CHAPTER ONE RIDING KINGDA KA roller coaster It is the top attraction the line moves slowly for the Kingda Ka Safari amusement park in New Jersey Kingda at the Six Flags Great Adventure and Ka is the world’s tallest roller coaster It is also one of the fastest Sometimes its riders wait in line for more than an hour in the summer heat There are few attractions that would make people wait this long The line may be slow but the ride is anything but Riders take their seats in one of Kingda Ka’s speed thrills riders 5
the cars of the roller coaster’s train and strap in As the train moves into position riders see what they’re in for The ride’s 456 foot 140-m peak lies ahead Green steel seems to soar forever into the sky Kingda Ka is named for a Bengal tiger The ride itself is like a jungle cat waiting to pounce An automated voice warns riders to hang on The train’s brakes release with a hiss Riders wait with no idea when their train will take off Some roller coasters use the first hill to pick up speed which they use for the rest of the ride Not this one Kingda Ka starts by accelerating In an instant the train shoots forward pressing riders back into their seats They are rocketed to 128 miles per hour 206 km h in just 3 5 seconds Some riders scream in delight as the train reaches its top speed It then starts to climb the hill 90 degrees straight up 6
Kingda Ka speeds toward the first hill The train banks to its side as the steel twists toward the top As it crests the hill riders are held in place by the restraints Just as soon as the train reaches the top it shoots back down It twists around as it plummets toward the ground Riders are pressed down into their seats with many times the force of gravity Kingda Ka then crests one more hill that is 129 feet 39 m tall That’s tiny in comparison to the first hill But just a few decades ago this hill would have 7
