The Gravity Group
The Gravity Group is a wooden roller coaster design firm based in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. The firm was founded in July 2002 out of the engineering team of the famed but now defunct Custom Coasters International. The core group of designers and engineers at The Gravity Group have backgrounds in civil, structural and mechanical engineering. Their experience comes from work on over 40 different wooden roller coasters around the world. The first coaster designed under the Gravity Group opened as Hades at Mount Olympus Theme Park in 2005. The Gravity Group also designed The Voyage at Holiday World in Santa Claus, Indiana, which opened in May 2006 and is the second-longest wooden roller coaster in the world. These first two accomplishments of the team have been received with great success by both the industry and coaster enthusiasts alike.
Industry | Manufacturing |
---|---|
Founded | July 2002 |
Founder | Former Custom Coasters International employees |
Headquarters | , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Products | Roller coasters, roller coaster trains |
Divisions | Gravitykraft Corporation, Gravity Works, LLC |
Website | www |
In 2007, The Gravity Group opened Boardwalk Bullet, an intense wooden roller coaster that was built at Kemah Boardwalk and opened as the only wooden coaster in the Greater Houston area. The Gravity Group designed Ravine Flyer II at Waldameer in Erie, Pennsylvania, which was opened at the start of the 2008 season. In 2009, Wooden Coaster - Fireball was opened at Happy Valley in China, becoming China's first wooden roller coaster. In 2011 Quassy Amusement Park opened Wooden Warrior, the company's sixth wooden roller coaster. The Gravity Group was also involved in the rebuilding of Libertyland's Zippin Pippin at Bay Beach Amusement Park in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
In 2008, members of The Gravity Group announced the development of their own wooden coaster trains called Timberliners. They are being produced by Gravitykraft Corporation, a sister company to The Gravity Group. The Gravity Group promotes their trains as the only wooden coaster trains capable of steering through curves, resulting in a more comfortable and maintenance-friendly ride. Timberliners were planned to debut on The Voyage at Holiday World for the 2010 season, but after four years of delays, Holiday World officially cancelled the project on August 16, 2013. However, in 2011, the Timberliners appeared on Wooden Warrior at Quassy Amusement Park in Connecticut and on Twister at Gröna Lund in Sweden, and in 2013 were added to Hades as part of its transformation to Hades 360.
List of roller coasters
As of 2019, The Gravity Group has built 28 roller coasters around the world.[1]
Name | Model | Park | Country | Opened | Status | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hades 360 Formerly Hades | Steel Support Structure | Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park | United States | 2005 | Operating | [2] |
The Voyage | Steel Support Structure | Holiday World | United States | 2006 | Operating | [3] |
Boardwalk Bullet | Wood Support Structure | Kemah Boardwalk | United States | 2007 | Operating | [4] |
Ravine Flyer II | Steel Support Structure | Waldameer | United States | 2008 | Operating | [5] |
Wooden Coaster - Fireball | Wood Support Structure | Happy Valley Shanghai | China | 2009 | Operating | [6] |
Wooden Warrior | Wood Support Structure | Quassy Amusement Park | United States | 2011 | Operating | [7] |
Twister | Steel Support Structure | Gröna Lund | Sweden | 2011 | Operating | [8] |
Zippin Pippin | Wood Support Structure | Bay Beach Amusement Park | United States | 2011 | Operating | [9] |
Dauling Dragon | Wood Support Structure | Happy Valley Wuhan | China | 2012 | Operating | [10] |
Fjord Flying Dragon | Wood Support Structure | Happy Valley Tianjin | China | 2013 | Operating | [11] |
Roar-o-Saurus | Wood Support Structure | Story Land | United States | 2014 | Operating | [12] |
Time Travel | Wood Support Structure | Hot Go Park | China | 2014 | Operating | [13] |
Cú Chulainn | Wood Support Structure | Emerald Park | Ireland | 2015 | Operating | [14] |
Switchback | Steel Support Structure | ZDT's Amusement Center | United States | 2015 | Operating | [15] |
Jungle Trailblazer | Wood Support Structure | Oriental Heritage Jinan | China | 2015 | Operating | [16] |
Jungle Trailblazer | Wood Support Structure | Fantawild Dreamland Zhengzhou | China | 2015 | Operating | [17] |
Jungle Trailblazer | Wood Support Structure | Oriental Heritage Wuhu | China | 2015 | Operating | [18] |
Timber | Wood Support Structure | Walibi Rhône-Alpes | France | 2016 | Operating | [19] |
Jungle Trailblazer | Wood Support Structure | Oriental Heritage Ningbo | China | 2016 | Operating | [20] |
Jungle Trailblazer | Wood Support Structure | Fantawild Dreamland Zhuzhou | China | 2016 | Operating | [21] |
Mine Blower | Steel Support Structure | Fun Spot America Kissimmee | United States | 2017 | Operating | [22] |
Jungle Trailblazer | Wood Support Structure | Oriental Heritage Xiamen | China | 2017 | Operating | [23] |
Oscar's Wacky Taxi | Steel Support Structure | Sesame Place | United States | 2018 | Operating | [24] |
Wood Express | Steel Support Structure | Parc Saint Paul | France | 2018 | Operating | [25] |
Jungle Trailblazer | Wood Support Structure | Fantawild Asian Legend | China | 2018 | Operating | [26] |
Kentucky Flyer | Steel Support Structure | Kentucky Kingdom | United States | 2019 | Operating | [27] |
Wooden Dragon | Wood Support Structure | Sunac Jinan | China | 2021 | Operating | [28] |
Leviathan | Wood Support Structure | Sea World | Australia | 2022 | Operating | [29] |
Bobcat | Wood Support Structure | Six Flags Great Escape | United States | 2024 | Under construction | [30] |
References
- The Gravity Group - rcdb.com
- Marden, Duane. "Hades 360 (Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
- Marden, Duane. "The Voyage (Holiday World)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
- Marden, Duane. "Boardwalk Bullet (Kemah Boardwalk)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
- Marden, Duane. "Ravine Flyer II (Waldameer)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
- Marden, Duane. "Wooden Coaster - Fireball (Happy Valley Shanghai)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
- Marden, Duane. "Wooden Warrior (Quassy Amusement Park)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
- Marden, Duane. "Twister (Gröna Lund)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
- Marden, Duane. "Zippin Pippin (Bay Beach Amusement Park)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
- Marden, Duane. "Dauling Dragon (Happy Valley Wuhan)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
- Marden, Duane. "Fjord Flying Dragon (Happy Valley Tianjin)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
- Marden, Duane. "Roar-O-Saurus (Story Land)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
- Marden, Duane. "Time Travel (Hot Go Park)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
- Marden, Duane. "Cú Chulainn (Tayto Park)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
- Marden, Duane. "Switchback (ZDT's Amusement Center)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
- Marden, Duane. "Jungle Trailblazer (Oriental Heritage Jinan)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
- Marden, Duane. "Jungle Trailblazer (Fantawild Dreamland Zhengzhou)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
- Marden, Duane. "Jungle Trailblazer (Oriental Heritage Wuhu)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
- Marden, Duane. "Timber (Walibi Rhône-Alpes)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
- Marden, Duane. "Jungle Trailblazer (Oriental Heritage Ningbo)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
- Marden, Duane. "Jungle Trailblazer (Fantawild Dreamland Zhuzhou)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
- Marden, Duane. "Mine Blower (Fun Spot America Kissimmee)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
- Marden, Duane. "Jungle Trailblazer (Oriental Heritage Xiamen)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
- Marden, Duane. "Oscar's Wacky Taxi (Sesame Place)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
- Marden, Duane. "Wood Express (Parc Saint Paul)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
- Marden, Duane. "Jungle Trailblazer (Fantawild Asian Legend)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
- Marden, Duane. "Kentucky Flyer (Kentucky Kingdom)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
- Marden, Duane. "Unknown (Sunac Jinan)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
- Marden, Duane. "Leviathan (Sea World)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
- Marden, Duane. "Bobcat (Six Flags Great Escape)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 21 November 2013.