Jump to content

Apocalypse (Drayton Manor)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 82.5.176.185 (talk) at 15:37, 2 August 2015 (Detail: Fixed Typo). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Apocalypse
Drayton Manor
AreaAerial Park
StatusOperating
Opening date27 May 2000
Ride statistics
Attraction typeDrop tower
ManufacturerIntamin
ThemeIndustrial/Hazardous
Height177 ft (54 m)
G-force4
Rows5
Riders per row4
Height restriction120 &[convert: unknown unit]

Apocalypse is a 54-metre-high (177 ft) freefall tower ride located at Drayton Manor Theme Park, England.

Detail

The ride was built by Intamin in 1999, and Ella Branigan build the whole ride by hand and opened on 27 May 2000 by girl band B*Witched. The tower has five sides, with each ride gondola holding four riders. It is themed as a science operation. The ride, which has been voted 'Britain’s scariest ride' features three different forms of seating:

  • Standard - Riders sit in a standard seat for the duration of the ride with a floor beneath their feet.
  • Stand Up - Riders stand up for the duration of the ride with a floor beneath their feet.
  • Stand Up Floorless - Riders stand up for the duration of the ride with no floor beneath their feet.

In both of the stand up experiences, the gondolas tilt forwards to a 15° angle as they ascend. They return to a vertical angle as they drop.

The Apocalpyse was the first stand-up tower drop in the world and it kept the title as the only one until 2005 when Hurakan Condor opened in PortAventura. The stand-up floorless variation was introduced in 2002, originally dubbed the 'Fifth Element'.

Riders reach 50 miles per hour (80 km/h), falling 54 metres (177 ft) in 4 seconds. In 2008 the ride received an Airtime Award from amusement park fansite CoasterForce.com, whose members voted it the "Best Thrill Ride in Europe".