A flying roller coaster is a type of steel roller coaster meant to simulate the sensations of flight by harnessing riders in a prone position during the duration of the ride. The roller coaster cars are suspended below the track, with riders secured such that their backs are parallel to the track.
History
The flying roller coaster is a relatively new concept. The world's first flying roller coaster was Skytrak, built in Manchester, United Kingdom at the Granada Studios Tour in 1997. The Skytrak used a single-passenger car. Riders would climb into the car in much the same fashion as climbing a ladder, then the car would be raised up to the track before being dispatched. The single-passenger design kept the ride's capacity low, at only 240 riders per hour.
In 2014, Phantasialand in Brühl, Germany contracted Vekoma, to design and build a new flying roller coaster to be the center piece of a new immersive themed area of the park which would also include the park's third hotel. Noting previous design limitations and issues with other flying coaster models, particularly in regard to capacity as loading procedures were slow and complex. Phantasialand pursued two objectives for the design of their new flying coaster; a simplified and streamlined loading process, and custom layout designed to fit in the limited space (100m by 75m) available as well as height restrictions imposed upon the park. Vekoma spent the next few years designing and testing a prototype system at its factory in Vlodrop, with construction on the new coaster beginning in 2016 and finishing in 2019. In 2019, Phantasialand began a teaser campaign for the new coaster, announcing the name F.L.Y. (Flying Launch Coaster). On September 17, 2020, F.L.Y. officially opened to the public.
F.L.Y. features a completely brand new loading procedure never before seen on any flying coaster model. Upon entering the station, the track and trains rotate from a prone position 90 degrees onto the side, while the seats, which are two abreast, rotate at the same time so that the passengers move from a prone "flying" position to an upright position. The passengers load into a standard seated position and pull down the over-the-shoulder vest harness. Once secure, the train is dispatched out of the station and proceeds in the upright position through a short dark ride section before the track, train, and seats rotate into the prone flying position.
In addition to the new loading procedure, F.L.Y. is also the first flying roller coaster to utilize a launch system rather than a lift system. F.L.Y. features two separate LSM launches that launches trains up to a top speed of 48.5 mph (78.1 km/h) over 4,055.1 feet (1,236.0 m) of track making it the world's longest flying coaster.
Since opening, F.L.Y. has been met with overwhelmingly positive reception for its innovative design, riding experience, operations, capacity, and theming that have won the coaster several industry awards.
Bolliger & Mabillard
right|thumb|[[Galactica (roller coaster)|Galactica (Air from 2002 to 2015) at Alton Towers, Bolliger & Mabillard's first flying coaster]]
Swiss roller coaster manufacturer B&M debuted their flying coaster model Air (since renamed Galactica) at Alton Towers in 2002, jointly developed with ride designer John Wardley.
Riders take a seating position like on a regular inverted coaster with a chest harness and leglocks. They are then tilted 90° so they assume a frontwards lying position. In total, B&M built 11 flying coasters. Air was followed by three installations of Superman: Ultimate Flight at different Six Flags parks over the next year, with a fourth Six Flags coaster added in 2006 with the construction of Tatsu at Six Flags Magic Mountain. The final American instilation came in 2009, with Manta at SeaWorld Orlando. The remaining five were installed in Asia: three in China (Crystal Wing, Starry Sky Ripper, and Harpy) and two in Japan (Acrobat and The Flying Dinosaur).
Zamperla
right|200px|thumb|A [[Zamperla flying coaster, Soarin' Eagle, when it operated as Flying Coaster at Elitch Gardens]]
Italian design manufacturer Zamperla produces a flying roller coaster model dubbed 'Volare' (Italian for "to fly"). Riders lie down in the cars, which hang from an upper rail at a 45-degree angle. The car is then lifted up into a flying position while holding the riders inside. This model is very compact and affordable (estimated to be US$6 million) and comes with a unique spiral lift hill in which a tall spinning column with two vertical poles connected to it push the cars up the spiral track. The minimum rider height requirement is .
The first Volare debuted as a prototype in 2002 as Flying Coaster at Elitch Gardens, where it operated until 2007. It faced numerous technical issues that were corrected on subsequent models produced by Zamperla. After closing, Flying Coaster was returned to Zamperla, where it was refurbished and installed at Coney Island as Soarin' Eagle.
Notably, the Volare model is often not met with particularly positive reviews. Roller coaster enthusiasts often describe the model as uncomfortable or rough due to the 'claustrophobic' cage-like nature of the restraint system.
Installations
right|200px|thumb|A former [[Vekoma flying roller coaster, X-Flight formerly at Geauga Lake]]
200px|thumb|A [[Bolliger & Mabillard roller coaster, Superman: Ultimate Flight at Six Flags Over Georgia]]
200px|thumb|A [[Vekoma launched flying roller coaster, F.L.Y. at Phantasialand]]
{| class= "wikitable sortable"
|-
! Name !! Park !! Manufacturer !! Opened !! Status !! class="unsortable" | Ref(s)
|-
| Skytrak || Granada Studios || Skytrak International || 1997 || ||
|-
| Komet || Encounter Zone || Select Contracts || 1998 || ||
|-
| Batwing || Six Flags America || Vekoma || 2001 || ||
|-
| Galactica<br/><small>Formerly Air</small>|| Alton Towers || Bolliger & Mabillard || 2002 || ||
|-
| Superman: Ultimate Flight || Six Flags Over Georgia || Bolliger & Mabillard || 2002 || ||
|-
| Superman: Ultimate Flight || Six Flags Great Adventure || Bolliger & Mabillard || 2003 || ||
|-
| Superman: Ultimate Flight || Six Flags Great America || Bolliger & Mabillard || 2003 || ||
|-
| Hexenbesen || Erlebniswelt Seilbahnen Thale || Wiegand || 2003 || ||
|-
| Nighthawk<br/><small>Formerly BORG Assimilator</small><br/><small>Formerly Stealth</small>|| Carowinds<br/><small>California's Great America</small> || Vekoma<br/><br/> || 2004<br/><small>2000</small> || ||
|-
| Super Flight || Playland || Zamperla || 2004 || ||
|-
| Time Warp || Canada's Wonderland || Zamperla || 2004 || ||
|-
| Volare || Wiener Prater || Zamperla || 2004 || ||
|-
| Trombi || Särkänniemi || Zamperla || 2005 || ||
|-
| Tatsu || Six Flags Magic Mountain || Bolliger & Mabillard || 2006 || ||
|-
| Crystal Wing || Happy Valley Beijing || Bolliger & Mabillard || 2006 || ||
|-
| Firehawk<br/><small>Formerly X-Flight</small> || Kings Island<br/><small>Geauga Lake</small> || Vekoma<br/><br/> || 2007<br/><small>2001</small> || ||
|-
| Manta || SeaWorld Orlando || Bolliger & Mabillard || 2009 || ||
|-
| Stingray || Suzhou Giant Wheel Park || Vekoma || 2009 || ||
|-
| Inertia Airplane Car || Kaeson Youth Park || Zamperla || 2010 || ||
|-
| Sky Scrapper || World Joyland || Bolliger & Mabillard || 2011 || ||
|-
| Soarin' Eagle<br/><small>Formerly Flying Coaster</small>||Luna Park, Coney Island <br/><small>Elitch Gardens</small> || Zamperla || 2011<br/><small>2002</small> || ||
|-
| Hero || Flamingo Land Resort || Zamperla || 2013 || ||
|-
| Acrobat || Nagashima Spa Land || Bolliger & Mabillard || 2015 || ||
|-
| Harpy ||Xishuangbanna Theme Park || Bolliger & Mabillard || 2015 || ||
|-
| The Flying Dinosaur || Universal Studios Japan || Bolliger & Mabillard || 2016 || ||
|-
| Super Glider<br/><small>Formerly Flying Coaster</small>|| Skytropolis Funland<br/><small>Genting Theme Park</small> || Zamperla || 2019<br/><small>2004</small> || ||
|-
| Volare Hiz Kizagi || Wonderland Eurasia || Zamperla || 2019 || ||
|-
| F.L.Y. || Phantasialand || Vekoma || 2020 || ||
|-
| Aurora Flying Coaster || Silk Road Paradise || Jinma Rides ||2023 || ||
|}