WEST MIFFLIN, Pa.,None — Kennywood's seventh roller coaster, named the Sky Rocket, is set to open on June 29.
The highly anticipated coaster was set to open to the public June 25 but officials said the date was rescheduled in order to finish all testing.
Kennywood describes the Sky Rocket as "a seriously twisted, pulse detonating, supercharged, stratospheric new ride experience." The amusement park said riders will "vertical climb and say adios to gravity as (they) go over-the-top and plummet 90-degrees due south."
The first 200 ride tickets are being auctioned online with proceeds benefiting the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank.
The highest bidder in the action will get first choice of seat. The next highest bid, the next choice, etc. There are six seats in a car, and two cars make up the train. Auction winners will be notified via email if their bid was one of the 200 on Monday, June 28. To bid, click here.
Watch the video on Kennywood's site. View Pictures
The Sky Rocket joins the ranks of the Lil' Phantom, Exterminator, Jack Rabbit, Racer, Thunderbolt and Phantom's Revenge.
"This roller coaster will provide a thrilling new experience for coaster lovers at Kennywood," explains general manager Jerome Gibas. "The use of LSM launch technology will allow riders to blast from 0 to 50 mph in three seconds and offers our first roller coaster with inversions since the Steel Phantom."
After the high-speed launch, riders will experience a vertical ascent to 95 feet before a brief cliffhanger pause at the top and a 90-degree drop into a maximum G-force pullout, according to Kennywood.
The riders will then enjoy extended airtime as the train races into an inverted top hat element, passes into a barrel roll and goes vertical again through a twist up leading to another pause. Riders then experience a second vertical free fall followed by another maximum G-force pullout on the way into a highly banked fan curve. After a traditional corkscrew, a curve to a zero gravity hill, and a series of wave turns, riders finally return to the station.
The new roller coaster was built where the Turnpike once sat. The Turnpike's last day was in August of last year. Park officials have said the ride could return to the park someday.
Structural work was performed by Century Steel of Dravosburg. The coaster builder was Premier Rides of Maryland.
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