Six Flags Discovery Kingdom debuting new Superman ride

VALLEJO, Calif. (KGO) -- Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo is debuting a brand new ride Saturday and there's a lot riding on it. The park is betting $6 million that the new Superman Ultimate Flight ride will have profits soaring to new heights.

It lasts less than one minute, but it uses every second off that time to leave an impression. "It takes you up, back, and up and around, barrel rolls, then inversion, which is the tallest inversion west of Mississippi at 15 stories tall," said Six Flags spokeswoman Nancy Chan.

It's easy to laugh when you are done riding, but there are moments during the ride when you're too topsy-turvy to do much laughing. It starts out at 42 miles per hour. Ten seconds later, you've stopped and then gone 62 miles per hour.

How it reaches that speed is another thing that makes it unique. "We use something similar to what you would with magnets, with children, where they repel each other. We push and pull against the train to get it to move forward and backwards," explained Six Flags supervisor Charles Laureano. "It's a lot of power."

The flight is short, but not on thrills. Six Flags hopes the $6 million ride will pay big dividends for the park. It has been 10 years since a new major ride was brought to the park.

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vallejo, six flags, north bay news, terry mcsweeney

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