Thunderbird
G5 · The Wooden Belt
G5 · № 99/159
Thunderbird
Holiday World · US · S&S Wing Launch Coaster
UNOFFICIAL · NOT PARK-ENDORSED
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Fast facts
- Thunderbird is a steel launched wing coaster at Holiday World in Santa Claus, Indiana. holidayworld.com
- The ride opened in 2015, with its first public operation on April 25. holidayworld.com
- Its 140-foot structure carries riders through the wooded and hilly landscape of the park. holidayworld.com
- An LSM launch carries the train from zero to sixty miles per hour in 3.5 seconds. holidayworld.com
- Thunderbird includes four inversions, including an Immelmann, a zero-g roll, a barrel roll, and a vertical loop. holidayworld.com
- The ride is listed with an hourly capacity of 1,140 riders. coasterpedia.net
- The project was reported as a twenty-two-million-dollar steel roller coaster. bizjournals.com
The story of Thunderbird
Thunderbird was conceived as Holiday World’s first major steel roller coaster, a notable new chapter for a park long associated with its wooden rides. The launched wing design placed its passengers beside the track, with the Indiana woodland close on either side. visitindiana.in.gov· holidayworld.com
During construction, the track and station took shape among the park’s established rides and rolling trees. Holiday World described the work with particular pride, for the new machine would climb high above the grounds before returning to the earth for swift turns and close passages. visitindiana.in.gov· holidayworld.com
Thunderbird opened to the public in 2015 as North America’s first launched wing coaster. Its arrival attracted attention well before opening day, as visitors and coaster admirers watched Holiday World add a new kind of steel achievement to its Indiana landscape. holidayworld.com· visitindiana.in.gov
Sources
- holidayworld.com Acceptable source
- holidayworld.com Acceptable source
- coasterpedia.net Preferred source
- bizjournals.com Acceptable source
- visitindiana.in.gov Acceptable source