone began to pop up in amusement parks. In 1959, Disneyland unveiled the first steel coaster, which incorporated loops and smooth fast trains. Through the decades, an apparent contest developed among engineers to build the tallest, fastest and most innovative attractions. Cheetah Hunt, the newest coaster to open at Busch Gardens, uses a computer system to control the ride experience. When Busch engineers began developing the ride in 2005, they wanted to shock even the most experienced riders. Rather than build another chain-lift coaster, which relies on potential energy and gravity to propel trains, designers set out to mimic the speed of a cheetah using electromagnets to launch riders from zero to 60 miles per hour in seconds. The ride features three such launch points and runs on a track within a foot of the ground at some points. “Seven years ago I was watching Star Wars and there was a scene where vehicles flying close to the ground were zooming through tight spaces,” says Mark Rose, vice president of design and engineering at Busch Garden. “I wondered what it would take to build a low-moving coaster like that. Overtime, that idea evolved into Cheetah Hunt.” From the beginning, Rose says, he saw Cheetah Hunt as a challenge to bring new technology to a theme park known for its innovative thrill attractions. For five years, it remained in the planning stages as engineers worked to develop a complex computer system capable of controlling the ride. “We wanted to combine both speed and grace,” Rose says. “In the beginning, it's more of an art, then it becomes about the science of it and checking the forces involved to create a smooth and enjoyable ride.” Park officials tossed around ideas for where the coaster would go. An old monorail building near the park's Crown Colony Restaurant was vacant, so they decided to use it as a loading station. They contemplated sending the coaster through the Edge of Africa section of the park, which features a walk-through animal safari, but ultimately decided against it. Engineers went through 50 layouts before deciding on a final path for the ride, which stretches 4,429 feet. Theming was also important while designing the coaster, Rose says. When designers decided on a launch coaster, they compared the launch speed to the speed a cheetah could reach running out in the wild. From there, they expanded on the idea by working with zoologists at Busch Gardens to open a cheetah exhibit along with the ride. “It's important to properly integrate a coaster into the park,” Rose says. “If it looks like it was always meant to be there, that makes it a better attraction.” Construction on Cheetah Hunt began in late 2009. More than 400 workers from architects to electricians worked to bring it to life. A four-month testing process followed. “We spent a month checking the wiring before we ever moved the first train,” Rose says. “Then we pulled that first train along with a crane to make sure all our clearances were right and the alignment was perfect.” In addition to the three launch points, Cheetah Hunt includes one inversion (upside down), an inline roll and crosses over the park's sky ride. Riders are launched at 60 mph up a figure eight tower and then dropped into an underground trench. At one point, riders experience weightlessness for three seconds. “Each chapter of the ride builds on itself,” Rose says. “Unexpected elements make a coaster one of a kind.” Lindsey Mammen, representative for the creative team at Universal Orlando , said that when Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit opened at their Universal Studios park in August 2009, the big draw was the ride's inverted loop, where trains run along the top rather than inside the loop. Since riders don't go upside down, engineers were able to do different things with the ride, which at 17 stories is the tallest coaster in Central Florida . “The ride is unique because it gives riders a sense of freedom,” Mammen says. “They are confined to the ride vehicle with a lap bar as opposed to a shoulder harness. While guests never actually invert, there are a number of amazing maneuvers that create an exhilarating coaster experience, which coupled with the musical element, creates an unforgettable ride.” Rick Sylvain, representative for Walt Disney Imagineering, says with every ride built, the bar is set higher to give riders a different kind of thrill. A new coaster, the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train , is currently under construction as part of a multiyear expansion of Fantasyland at Walt Disney World 's Magic Kingdom in Orlando. “It features a first-of-its-kind ride system in which the ride vehicles swing back and forth,” Sylvain says. Back at Busch Gardens, engineers are working to develop the park's next attraction, but the details remain under wraps. Rose says park engineers generally work five years ahead. When Cheetah Hunt opened, people from around the world waited two hours or more in line to ride. Rose says he remembers his first time braving the coaster. He was the first person to ride. “I watched the tests for so many months, but until you sit in the chair and are launched yourself, you're surprised.” Rose says. “I thought, 'Oh my goodness, this is unbelievable.'”
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Cheetah Hunt and the Latest and Greatest of Florida Roller Coasters
