Chicago area theme park Six Flags Great America recently announced their 2012 roller coaster, X-Flight. The Bolliger & Mabillard designed roller coaster will feature a new seating system where riders sit on either side of the track instead of on top or below it. With a more open riding experience and no place to hide, X-Flight will be the first of its kind in the United States. B&M debuted this new design with last year’s Raptor at Gardaland in Italy. Here’s a video previewing Six Flags Great America’s new X-Flight roller coaster: UPDATE: X-Flight’s Extras Intrigue Me I have to say that X-Flight looks amazing! The new riding viewpoint will no doubt be exciting, but the additional elements could really make this ride for me. It’s great to see how the designers added enough elements to make it more than just a simple showcase of a wing coaster. That keyhole fly-through looks to be an awesome signature element destined to be splashed across press photos for the park for years to come. Without having terrain to play with, elements like this and even the tunnel are the perfect way to spice up a ride. It’s reminiscient of Demon’s rocky elements, its groovy tunnel, and waterfall. I often look at coaster layouts and long for a simple tunnel or some kind of creativity like this. I didn’t get to experience Six Flags Great America completely during my rainy trip to the park years ago. So, the park has shot up to the top of my list of parks that I need to revisit. See more 2012 roller coasters set to debut at other theme parks around the World. What’s Your Take? I’ll be adding my take in the coming days, but what do you think of this new coaster for Six Flags Great America? Leave a comment below and vote in this first impression poll.[poll id=”46″] Go to Leviathan at Canada’s Wonderland 2012 Roller Coasters Page Go to Wild Eagle at Dollywood 20 Responses Quil September 2, 2011 I love how the trains look on this ride. This thing looks Awsome. Reply coasterer22 September 2, 2011 The near miss with the building looks awesome. They should start making more of these coasters – a lot more. Reply Trent September 2, 2011 Wow! I might need to make a trip up to Chicago sometime soon, If Dollywood's coaster does end up being a Wing Rider (hope so), this will be the third one announced for 2012. Reply Prof.BAM September 2, 2011 Another park adds a sweet ride shortly after I visit. Silver Dollar City added Powder Keg, Worlds of Fun added Patriot and Prowler. And now SFGAm adds this. Rremember how I said that Mt. Olympus is adding something next year, it could be one of these. Reply Matt September 2, 2011 It looks awesome! Especially the inversion drop and twist through the building. Reply L.J. September 2, 2011 Im becoming very fond of B&Ms wing riders they are very interesting and this is a GREAT move for the park in my opinion the ride looks amazing especially the near miss on the building: phenomenal! 🙂 I will make a plan to go here sometime! They need a wing rider at SFOG Reply Piedude81 September 2, 2011 YES!!!! I was a little sad to see Iron Wolf go, but I'm glad to sacrifice that for this! Count on me making the drive to Chicago next year! (Plus the 3 hour line this thing is going to have…) Reply Anonymous September 2, 2011 the headchopper effect would be AMAZING on this ride. Seems like the best looking wing rider announced so far Reply Mike September 3, 2011 and the winner is…. Six Flags great amer! Reply Gearhart September 3, 2011 Looks to be better than I thought, pretty descent layout for a still new design type. It's about time they get a big boy coaster after all these years. Reply X-Flight Coming to Six Flags Great America in 2012 | Theme Park Syndicate - Theme Park News Aggregator September 6, 2011 […] more, watch another video, and vote in a first impression poll at The Coaster Critic’s Blog. Post Published: 06 September 2011 Author: Joel Found in section: News […] Reply Joe September 9, 2011 what are the seat restraints going to be like? I hope theyre like the sit down loopers and inverts Reply Dillon September 10, 2011 why couldn't six flags over georgia get one of these, instead we got Dare Devil Dive the most disapointing ride in the south-east Reply L.J. September 11, 2011 I agree we should have gotten one of these, but I actually liked DDD 🙂 Reply The Coaster Critic September 15, 2011 I finally got around to adding my take on X-Flight. Check it out below the video. Reply TheSuperCoasterKid October 2, 2011 Looking forward to this I think it will be great new roller coaster for SFGA since they haven't got a big new signature ride in a while. Reply TheSuperCoasterKid October 2, 2011 i also love the trains Reply SFGAfan December 24, 2011 I'm so lucky I live 30min away! Reply The Coaster Critic December 25, 2011 Yes, you are! It's nice when the home park has something big coming soon. I was lucky when Intimidator opened at Carowinds too. Reply KevoW_T! March 23, 2012 I feel X-Flight is amazing for Six Flags Great America, if only it could have come to my home park Six Flags America (smh). I’ve been hoping to see a winged coaster in the states for some time after watching a development documentary when Intamin AG put the idea out some years back. Now we have it, and B&M are always able to perfect a ride vision and experience. X-Flight and Wild Eagle are on my 2012 list! Reply Leave a Reply Cancel ReplyYour email address will not be published.CommentName* Email* Website This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
coasterer22 September 2, 2011 The near miss with the building looks awesome. They should start making more of these coasters – a lot more. Reply
Trent September 2, 2011 Wow! I might need to make a trip up to Chicago sometime soon, If Dollywood's coaster does end up being a Wing Rider (hope so), this will be the third one announced for 2012. Reply
Prof.BAM September 2, 2011 Another park adds a sweet ride shortly after I visit. Silver Dollar City added Powder Keg, Worlds of Fun added Patriot and Prowler. And now SFGAm adds this. Rremember how I said that Mt. Olympus is adding something next year, it could be one of these. Reply
Matt September 2, 2011 It looks awesome! Especially the inversion drop and twist through the building. Reply
L.J. September 2, 2011 Im becoming very fond of B&Ms wing riders they are very interesting and this is a GREAT move for the park in my opinion the ride looks amazing especially the near miss on the building: phenomenal! 🙂 I will make a plan to go here sometime! They need a wing rider at SFOG Reply
Piedude81 September 2, 2011 YES!!!! I was a little sad to see Iron Wolf go, but I'm glad to sacrifice that for this! Count on me making the drive to Chicago next year! (Plus the 3 hour line this thing is going to have…) Reply
Anonymous September 2, 2011 the headchopper effect would be AMAZING on this ride. Seems like the best looking wing rider announced so far Reply
Gearhart September 3, 2011 Looks to be better than I thought, pretty descent layout for a still new design type. It's about time they get a big boy coaster after all these years. Reply
X-Flight Coming to Six Flags Great America in 2012 | Theme Park Syndicate - Theme Park News Aggregator September 6, 2011 […] more, watch another video, and vote in a first impression poll at The Coaster Critic’s Blog. Post Published: 06 September 2011 Author: Joel Found in section: News […] Reply
Joe September 9, 2011 what are the seat restraints going to be like? I hope theyre like the sit down loopers and inverts Reply
Dillon September 10, 2011 why couldn't six flags over georgia get one of these, instead we got Dare Devil Dive the most disapointing ride in the south-east Reply
The Coaster Critic September 15, 2011 I finally got around to adding my take on X-Flight. Check it out below the video. Reply
TheSuperCoasterKid October 2, 2011 Looking forward to this I think it will be great new roller coaster for SFGA since they haven't got a big new signature ride in a while. Reply
The Coaster Critic December 25, 2011 Yes, you are! It's nice when the home park has something big coming soon. I was lucky when Intimidator opened at Carowinds too. Reply
KevoW_T! March 23, 2012 I feel X-Flight is amazing for Six Flags Great America, if only it could have come to my home park Six Flags America (smh). I’ve been hoping to see a winged coaster in the states for some time after watching a development documentary when Intamin AG put the idea out some years back. Now we have it, and B&M are always able to perfect a ride vision and experience. X-Flight and Wild Eagle are on my 2012 list! Reply
