I personally think that Batman Knight
Flight is the best coaster ever invented by Bolliger
and Mabillard, at least an inverted coaster, and
especially the best flying coaster ever! When it was first introduced in
2000, I got my socks shocked off by how awesome it is, and I don't think any
coaster at Six Flags could rival this awesome ride.
The heavy theming,
especially the music, etc. contribute a lot to the overall feeling of the ride,
and they increase the oncoming riders' anticipation of the ride ahead.
Inside the station is a really long line just for the front seat, which in
my opinion is the best seat on the coaster. The last time I went to Six
Flags, the wait was so short that I was able to ride all the seats in the front
vehicle once each within less than an hour, yeah, I
rode it four times in one hour! If you've ever been on a flying coaster,
you know the feeling of having nothing but track and the ground beneath your
feet, and it gives you a really independent feeling
Upon finishing the final
check-through, the floor of the station retracts (it's a pretty cool
operation!) and train is launched out of the station into a quick drop and a
180° upward helix into the lift. As the train approaches the crest of the
lift, the view becomes clearer and by the top you can see the whole park and
the other side of the lake where the water special occurs. As the train
begins the first drop, the steps leading to the top of the lift drop off and
your feet, if you're sitting on either of the far ends of the train, end up
dangling over the swamp below, a really gut-wrenching feeling, but cool
nonetheless! The train high-banks off a short straightaway and plunges
down the first drop which feels like straight down, 165 feet at 65 mph!
That is the best feeling with the wind pressing strongly against you, oh yeah!
From the first drop, the train goes
through the first loop, a real doozy at 120 feet
tall, it gives you some awesome airtime when the train begins the drop back
out. Then, the train super high-banks past the cobra roll over the queue
and into a 180° high-curve over the Gotham City Town Hall (it's pretty cool, I don't even like Batman!). The high
curve quickly drops into the cobra roll, which is just as large-scale as the
first loop. The train goes through a half loop
and then a right-hand corkscrew, then into another half right cork and finally
into another half-loop. I love coasters with this inversion!
The train then passes through a
straightaway that leads to the brakes next to the lift, a long
stretch of track! The pop off the brake run gives you a nauseated
feeling, and then the train slides gracefully (yes, I just said gracefully!)
into the corkscrew tangle element, a classic set of inversions for Bolliger and Mabillard's flying coasters. The
train first engages a right-hand corkscrew which leads into a sharp, fast 180
banked helix, and back out into a left-handed corkscrew over the track that the
train just left, you have to see the pictures to know what exactly this
inversion set looks like.
The finale is a lake-hugging 390°
helix and a really high neg-G pop into the final
brakes. No matter how hard you may try to keep your legs from jumping up
at this point, they will inevitably go up, it's just
the way this section of the track is made. As I'm sure you already know
from my customary punch line, you just have to get out to Six
Flags to ride this ride to fully enjoy it!