The Superman: Tower of Power at Kentucky Kingdom was an Intamin Giant Drop model, nearly identical to the one at Six Flags St. Louis. It opened in 1995 as the first ride of its kind. The original name for this ride was "Hellevator", but it was renamed to "Superman: Tower of Power" in 2007 and received a fresh coat of paint at the top of the ride. The ride was constructed by Martin & Vleminckx. The ride was dismantled in 2008. A new 129 foot drop tower, titled "FearFall", was later added to the park in 2014.
Rider experience
Riders sit in one of four seats in several cars attached to the tower. They are quickly taken 177 feet in the air at 12 mph, held at the top for several seconds, and then dropped around at speeds of, before being stopped just from the ground by magnetic brakes.
Stats
Introduced: 1995
Demolished: 2008
Height: 177 ft
Drop height: 154 ft
Max speed: 54 mph
Lift speed: 12 mph
Manufacturer: Intamin
Height restriction: 48 in
Incidents
On June 21, 2007, a 13-year-old girl was severely injured on Superman: Tower of Power. Shortly after the start of the ride, a cable snapped and struck the passengers in Section 3 of the ride. The cable looped past the right most passenger's feet during the "drop" and shattered her left femur while severing both feet on the way down. The operator heard the cable snap and acknowledged unusual screaming as the car climbed, but failed to press the emergency stop button until after the ride had already dropped. The ride cannot be stopped after this point. Doctors were able to reattach her right foot. The ride was closed right after the accident; it was removed from the park soon after.
The Superman Tower of Power at Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington, Texas was added to the Tower section of the park in 2003. With a structural height of, it was the tallest ride in the park until the opening of the Texas Sky Screamer. Superman Tower of Power is also the tallest ride to use both space shot and turbo drop pneumatic sequences in the world. It features three towers: blue, red, and yellow positioned so that ride resembles a tripod like structure. Riders are seated facing outwards and are strapped using air-locked shoulder restraints and a safety belt that attaches the restraint to the seat. The ride begins with the weigh process. During this time the cart is raised and lowered as the ride's computer determines the amount of air pressure to use for the ride cycle. Once completed, there is a brief pause and the riders are then launched up the tower then slow just before reaching the top. This is the first feeling of weightlessness that the riders experience. The cart briskly falls halfway down the tower then brought back up to the top to complete the Turbo Drop portion of the ride. Once at the top the cart locks into the brakes and is held there giving the riders just enough time to view both the Dallas and Fort Worth skylines. The cart is then released from the brakes, and the riders are dropped giving them the second and final experience of weightlessness. The riders are then bounced halfway up the tower and dropped again until they are slowly brought back down to be unloaded. At night the ride is illuminated by various lights that change color and can be seen for miles.
The Superman: Tower of Power at Six Flags St. Louis was manufactured by Intamin, and is one of Intamin's "Giant Drop" models. Riders sit in open-air ski lift style seats that face away from the tower, leaving their feet dangling. The cars lift up slowly at first, but quickly accelerate to 12 mph after leaving the magnetic brakes. Riders are held at the top of the 23-story tower for several seconds at the top. The cars are then released in a random order and free fall some 230 ft, reaching 62 mph before hitting the brakes.
Capacity: 6 cars that hold 4 passengers each, for a total of 24 riders per cycle
Manufacturer: Intamin
Height restriction: 48 in
History
The ride was originally operated at Six Flags AstroWorld in Houston, where it was known as the "Dungeon Drop". When AstroWorld was closed and demolished in 2005, Dungeon Drop was relocated to Six Flags St. Louis.
The ride was originally intended to be named "Acrophobia". The tower pieces were painted in an alternating color scheme of orange, green, and teal with white accent ringsprior to being erected at the park during the off-season. When CEO Mark Shapiro made his stop at the park on his national tour of the Six Flags parks in 2006, he ordered the name change to Superman: Tower of Power and the tower was repainted again, but in an alternating color scheme of yellow, blue and red with yellow and blue accent rings.
