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Incredible Hulk (roller coaster)
Encyclopedia
The Incredible Hulk is a steel roller coaster
located in Islands of Adventure
in Orlando
, Florida
, USA. It is named for the popular comic book superhero character, the Hulk
. Voted the #1 roller coaster by Discovery Channel
viewers in 1999, the roller coaster
is unique because it features a launch
lift hill
as opposed to conventional chain lifts. This means the train accelerates to 40 mi/h in a short time (approximately two seconds) before speeding through several inversions. When the Incredible Hulk opened, it featured the world's tallest cobra roll (110 feet (33.5 m)).
The Incredible Hulk is the only launched roller coaster produced by Bolliger & Mabillard
. As a company, it is opposed to launched coasters because of perceived reliability problems, so it subcontracted the launch mechanism to another company.
The Incredible Hulk was featured at the beginning of the 1999 film House on Haunted Hill
under the pseudonym "Terror Incognita".
The train enters the Gamma Tube, where the anxious voice of Bruce Banner issues from speakers in the walls: "Everything looks good...I think...I think this time it's...going to work!" On cue, an automated and ironically calming female voice announces that there has been a malfunction. Klaxons begin to sound inside the tube as Dr. Banner screams in terror: "No. No! No!!!" The last "No!" is synchronized with the launch mechanism, which propels the train to 40 mi/h as it ascends to 110 feet (33.5 m). Upon exiting the Gamma Tube, the train immediately goes into a zero-g roll, down a 105 feet (32 m) drop, and into a cobra roll. Riders complete a vertical loop, then enter a tunnel full of mist. At this point of the ride, the train's speed has reached approximately 65 mph. The train encircles the gamma tube and is sent into the back area via corkscrew. A smaller vertical loop wraps around the brake run, which is flanked by two over-banked turns. The coaster is slowed down by the brake run before being sent down another hill to a corkscrew and turn-around. Riders then travel sideways through an on-ride camera zone and then to the ride's final brakes after a helix.
The Incredible Hulk Roller Coaster also has a very loud roar type sound as the train rolls down the track. This is a hallmark of B&M roller coasters, and is due to the unique box-shaped track tubes.
s. Without these stored energy units, they would have had to build a whole substation and risk browning-out the local energy grid with every launch.
suffered a heart attack while riding the Incredible Hulk coaster. She was rushed to the hospital in critical condition and died of the same heart attack at the hospital later on.
Steel roller coaster
A steel roller coaster is a roller coaster that is defined by having a track made of steel. Steel coasters have earned immense popularity in the past 50 years throughout the world...
located in Islands of Adventure
Islands of Adventure
Universal's Islands of Adventure is a theme park located in Orlando, Florida. It opened May 28, 1999 as part of an expansion that, along with CityWalk Entertainment District, the Portofino Bay Hotel, and Hard Rock hotel, converted Universal Studios Florida into the Universal Orlando Resort...
in Orlando
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, USA. It is named for the popular comic book superhero character, the Hulk
Hulk (comics)
The Hulk is a fictional character, a superhero in the . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 ....
. Voted the #1 roller coaster by Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
viewers in 1999, the roller coaster
Roller coaster
The roller coaster is a popular amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. LaMarcus Adna Thompson patented the first coasters on January 20, 1885...
is unique because it features a launch
Launch track
The launch track is the section of a launched roller coaster in which the train is accelerated to its full speed in a matter of seconds. A launch track is always straight and is usually banked upwards slightly, so that a train would roll backwards to the station in the event of a loss of power.A...
lift hill
Lift hill
A lift hill, or chain hill, is often the initial upward-sloping section of track on a typical roller coaster that initially transports the roller coaster train to an elevated point or peak in the roller coaster ride...
as opposed to conventional chain lifts. This means the train accelerates to 40 mi/h in a short time (approximately two seconds) before speeding through several inversions. When the Incredible Hulk opened, it featured the world's tallest cobra roll (110 feet (33.5 m)).
The Incredible Hulk is the only launched roller coaster produced by Bolliger & Mabillard
Bolliger & Mabillard
Bolliger & Mabillard Consulting Engineers is a roller coaster design consultancy based in Monthey, Switzerland. The company was founded in 1988 by Walter Bolliger and Claude Mabillard, with Bolliger acting as president and Mabillard as vice-president...
. As a company, it is opposed to launched coasters because of perceived reliability problems, so it subcontracted the launch mechanism to another company.
The Incredible Hulk was featured at the beginning of the 1999 film House on Haunted Hill
House on Haunted Hill (1999 film)
House on Haunted Hill is a 1999 American horror film, directed by William Malone and starring Geoffrey Rush, Famke Janssen, Taye Diggs, Ali Larter and Jeffrey Combs. It also includes a cameo appearance by Peter Graves...
under the pseudonym "Terror Incognita".
Summary
Queue
Volunteers enter the lab of Bruce Banner with many televisions showing the story of the Hulk. Bruce is now trying to find a way to reverse the effects, which the guests are about to take part in. While walking through the lab they encounter items including the generator, the Gamma core and the towers of power. Volunteers are also able to watch the coaster through large holes in the walls as well as listen to the coaster as it does a number of passes.Ride
The Incredible Hulk Roller Coaster also has a very loud roar type sound as the train rolls down the track. This is a hallmark of B&M roller coasters, and is due to the unique box-shaped track tubes.
Upgrades
Recently, new lighting effects were added to the coaster's launch tunnel. Now the tunnel fills with strobe lights and special lighting effects right before each train is launched. The newly added lighting effects, go with the story, and as rides hear "Warning" strobe lights and special effect lighting are triggered to flash to create more action in the ride's launch section. In Spring 2011, The Incredible Hulk Coaster was re-painted its original bright green track and silver supports.Technology
The unique full speed, uphill launch at the beginning of the ride required so much energy, that the park built several customized motor generator sets with large flywheelFlywheel
A flywheel is a rotating mechanical device that is used to store rotational energy. Flywheels have a significant moment of inertia, and thus resist changes in rotational speed. The amount of energy stored in a flywheel is proportional to the square of its rotational speed...
s. Without these stored energy units, they would have had to build a whole substation and risk browning-out the local energy grid with every launch.
Incidents
On September 23, 2003, a 34-year-old woman from Jensen Beach, FloridaJensen Beach, Florida
Jensen Beach is a census-designated place in Martin County, Florida, United States. The population was 11,100 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Port St...
suffered a heart attack while riding the Incredible Hulk coaster. She was rushed to the hospital in critical condition and died of the same heart attack at the hospital later on.