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Kong is a steel Suspended Looping Coaster, made by Vekoma, located at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo, California.
| Kong | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Six Flags Discovery Kingdom | |
| Coordinates | 38°08′24″N 122°14′02″W / 38.139902°N 122.233785°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Opening date | May 1998 |
| Opryland USA | |
| Coordinates | 36°12′23″N 86°41′44″W / 36.206505°N 86.695676°W |
| Status | Removed |
| Opening date | May 1, 1995 |
| Closing date | 1997 |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel – Inverted |
| Manufacturer | Vekoma |
| Model | Suspended Looping Coaster (689m Standard) |
| Lift/launch system | Chain lift hill |
| Height | 109 ft (33 m) |
| Length | 2,261 ft (689 m) |
| Speed | 50 mph (80 km/h) |
| Inversions | 5 |
| Duration | 1:36 |
| Capacity | 1040 riders per hour |
| Height restriction | 52–78 in (132–198 cm) |
| Trains | 2 trains with 10 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in a single row for a total of 20 riders per train. |
 Flash Pass available | |
| Kong at RCDB | |
History
Opryland USA
Kong was previously located at the now-defunct Opryland USA theme park in Nashville, Tennessee where it was known as The Hangman. Opened in May 1995, the ride was notably the last major attraction to be added to Opryland before the park closed at the end of the 1997 season.
The Hangman was located in the American West area of the park, in an area formerly occupied by the Tin Lizzies antique car ride. Upon Opryland's closure, The Hangman was disassembled and sold to Premier Parks. Soon afterwards it was relocated and rebuilt at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom as Kong after Premier Parks acquired the Six Flags chain.
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
Kong debuted at The New Marine World Theme Park, later Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, on Memorial Day Weekend of 1998. At that time Kong became the tallest and longest inverted roller coaster in Northern California, missing the speed record by .3 miles per hour (0.48 km/h) and achieving the length record by only 6 inches (15 cm). Today, V2: Vertical Velocity and Medusa, hold the height and speed records in Discovery Kingdom and Northern California.
Kong previously loaded near the iWerks theater (Also known as the "Dino Sphere"). In 2007, the park moved the attraction's entrance to Oasis Plaza. Guests now walk under the ride to get to the loading platform.
Ride experience
Kong starts with a 115-foot (35 m) lift hill. Followed by that is a 108-foot (33 m) drop, a heartline loop, sidewinder, and back to back inline twists. Despite dislike from the coaster enthusiast community for this type of coaster, Kong is typically one of the busiest coasters in the park and well liked by park guests. SLC coasters are commonly referred to as "Hang-and-Bang" coasters by enthusiasts, referring to your head hitting the over the shoulder restraints during the ride. However, Kong has been said to be one of the smoother, more enjoyable SLC coasters in the US.