New Coaster at Six Flags Fiesta Texas not Goliath-sized- -or New

Goliath, the coaster debuting in 2008 at Six Flags Fiesta Texas in San Antonio

While Six Flags is hyping the new coaster coming to Six Flags Fiesta Texas, it's not exactly new. A clone of the Batman: The Ride inverted coasters that first debuted at Six Flags Great America near Chicago, the thrill machine first appeared in 1995 at a Japanese amusement park. In 2003, Six Flags bought the coaster and moved it to Six Flags New Orleans where it was known as Batman: The Ride. Since Hurricane Katrina wreaked havoc there in 2005, the Louisiana park has been closed, and the ride has been dormant. For 2008, the chain is moving the 12-year-old coaster to Six Flags Fiesta Texas. It will get a fresh coat of paint and a new name, but it will essentially be the same inverted coaster found at a lot of Six Flags parks. Despite its grandiose name, the ride now known as Goliath will be relatively puny compared to other Six Flags coasters that share the name.

Goliath Stats

• Type: Inverted coaster
• Height: 105 feet
• First drop: 80 feet
• Top speed: 50 mph
• Track length: 2693 feet

Hanging Around--and Around

When it debuted in 1994 at Six Flags Great America, Batman: The Ride caused quite a sensation. The new inverted coaster design placed the trains of cars beneath the track. Suspended from the track by rigid tethers on top of the train, riders sat in open cars with their feet dangling. Like a ski lift gone haywire, the train navigated loops on the outside of the track and other wild inversions and elements. It was quite a sight to see 28 pairs of feet flailing upside down as Batman: The Ride reached the apex of its loops. The unique ride was a huge hit, and Six Flags brought similar inverted coasters to many of its parks, including Six Flags Over Georgia and Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey.

Like the Batman rides, Goliath will use trains that have seven cars, each with four passengers arranged in a single row. Once loaded and cleared for departure, the floor will drop away and the train will leave the station. After climbing the 105-foot lift hill, Goliath will soar down 80 feet and up into its signature vertical loop. Other features will include a zero-G roll and two corkscrews. If it's anything like the Batman rides I've encountered, Goliath will probably deliver some very strong, brief doses of positive G-forces. Many of the turns and inversions will likely be quite tight. Get set for a lively ride.

Six Flags likes to play the roller coaster name game at its parks. The chain recently announced that it will be debuting Batman-themed coasters, known as The Dark Knight, at three of its parks for the 2008 season. All three of the parks already have coasters based on DC Comic's Caped Crusader, so there's bound to be a bit of confusion at those parks. Six Flags Fiesta Texas does not currently have any coasters bearing the Batman theme. While the inverted coaster coming to the San Antonio park in 2008 is known as Batman: The Ride at all of the other Six Flag parks where it appears, for some reason it will be called Goliath at Fiesta Texas. To make matters more confusing, Six Flags already has coasters named Goliath at other parks, including Six Flags Magic Mountain in California, but all of the rides are large hypercoasters, not inverted coasters. At 105 feet tall and 50 mph, the Fiesta Texas version of Goliath won't really be much of a giant.