Typhoon is a steel roller coaster at the Bobbejaanland amusement park in Lichtaart, Belgium. Typhoon is a Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter model roller coaster, and the second installation of this model line.[1] At 97 degrees, the coaster's first drop is steeper-than-vertical and it has the steepest drop of any roller coaster in Belgium.[2]
| Typhoon | |
|---|---|
 Lift hill of Typhoon | |
| Bobbejaanland | |
| Location | Bobbejaanland |
| Park section | Land of Legends |
| Coordinates | 51°11′59″N 4°54′20″E / 51.199748°N 4.905519°E |
| Status | Operating |
| Opening date | 10 April 2004 |
| Cost | €5,000,000 |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel – Euro-Fighter |
| Manufacturer | Gerstlauer |
| Designer | Werner Stengel |
| Lift/launch system | Vertical chain lift hill |
| Height | 25.7 m (84 ft) |
| Length | 670 m (2,200 ft) |
| Speed | 80 km/h (50 mph) |
| Inversions | 4 |
| Duration | 1:30 |
| Max vertical angle | 97° |
| Capacity | 1400 riders per hour |
| G-force | 5 |
| Typhoon at RCDB | |
History
editConstructed by the German roller coaster manufacturer Gerstlauer, Typhoon opened on 10 April 2004[3] and was built to replace the Looping Star roller coaster at Bobbejaanland.[4] Typhoon was the most popular roller coaster in the park as of 2010.[5]
Layout and ride experience
edit
Typhoon is a relatively compact roller coaster with a base of 75 metres (246 ft) by 29 metres (95 ft) with a maximum height of almost 26 metres (85 ft), which has been cited as being particularly small for a roller coaster with the number of inversions that Typhoon has.[6] The Typhoon has four inversions: a vertical loop, double heartline roll and an additional single heartline roll. Typhoon has single cars which can each carry eight passengers (two rows of four people).[3]
Incidents
editThere have been a number of publicized incidents involving riders becoming stuck on Typhoon. One incident occurred in May 2011 when four children and two teenagers were stuck on the coaster. The riders were eventually rescued and none were injured in the incident.[7] In June 2013, eight riders were evacuated after another incident and were forced to use an emergency staircase to exit.[8] Additional incidents occurred in both June and July 2014. In the June 2014 incident, the coaster was stuck on the top of the lift hill and riders were forced to evacuate using the emergency stair.[9][10] In the July 2014 incident, the coaster was stuck near the end of the ride.[11] Neither case resulted in any injuries.[9][10][11]
References
edit- ^ "Parklife: Bobbejaanland, Belgium". InterPark. 1 June 2012. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "List of roller coasters in Belgium by angle of drop". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
- ^ a b Marden, Duane. "Typhoon (Bobbejaanland)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
- ^ "Looping Star". Bobbejaanland nostalgie (in Dutch). Retrieved 23 August 2014.
- ^ Meulemans, Eddy (23 April 2010). "Britse eigenaar zet pretpark in etalage: Bobbejaanland staat opnieuw te koop" [British owner puts amusement park in window: Bobbejaanland is once again for sale]. De Standaard (in Dutch). Lichtaart. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
- ^ Cornelissen, Frank (2004). "Oki Doki, Sledge Hammer & Typhoon". Whoosh Magazine (in Dutch). 2 (3). Retrieved 23 August 2014.
- ^ "Zes kinderen geblokkeerd in attractie Bobbejaanland" [Six children locked in attraction Bobbejaanland]. Het Laatste Nieuws (in Dutch). Persgroep Digital. 26 May 2011. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
- ^ Coenen, Ludo (28 June 2013). "Acht personen geëvacueerd uit Typhoon in Bobbejaanland" [Eight people evacuated from Typhoon in Bobbejaanland]. Nnieuws (in Dutch). Retrieved 23 August 2014.
- ^ a b "Vast in de achtbaan in Bobbejaanland" [Stuck in the roller coaster in Bobbejaanland]. RTL Nieuws (in Dutch). 29 June 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
- ^ a b "Passagiers vast in achtbaan Bobbejaanland" [Passengers stuck in rollercoaster Bobbejaanland]. De Telegraaf (in Dutch). Lichtaart: TMG Landelijke Media B.V. 28 June 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
- ^ a b Vansant, Dennis (8 July 2014). "Achtbaan Bobbejaanland blijft opnieuw vasthangen" [Rollercoaster Bobbejaanland remains redefine hang]. Nieuwsblad (in Dutch). De Standaard en L'Avenir. Retrieved 23 August 2014.